Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 71, NWS Mobile, AL

April 15, 2011Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 2011, 8:11 PM CDT for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 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, 8:11 PM CDT (01:11 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2011, 9:00 PM CDT
In force: 49 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Emergency: Tornado emergency

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:12 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 15, 8:15 PM CDT	TORNADO	Vinegar Bend, AL	* 1 INJ * UNKNOWN NUMBER OF INJURIES IN VINEGAR BEND AND DEER PARK AREAS REPORTED BY BOTH EMA AND MEDIA. TREES BLOCKING ROADS AND PREVENTING EMERGENCY CREWS FROM REACHING THE SCENE. EXTENT OF INJURIES AND STRUCTURE DAMAGE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. AT LEAST ONE

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 15, 7:48 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 204 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2774 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 697 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 267 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 318 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 5.3
Supercell composite: 18.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

715 
WFUS54 KMOB 160111
TORMOB
ALC129-160200-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0071.110416T0111Z-110416T0200Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 900 PM CDT

* AT 807 PM CDT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND 9 MILES EAST OF
  LEAKESVILLE...OR 17 MILES SOUTH OF STATE LINE...MOVING EAST AT
  35 MPH. THIS IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MCINTOSH AROUND 845 PM CDT...
  CORTELUOU AROUND 855 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3149 8791 3144 8793 3143 8791 3141 8792
      3141 8790 3136 8789 3133 8791 3134 8792
      3132 8792 3132 8795 3130 8794 3128 8795
      3127 8798 3125 8794 3123 8793 3112 8844
      3126 8844
TIME...MOT...LOC 0110Z 250DEG 32KT 3121 8839

$$

1 follow-up statement

763 
WWUS54 KMOB 160133
SVSMOB

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

ALC129-160200-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0071.000000T0000Z-110416T0200Z/
WASHINGTON AL-
833 PM CDT FRI APR 15 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 830 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR TOPTON...OR ABOUT 13 MILES NORTH OF CITRONELLE...
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A 
STURDY BUILDING...PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR A ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. IF POSSIBLE...GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER 
PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY
AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE IN MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE IT AND GET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING OR IN AN UNDERGROUND STORM SHELTER. IF NO
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER IS AVAILABLE AND A TORNADO IS FAST APPROACHING...
SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...OR LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER
LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3149 8791 3144 8793 3143 8791 3141 8792
      3141 8790 3136 8789 3133 8791 3134 8792
      3132 8792 3132 8795 3130 8794 3128 8795
      3127 8798 3125 8794 3123 8793 3112 8844
      3126 8844
TIME...MOT...LOC 0133Z 250DEG 32KT 3128 8816

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 15, 7:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	36 min
Apr 15, 7:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	MOB	Mobile, Washington	51 min
Apr 15, 7:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	39 min
Apr 15, 7:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Monroe, Wilcox	29 min
Apr 15, 7:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Monroe, Wilcox	51 min
Apr 15, 8:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	47 min
Apr 15, 8:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington	55 min
Apr 15, 9:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke, Mobile, Washington	45 min
Apr 15, 9:18 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Washington	117 min
Apr 15, 9:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Monroe	52 min
Apr 15, 9:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	49 min
Apr 15, 9:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Mobile, Monroe, Washington	61 min
Apr 15, 10:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Mobile, Monroe, Washington	55 min
Apr 15, 10:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Monroe, Wilcox	51 min
Apr 15, 10:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	33 min
Apr 15, 10:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe	64 min
Apr 15, 10:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe	61 min
Apr 15, 11:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Butler, Crenshaw	16 min
Apr 15, 11:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Crenshaw	42 min
Apr 15, 11:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Covington, Escambia	60 min
Apr 16, 12:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw	60 min
Apr 16, 12:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Crenshaw	32 min
Apr 16, 12:38 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	52 min
Apr 16, 1:01 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Covington	33 min

Nearby

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