Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 66, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 16, 2012Cherokee County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 16, 2012, 1:27 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Alabama. It was in force for 15 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 16, 2012, 1:27 PM CDT (18:27 UTC)
Expired: Mar 16, 2012, 1:42 PM CDT
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Cherokee County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:28 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
Mar 16, 1:33 PM CDT	HAIL 1	2 Ssw Leesburg, AL	HAIL UP TO ONE INCH WAS OBSERVED AT CEDAR POINT CAMPGROUNDS ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF WEISS LAKE.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 146 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: 769 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1195 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 68 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

595 
WUUS54 KBMX 161827
SVRBMX
ALC019-161915-
/O.NEW.KBMX.SV.W.0066.120316T1827Z-120316T1915Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
127 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 215 PM CDT

* AT 123 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE   
THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN BLACK CREEK. THIS STORM 
WAS LOCATED NEAR THE CHEROKEE ROCK VILLAGE...OR 9 MILES WEST OF 
CENTRE...AND MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  LEESBURG...WEISS DAM AND YELLOW CREEK FALLS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FOR YOUR PROTECTION...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. SEEK SHELTER NOW
INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3424 8568 3412 8566 3413 8584 3414 8584
      3420 8584 3420 8585 3422 8579
TIME...MOT...LOC 1827Z 268DEG 12KT 3416 8582

$$

56

1 follow-up statement

401 
WWUS54 KBMX 161842 RRA
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
142 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

ALC019-161852-
/O.CAN.KBMX.SV.W.0066.000000T0000Z-120316T1915Z/
CHEROKEE AL-
142 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL CHEROKEE COUNTY
IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.

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

LAT...LON 3424 8568 3412 8566 3413 8584 3414 8584
      3420 8584 3420 8585 3422 8579
TIME...MOT...LOC 1842Z 268DEG 12KT 3416 8576

$$

87

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 15, 9:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marion	27 min
Mar 15, 9:25 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	DeKalb	50 min
Mar 15, 10:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Walker	50 min
Mar 16, 12:54 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marion	36 min
Mar 16, 1:02 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Etowah	43 min
Mar 16, 1:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee, Etowah	29 min
Mar 16, 2:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Randolph	26 min
Mar 16, 2:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee	38 min
Mar 16, 3:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Winston	44 min
Mar 16, 3:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.