Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 31, 2012Lowndes County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Mar 31, 2012, 4:27 AM CDT for Lowndes County, Alabama. It was in force for 48 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
Mar 31, 2012, 4:27 AM CDT (09:27 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2012, 5:15 AM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL

County Lowndes County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 908 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 190 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
908 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
484 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
190 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
8.0

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 Mar 31, 12:41 AM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 12:41 AM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 30, 7:09 PM CDT, 9 hours 18 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
709 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-010000-
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-
709 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

PATCHY FOG WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND BECOME WIDESPREAD AFTER
MIDNIGHT ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. VISIBILITY MAY BECOME
RESTRICTED IN LOCAL AREAS TO ONE MILE OR LESS. IF YOU ENCOUNTER
THESE REDUCED VISIBILITY SITUATIONS...EXERCISE EXTRA CAUTION AND
SLOW DOWN.

OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

WIDESPREAD FOG IS POSSIBLE THROUGH 9 AM SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS ALL
OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. VISIBILITY MAY BECOME RESTRICTED IN LOCAL AREAS
TO ONE MILE OR LESS. IF YOU ENCOUNTER THESE REDUCED VISIBILITY
SITUATIONS...EXERCISE EXTRA CAUTION AND SLOW DOWN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY
NIGHT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE HAZARDOUS THREATS INCLUDE
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THESE STORMS MAY DEVELOP
AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES OVER THE AREA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY EVENING THROUGH
TUESDAY NIGHT ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE HAZARDOUS THREATS
INCLUDE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE STORMS
WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL PUSH ACROSS
CENTRAL ALABAMA BY EARLY WEDNESDAY.

WE ARE IN THE HEART OF SEVERE WEATHER SEASON...SO PAY SPECIAL
ATTENTION TO ADDITIONAL DETAILS AS WE APPROACH THESE POTENTIAL
HAZARDOUS DAYS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BECOME
NECESSARY SATURDAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 31, 4:27 AM CDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
427 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012

ALZ042-044-311015-
LOWNDES AL-MONTGOMERY AL-
427 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN MONTGOMERY AND
SOUTHEASTERN LOWNDES COUNTIES UNTIL 515 AM CDT...

AT 424 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTH OF LOGAN...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT
DEPOSIT...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

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

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  MEADVILLE...
  LOGAN...
  DAVENPORT...
  PINTLALA...
  SELLERS...

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

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 3214 8673 3222 8601 3197 8600 3196 8630
      3204 8631 3205 8639 3196 8641 3196 8672
TIME...MOT...LOC 0927Z 268DEG 18KT 3206 8650

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
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, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Etowah37 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

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.