Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 83, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 31, 2012Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 2012, 6:58 PM CDT for Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 min. 3 reports 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, 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
Expired: Mar 31, 2012, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Winston County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:02 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 31, 7:00 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 S Nesmith, AL	MINOR SHINGLE DAMAGE TO A HOME ON COUNTY ROAD 146. LARGE ANTENNA ATTACHED TO ROOF WAS ALSO BLOWN OVER.
Mar 31, 7:02 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	1 E Helicon, AL	GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN THE COMMUNITY OF HELICON. THE LARGE HAIL DAMAGED SEVERAL VEHICLES IN THE AREA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Mar 31, 7:11 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Helicon, AL	TREE DOWN ON A HOUSE ON COUNTY ROAD 126 IN HELICON.

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
Mar 31, 5:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 112 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: 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.

813 
WUUS54 KBMX 312358
SVRBMX
ALC133-010030-
/O.NEW.KBMX.SV.W.0083.120331T2358Z-120401T0030Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN WINSTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 653 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  INMANFIELD...OR 12 MILES NORTH OF ARLEY...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ARLEY...HOUSTON RECREATIONAL AREA...ADDISON...NESMITH...CORINTH REC
  AREA...HELICON...MCDOWELL CAMP GROUNDS AND FALLS CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3431 8711 3430 8710 3419 8710 3419 8711
      3400 8711 3399 8712 3399 8714 3400 8719
      3399 8720 3400 8737 3431 8744
TIME...MOT...LOC 2359Z 337DEG 28KT 3422 8721

$$

56

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 31, 4:27 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Lowndes	48 min
Mar 31, 5:18 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Montgomery	42 min
Mar 31, 5:27 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Lowndes, Montgomery	3 hr
Mar 31, 5:33 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Russell	42 min
Mar 31, 5:56 AM CDT	Dense Fog Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston	3 hr
Mar 31, 6:11 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Bullock, Macon, Russell	49 min
Mar 31, 6:48 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Macon, Pike, Russell	117 min
Mar 31, 7:32 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Lowndes, Montgomery	3 hr
Mar 31, 4:23 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Winston	37 min
Mar 31, 4:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	36 min
Mar 31, 4:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Walker	27 min
Mar 31, 5:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker, Winston	52 min
Mar 31, 5:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker, Winston	43 min
Mar 31, 5:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Etowah	37 min
Mar 31, 5:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	44 min
Mar 31, 5:49 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cherokee	26 min
Mar 31, 5:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Walker	38 min
Mar 31, 6:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair	52 min
Mar 31, 6:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	49 min
Mar 31, 6:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	41 min
Mar 31, 6:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Walker	40 min
Mar 31, 6:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, St. Clair, Talladega	38 min
Mar 31, 6:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	33 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.