Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Huntsville, AL

February 24, 2011Cullman County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 24, 2011, 11:20 PM CST for Cullman County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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, 11:20 PM CST (05:20 UTC)
Expired
Feb 24, 2011, 11:45 PM CST
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Cullman County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:22 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 84 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 00:00Z on 2011-02-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 52 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2011-02-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 162 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
52 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1096 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
199 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.

456 
WFUS54 KHUN 250520
TORHUN
ALC043-250545-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0005.110225T0520Z-110225T0545Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1120 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1145 PM CST

* AT 1119 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR            
  WILBURN...MOVING EAST AT 70 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  BREMEN.
  BLACK BOTTOM.
  GARDEN CITY.

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 3388 8701 3388 8708 3390 8710 3392 8709
      3394 8712 3401 8711 3405 8669 3400 8673
      3395 8678 3391 8691 3388 8692 3386 8694
      3386 8698
TIME...MOT...LOC 0519Z 253DEG 62KT 3394 8705

$$
SL
2 follow-up statements
911 
WWUS54 KHUN 250534
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1134 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

ALC043-250545-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-110225T0545Z/
CULLMAN AL-
1134 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1145 PM CST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL CULLMAN COUNTY...

AT 1134 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR COLONY MOVING 
EAST AT 70 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO GARDEN
CITY.

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 3387 8696 3403 8690 3405 8669 3400 8673
      3395 8678 3391 8691 3388 8692
TIME...MOT...LOC 0534Z 254DEG 60KT 3399 8682

$$

SL
449 
WWUS54 KHUN 250544
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1144 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

ALC043-250554-
/O.EXP.KHUN.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-110225T0545Z/
CULLMAN AL-
1144 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL CULLMAN COUNTY EXPIRES AT
1145 PM CST...

WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE THUNDERSTORM THAT
PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER SEVERE.
THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WERE
STILL POSSIBLE FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM. STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.

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

LAT...LON 3387 8696 3403 8690 3405 8669 3400 8673
      3395 8678 3391 8691 3388 8692
TIME...MOT...LOC 0544Z 254DEG 60KT 3403 8663

$$

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, 10:21 PM CSTTornado WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence24 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, 11:21 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.