Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 74, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 31, 2012Blount County, Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 2012, 5:38 PM CDT for Blount County, Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 37 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 31, 2012, 5:38 PM CDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2012, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Blount County, AL, Etowah County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:39 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
Mar 31, 6:10 PM CDTHAIL 1Altoona, ALQUARTER SIZED HAIL IN ALTOONA.

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
Mar 31, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 109 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 2012-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1095 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1095 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
580 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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.

842 
WUUS54 KBMX 312238
SVRBMX
ALC009-055-312315-
/O.NEW.KBMX.SV.W.0074.120331T2238Z-120331T2315Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
538 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BLOUNT COUNTY IN ALABAMA...
  ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 534 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING
  WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  ALBERTVILLE...AND MOVING SOUTH AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RAINBOW CITY...GADSDEN...HOKES BLUFF...SNEAD...SUSAN MOORE...SARDIS
  CITY...WALNUT GROVE AND TABOR ROAD.

THIS INCLUDES...
INTERSTATE 59 EXIT NUMBERS 181 THROUGH 188...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

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

LAT...LON 3411 8631 3419 8619 3421 8610 3421 8585
      3394 8578 3395 8588 3391 8590 3392 8595
      3386 8600 3384 8605 3387 8610 3390 8611
      3391 8615 3399 8620 3397 8625 3399 8628
      3394 8632 3393 8645 3425 8650 3426 8645
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 338DEG 21KT 3420 8620

$$

56
1 follow-up statement
657 
WWUS54 KBMX 312301
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
601 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012

ALC009-055-312315-
/O.CON.KBMX.SV.W.0074.000000T0000Z-120331T2315Z/
BLOUNT AL-ETOWAH AL-
601 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ETOWAH AND
NORTHEASTERN BLOUNT COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM CDT...

AT 557 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
WALNUT GROVE...OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BOAZ...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20
MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RAINBOW CITY...GADSDEN...HOKES BLUFF...REECE CITY...ATTALLA...
  NOCCALULA FALLS...GADSDEN MALL...GLENCOE...ANDERSON AND BALLPLAY.

THIS INCLUDES...
INTERSTATE 59 EXIT NUMBERS 181 THROUGH 188...

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

LAT...LON 3411 8631 3419 8619 3421 8610 3421 8585
      3394 8578 3395 8588 3391 8590 3392 8595
      3386 8600 3384 8605 3387 8610 3390 8611
      3391 8615 3399 8620 3397 8625 3399 8628
      3394 8632 3393 8645 3425 8650 3426 8645
TIME...MOT...LOC 2301Z 336DEG 19KT 3405 8623

$$

GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 4:27 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLowndes48 min
Mar 31, 5:18 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMontgomery42 min
Mar 31, 5:27 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXLowndes, Montgomery3 hr
Mar 31, 5:33 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXRussell42 min
Mar 31, 5:56 AM CDTDense Fog AdvisoryBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston3 hr
Mar 31, 6:11 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBullock, Macon, Russell49 min
Mar 31, 6:48 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBarbour, Bullock, Macon, Pike, Russell117 min
Mar 31, 7:32 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXLowndes, Montgomery3 hr
Mar 31, 4:23 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXWinston37 min
Mar 31, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston36 min
Mar 31, 4:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXWalker27 min
Mar 31, 5:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker, Winston52 min
Mar 31, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker, Winston43 min
Mar 31, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount44 min
Mar 31, 5:49 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCherokee26 min
Mar 31, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Walker38 min
Mar 31, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair52 min
Mar 31, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker49 min
Mar 31, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston41 min
Mar 31, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Walker40 min
Mar 31, 6:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, St. Clair, Talladega38 min
Mar 31, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker33 min
Mar 31, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2012Every 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.