Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 26, 2011Coosa County, Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 26, 2011, 4:39 PM CDT for Coosa County, Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 16 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 26, 2011, 4:39 PM CDT (21:39 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 2011, 4:55 PM CDT
In force
16 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Coosa County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Talladega County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:39 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 26, 4:50 PM CDTHAIL 0.5Talladega Springs, ALDIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAY LAKE VFD.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 26, 12:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 25 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2011-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 54 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2011-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 147 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
54 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-256 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
809 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

858 
WFUS54 KBMX 262139
TORBMX
ALC037-117-121-262215-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0023.110326T2139Z-110326T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
439 PM CDT SAT MAR 26 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN COOSA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHWESTERN TALLADEGA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 433 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 5
  MILES EAST OF CALERA. A TORNADO MAY DEVELOP AT ANY TIME. DOPPLER
  RADAR SHOWED THIS DANGEROUS STORM MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  TALLADEGA SPRINGS...BLUE SPRINGS...MARBLE VALLEY...FAYETTEVILLE...
  STRICKLAND CROSSROADS...WAXAHATCHEE AT LAY LAKE...SHELBY...AL 145
  AND CR 46...SPRING CREEK AT LAY LAKE AND SHELBY SHORES AT LAY LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3302 8637 3306 8660 3307 8662 3308 8662
      3308 8665 3316 8665 3320 8638
TIME...MOT...LOC 2138Z 269DEG 26KT 3311 8662

$$

61
1 follow-up statement
550 
WWUS54 KBMX 262155
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
455 PM CDT SAT MAR 26 2011

ALC037-117-121-262205-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-110326T2215Z/
COOSA AL-SHELBY AL-TALLADEGA AL-
455 PM CDT SAT MAR 26 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN TALLADEGA...SOUTH CENTRAL
SHELBY AND NORTHWESTERN COOSA COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.
 HOWEVER SMALL HAIL IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3302 8637 3306 8660 3307 8662 3308 8662
      3308 8665 3316 8665 3320 8638
TIME...MOT...LOC 2155Z 269DEG 26KT 3310 8647

$$

61

The office that day

Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 3:49 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion41 min
Mar 26, 4:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion51 min
Mar 26, 4:48 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXMarion, Winston117 min
Mar 26, 4:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion, Winston48 min
Mar 26, 6:22 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarshall23 min
Mar 26, 7:43 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion47 min
Mar 26, 12:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Marengo, Sumter52 min
Mar 26, 1:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Perry55 min
Mar 26, 1:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker25 min
Mar 26, 1:36 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas, Perry39 min
Mar 26, 1:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Coosa59 min
Mar 26, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Coosa, Tallapoosa58 min
Mar 26, 2:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Tallapoosa44 min
Mar 26, 2:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Elmore, Perry41 min
Mar 26, 2:51 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair24 min
Mar 26, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah, St. Clair31 min
Mar 26, 3:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Clay, Randolph, Tallapoosa43 min
Mar 26, 3:07 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChambers, Tallapoosa53 min
Mar 26, 3:11 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore49 min
Mar 26, 3:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Etowah30 min
Mar 26, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Lee, Macon, Russell43 min
Mar 26, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Shelby39 min
Mar 26, 3:38 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne37 min
Mar 26, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers35 min
Mar 26, 3:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Macon, Montgomery, Tallapoosa45 min
Mar 26, 4:07 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChilton, Shelby38 min
Mar 26, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon40 min
Mar 26, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Russell39 min
Mar 26, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Lee, Macon, Russell51 min
Mar 26, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour33 min
Mar 26, 5:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Macon, Russell63 min
Mar 26, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Etowah51 min
Mar 26, 6:21 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell24 min
Mar 26, 6:23 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXEtowah35 min
Mar 26, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion61 min
Mar 26, 6:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion25 min
Mar 26, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.