Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Huntsville, AL

February 24, 2011Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 24, 2011, 10:21 PM CST for Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 24 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 24, 2011, 10:21 PM CST (04:21 UTC)
Expired
Feb 24, 2011, 10:45 PM CST
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Colbert County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:21 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 24, 8:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 176 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2011-02-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2011-02-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 538 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
793 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
538 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
629 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

574 
WFUS54 KHUN 250421
TORHUN
ALC033-077-079-250445-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0003.110225T0421Z-110225T0445Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1021 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN COLBERT COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  CENTRAL LAUDERDALE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1045 PM CST

* AT 1020 PM CST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED A WALL     
  CLOUD NEAR COLBERT HEIGHTS...MOVING EAST AT 70 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  SPRING VALLEY.
  LEIGHTON.
  RED BANK.
  ROGERSVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU
SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO...IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM CST FRIDAY MORNING FOR
NORTHERN ALABAMA AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE.

&&

LAT...LON 3488 8733 3466 8719 3457 8758 3457 8769
      3475 8776
TIME...MOT...LOC 0420Z 250DEG 61KT 3464 8769

$$
SL
1 follow-up statement
844 
WWUS54 KHUN 250439
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1039 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

ALC033-077-079-250445-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110225T0445Z/
LAUDERDALE AL-COLBERT AL-LAWRENCE AL-
1039 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 PM CST FOR NORTHERN
LAWRENCE...EAST CENTRAL COLBERT AND SOUTHEASTERN LAUDERDALE
COUNTIES...

AT 1034 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR TOWN CREEK...OR
ABOUT 12 MILES EAST OF MUSCLE SHOALS...MOVING EAST AT 70 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO NORTH
COURTLAND...RED BANK...ELGIN...COURTLAND AND WHEELER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU
SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO...IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM CST FRIDAY MORNING FOR
NORTHERN ALABAMA AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE.

&&

LAT...LON 3466 8719 3459 8750 3479 8761 3482 8754
      3488 8733
TIME...MOT...LOC 0439Z 250DEG 55KT 3471 8737

$$

SL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 24, 9:09 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementHUNColbert51 min
Feb 24, 9:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale46 min
Feb 24, 9:55 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNColbert, Franklin35 min
Feb 24, 10:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone35 min
Feb 24, 10:15 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNFranklin30 min
Feb 24, 10:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan50 min
Feb 24, 10:44 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNLauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone31 min
Feb 24, 11:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman41 min
Feb 24, 11:20 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNCullman25 min
Feb 24, 11:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNJackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan24 min
Feb 24, 11:23 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNMarshall, Morgan37 min
Feb 24, 11:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan35 min
Feb 24, 11:47 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNJackson, Madison, Marshall28 min
Feb 24, 11:56 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNJackson22 min
Feb 25, 12:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson, Marshall36 min
Feb 25, 12:09 AM CSTTornado WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson, Marshall36 min
Feb 25, 12:14 AM CSTTornado WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson20 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.