Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 20, 2012Pickens County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at May 20, 2012, 2:46 PM CDT for Pickens County, Alabama. It was in force for 44 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
May 20, 2012, 2:46 PM CDT (19:46 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2012, 3:30 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL

County Pickens County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:50 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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 111 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 2012-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1865 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
18 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 May 20, 12:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 12:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 1:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
119 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-211830-
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE-
CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA-
CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-
CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON-
BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
119 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT
EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 20, 2:46 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 3:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLamar38 min
May 20, 3:44 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLamar46 min
May 20, 3:50 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPickens40 min
May 20, 4:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion26 min
May 20, 4:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXFayette45 min
May 20, 4:32 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPickens43 min
May 20, 4:39 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion51 min
May 20, 4:45 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXGreene45 min
May 20, 5:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXGreene38 min
May 20, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion35 min
May 20, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar28 min
May 20, 5:37 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion53 min
May 20, 5:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion32 min
May 20, 6:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion46 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.