Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Mobile, AL

April 15, 2011Choctaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 2011, 4:57 PM CDT for Choctaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 42 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
Apr 15, 2011, 4:57 PM CDT (21:57 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 2011, 5:39 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Choctaw County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 160 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:59 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
Apr 15, 4:58 PM CDTTORNADO 35 Sw Myrtlewood, AL*** 1 FATAL, 4 INJ *** AN EF-3 TORNADO WAS SURVEYED WHERE SEVERAL DOZEN SINGLE FAMILY AND MOBILE HOMES WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. ONE MAN WAS KILLED IN HIS DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME AS IT WAS TOSSED SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET ACROSS STATE HIGHWAY 69. TWO INJUR

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
Apr 15, 11:21 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 160 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 2011-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2011-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 282 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1553 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
365 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.

810 
WFUS54 KMOB 152157
TORMOB
ALC023-152300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0054.110415T2157Z-110415T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
457 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BUTLER...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 452 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A TORNADO 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF BUTLER...OR NEAR DEAS...MOVING EAST
  AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PENNINGTON AROUND 500 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REPORTS INDICATE THAT THIS STORM CONTINUES TO PRODUCE TORNADOES AND 
SEVERE HAIL UP TO GOLF BALLS.  HEAVY RAINFALL IS OBSCURING THIS 
TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT 
MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3232 8795 3230 8795 3230 8798 3228 8802
      3226 8800 3217 8800 3215 8801 3214 8804
      3209 8804 3208 8805 3207 8832 3231 8831
TIME...MOT...LOC 2155Z 259DEG 24KT 3219 8810

$$
2 follow-up statements
783 
WWUS54 KMOB 152211
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
511 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

ALC023-152300-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-110415T2300Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
511 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY...

AT 506 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR TOMPKINSVILLE...OR ABOUT 14 MILES NORTHEAST OF
BUTLER...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS REPORTED SEVERE HAIL OVER PENNINGTON AS 
THIS STORM MOVED OVERHEAD. SEVERAL CARS WERE DAMAGED AS A RESULT.  
TAKE COVER NOW!

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3232 8795 3230 8795 3230 8798 3228 8802
      3226 8800 3217 8800 3215 8801 3214 8804
      3209 8804 3208 8805 3207 8832 3231 8831
TIME...MOT...LOC 2210Z 259DEG 24KT 3221 8798

$$
896 
WWUS54 KMOB 152239
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
539 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

ALC023-152246-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-110415T2300Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
539 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

THE TORNADIC SUPERCELL THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS EXITED THE 
COUNTY...BUT A NEW TORNADIC SUPERCELL IS HEADED TOWARD CHOCTAW 
COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT HALF HOUR.  THEREFORE...A NEW TORNADO WARNING 
WILL BE FORTHCOMING SOON.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING 
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3232 8795 3230 8795 3230 8798 3228 8802
      3226 8800 3217 8800 3215 8801 3214 8804
      3209 8804 3208 8805 3207 8832 3231 8831
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 259DEG 24KT 3224 8778

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 10:41 PM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB44 hr
Apr 15, 10:20 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington40 min
Apr 15, 10:50 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington40 min
Apr 15, 10:56 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw49 min
Apr 15, 11:09 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington51 min
Apr 15, 11:26 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Monroe49 min
Apr 15, 11:41 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw64 min
Apr 15, 11:52 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington38 min
Apr 15, 12:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMonroe38 min
Apr 15, 12:20 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington40 min
Apr 15, 12:35 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMonroe, Wilcox24 min
Apr 15, 12:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington46 min
Apr 15, 12:51 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Wilcox33 min
Apr 15, 1:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington51 min
Apr 15, 1:22 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington21 min
Apr 15, 1:46 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington44 min
Apr 15, 2:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw27 min
Apr 15, 2:22 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Monroe, Wilcox38 min
Apr 15, 2:55 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMonroe, Wilcox50 min
Apr 15, 3:18 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBButler, Conecuh, Monroe, Wilcox57 min
Apr 15, 3:41 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington32 min
Apr 15, 4:02 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw58 min
Apr 15, 4:27 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Monroe48 min
Apr 15, 5:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBButler, Conecuh, Monroe, Wilcox51 min
Apr 15, 5:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMonroe, Wilcox31 min
Apr 15, 5:47 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyMOBChoctaw58 min
Apr 15, 5:54 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWilcox51 min
Apr 15, 5:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBButler26 min
Apr 15, 6:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWilcox32 min
Apr 15, 6:34 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw41 min
Apr 15, 6:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington61 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.