Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 11, 20124 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Jul 11, 2012, 5:00 PM CDT for 4 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 60 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
Jul 11, 2012, 5:00 PM CDT (22:00 UTC)
Expired
Jul 11, 2012, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL

Counties Bullock County, AL, Lee County, AL, Macon County, AL, Russell County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 136 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 2012-07-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 164 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 2012-07-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -8 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
164 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
546 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-15 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 Jul 11, 3:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 3:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
344 PM CDT WED JUL 11 2012

.DISCUSSION...

ACTIVE AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHAPING UP ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA.
UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN ACROSS THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY...WITH
A SURFACE REFLECTION EVIDENT IN CENTRAL MS SURFACE OBS. WITH PW
VALUES NOW OVER 2.00 INCHES ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA...EXPECT
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. SOME
STRONGER STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GUSTY WINDS...BUT SHOULD REMAIN
BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING ON
ROADWAYS. SEVERAL WAVES OF ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH
NORTHEASTWARD FROM MS...THE FIRST CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE
INTERSTATE 65 CORRIDOR FROM CHILTON COUNTY NORTHWARD. DEVELOPMENT
ALONG THE SEA BREEZE IS PUSHING NORTHWARD FROM THE NORTH FL GULF
COAST...AND WILL BE APPROACHING THE INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR WITH IN A
COUPLE HOURS. HAVE INCREASED POPS IN THE NEAR TERM AND FOR
TONIGHT...WITH MOST LOCATIONS AT OR NEAR 100 PERCENT. RAINFALL
TOTALS WILL AVERAGE 0.50-1.00 INCH THROUGH TONIGHT. CONVECTIVE CELLS
WILL PUT DOWN HIGHER AMOUNTS.

THE WET PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. THE UPPER
TROUGH TO OUR WEST WILL STRENGTHEN TONIGHT...CAUSING WIND FIELDS TO
INCREASE RESULTING IN ADDITIONAL LIFT...AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS
ALOFT WILL HELP INCREASE LAPSE RATES. A DECREASE IN ACTIVITY IS
EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT...BUT WITH HELP FROM DAYTIME HEATING AND THE
STRENGTHENING UPPER LOW...ACTIVITY WILL INCREASE AGAIN TOMORROW.
WOULD EXPECT THE RADAR MAP TO LOOK SIMILAR TOMORROW AFTERNOON AS IT
DOES TODAY. WHILE HIGHEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL REMAIN TO OUR
NORTHWEST...AVERAGE QPF ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL BE BETWEEN 2-4
INCHES THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.

THE UPPER LOW WHICH HAS BEEN ROTATING TO OUR WEST FOR SEVERAL DAYS
NOW WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD FRIDAY IN ADVANCE OF A SHORT WAVE
CROSSING THE NORTHERN CONUS. IT WILL TAKE MUCH OF THE DEEPER
MOISTURE CURRENTLY ACROSS THE AREA WITH IT...AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING
BUILDS BACK INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN CONUS FROM THE ATLANTIC. POPS WILL
RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE MORE
TYPICAL AFTERNOON CONVECTION EXPECTED EACH DAY. COOLER TEMPERATURES
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS WILL RISE BACK INTO THE LOW TO MID 90S.

14

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAF DISCUSSION

CEILINGS ARE CURRENTLY BOUNCING AROUND MVFR TO VFR AT KBHM KEET
AND KTCL. INCLUDED TEMPO GROUPS TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE CONDITIONS
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. CEILINGS SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR OVER
THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL WILL OVER SPREAD CENTRAL
ALABAMA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HEAVIER SHOWERS
WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES DOWN TO MVFR. MODELS ARE SHOWING A
POSSIBLE RETURN TO MVFR CEILINGS AT THE NORTHERN TERMINALS OVERNIGHT
TONIGHT. MOISTURE MAYBE PLENTIFUL ENOUGH FOR IFR CONDITIONS.
HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INCLUDE IN TAF AT THIS
TIME. THE SOUTHERN TERMINALS KMGM AND KTOI SHOULD REMAIN VFR
THROUGH THE TAF CYCLE WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS
AFTERNOON AND SCATTERED SHOWERS OVERNIGHT. LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS
WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. AMENDMENTS WILL LIKELY BE
NEEDED AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IMPACT THE TAF SITES THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

MA

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     71  86  72  89  73 /  90  70  40  50  30
ANNISTON    70  86  72  89  73 /  90  60  40  50  30
BIRMINGHAM  72  88  74  90  74 /  90  70  40  50  30
TUSCALOOSA  73  91  73  92  73 /  90  70  30  50  30
CALERA      71  88  72  90  73 /  90  70  40  50  30
AUBURN      72  87  73  88  72 /  90  60  40  50  30
MONTGOMERY  72  88  73  92  73 /  90  60  40  50  30
TROY        70  90  70  90  71 /  90  60  40  50  30

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 11, 1:02 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
102 PM CDT WED JUL 11 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-121815-
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-
102 PM CDT WED JUL 11 2012

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

HEAVY RAINFALL FROM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT COULD CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN SMALL STREAMS AND LOW
LYING AREAS WITH POOR DRAINAGE. THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE
NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 BETWEEN 3 PM AND
MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

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, Jul 11, 2:18 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 11, 3:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 11, 3:49 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 11, 4:11 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 11, 5:00 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
Jul 10, 7:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBlount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah62 min
Jul 11, 2:18 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBibb42 min
Jul 11, 3:04 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBibb, Shelby41 min
Jul 11, 3:49 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXShelby41 min
Jul 11, 4:11 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBarbour, Bullock, Russell49 min
Jul 11, 5:56 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXChambers, Elmore, Lee, Macon49 min
Jul 11, 6:17 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXEtowah28 min
Jul 11, 6:18 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCalhoun27 min
Jul 11, 6:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXElmore23 min
Jul 11, 6:42 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXElmore48 min
Jul 11, 6:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXElmore47 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.