Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

January 7, 2012Walker County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Jan 7, 2012, 2:41 PM CST for Walker County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 7, 2012, 2:41 PM CST (20:41 UTC)
Expired
Jan 7, 2012, 3:30 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL

County Walker County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:43 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 92 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 2012-01-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 95 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 2012-01-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -15 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
95 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
10 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.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Jan 7, 11:54 AM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 11:54 AM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
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  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
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  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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        Please try again in a few minutes.
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 7, 1:29 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
129 PM CST SAT JAN 7 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-081930-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
129 PM CST SAT JAN 7 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT...AS A STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE
REGION.  THE MAIN THREAT AT THIS TIME IS DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE
WINDS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE
NECESSARY ON TUESDAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 7, 2:41 PM CST, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
241 PM CST SAT JAN 7 2012

ALZ014-015-072130-
WALKER AL-WINSTON AL-
241 PM CST SAT JAN 7 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN WINSTON AND NORTHERN
WALKER COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CST...

AT 236 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTH OF MCDOWELL CAMP GROUNDS...OR 8 MILES
NORTHWEST OF JASPER...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  CURRY...
  LAKE SHORE...
  GAMBLE...
  WALKER COUNTY AIRPORT...
  MANCHESTER...

TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3400 8711 3398 8714 3396 8711 3392 8708
      3390 8708 3389 8701 3386 8699 3386 8747
      3399 8743 3406 8711
TIME...MOT...LOC 2040Z 264DEG 18KT 3391 8736

19

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 6, 11:40 PM CSTDense Fog AdvisoryBMXBarbour, Bullock, Dallas, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery and 2 more8 hr
Jan 7, 3:24 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCherokee36 min
Jan 7, 3:34 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBlount41 min
Jan 7, 4:12 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBlount48 min
Jan 7, 4:39 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, St. Clair111 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Alabama, 2012Every special weather statement 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.