Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 27, 2012Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Jul 27, 2012, 6:45 PM CDT for Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 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 27, 2012, 6:45 PM CDT (23:45 UTC)
Expired: Jul 27, 2012, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL

County Lamar County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:47 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, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 143 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: 1540 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 840 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 9 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 27, 2:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 27, 2:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
258 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

.DISCUSSION...

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONGOING AT
FORECAST TIME THIS AFTERNOON.  ACTIVITY BEGAN TO SPRING UP RIGHT
AROUND NOON...WHICH WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME EVERYBODY REACHED THE
CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES OF 88 DEGREES OFF THIS MORNING'S SOUNDING.
ADDITIONALLY...A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE
LARGER TROUGH CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES IS HELPING TO SPARK THIS
AFTERNOON'S CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY.  EVEN THOUGH LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES
WILL BE IMPRESSIVE WITH THE AFTERNOON HEATING...THE OVERALL MID AND
UPPER LEVEL FEATURES ARE NOT EXTREMELY CONDUCIVE TO A SEVERE
THREAT.  MARGINAL LAPSE RATES FROM 500-700MB ARE ONLY PROVIDING
MLCAPE VALUES OF 2500-3000 J/KG...WHICH WILL KEEP THUNDERSTORMS
GOING ACROSS THE AREA...BUT WITH NO SHEAR TO SPEAK OF...THE MAJORITY
OF THESE STORMS WILL REMAIN BELOW SEVERE CRITERIA.  THAT SAID...ONE
OR TWO ARE BOUND TO REQUIRE A WARNING...SO EVERYONE WILL NEED TO
KEEP EYE TO THE SKY UNTIL WE CAN LOSE THE HEATING OF THE DAY...AS A
SEVERE WIND GUST CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN TREES IS POSSIBLE.

FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS
WEAK/WEAKENING FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE ITS WAY INTO THE STATE
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  WHILE I BELIEVE THIS TO STILL BE
TRUE...THIS IS NOT A FRONT LIKE WE ARE USED TO.  THERE WILL NOT BE A
BIG WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST OR NORTH AS WE ARE ACCUSTOMED
TO...BUT WHAT IT WILL BE IS A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ON SATURDAY.  THE MAIN AREA OF FOCUS WILL
BE OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA...SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20.  I
WOULD EXPECT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS TO BE FAIRLY SIMILAR TO TODAY
FOR THIS AREA...SO I WILL NOT BE ADDING ANYTHING TO THE HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SATURDAY.

BEGINNING SUNDAY...ALABAMA IS GOING TO BE PUT INTO A NORTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT...AS WE WILL BE SITTING ON THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF A
LARGER SCALE TROUGH THAT IS PROGGED TO SETTLE OVER THE EASTERN THIRD
OF THE UNITED STATES.  THIS IS GOING TO OPEN US UP TO A VERY TRICKY
FORECAST FOR THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.  AS IS NORMALLY THE CASE
WITH THIS TYPE OF PATTERN...UPSTREAM MCS DEVELOPMENT WILL BE
POSSIBLE...ALL OF WHICH WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE IT INTO OUR
AREA.  BECAUSE OF THIS...WILL HOLD ONTO THIS LOW-END CHANCE POP
THROUGH THE WEEK.

WHILE WE ARE GOING TO BE HOT AND HUMID THROUGH THE WEEKEND...IN
FACT...JUST BELOW HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA...THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL
NOT ONLY GIVE US THE CHANCE TO SEE AN MCS OR TWO...IT WILL ALSO
ALLOW FOR TEMPERATURES TO MODERATE.  LOW TO MIDDLE 90S THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WILL LIKELY BE THE STORY...WITH TEMPERATURE
BEGINNING TO REBOUND BACK INTO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 90S BY THE END
OF THE WEEK AS THE UPPER RIDGE TO OUR WEST SLOWLY STARTS TO SLIDE TO
THE EAST.

27

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAF DISCUSSION.

LOOKING FOR SOME INCREASED TSRA ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF
FRONT ALONG WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT
HAS BEEN GOOD THIS MORNING WITH INITIAL LINE DEVELOPING ALONG A
DIFFERENTIAL HEATING BOUNDARY WHERE THE LOW STRATUS NUDGED IN FROM
THE WEST. WITH THE STRATUS GONE DEVELOPMENT IS NOW SPREADING
ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA AND SHOULD LAST THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON OFF AND ON WITH HEATING.

08/MK

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     73  93  70  94  69 /  20  10  10  20  20
ANNISTON    73  93  71  95  70 /  30  10  10  20  20
BIRMINGHAM  77  94  72  95  72 /  30  10  10  20  20
TUSCALOOSA  75  96  72  97  72 /  30  20  10  20  10
CALERA      74  94  72  96  71 /  30  20  10  20  20
AUBURN      71  92  72  95  72 /  30  30  20  20  20
MONTGOMERY  73  94  74  98  71 /  30  30  20  20  10
TROY        72  91  74  95  70 /  30  40  20  20  20

&&

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

&&

27/08

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 27, 12:55 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1255 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-281800-
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-
1255 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY IMPACT CENTRAL ALABAMA
THIS AFTERNOON...BETWEEN 2 PM AND 8 PM...AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING
COLD FRONT. AREAS MOST LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED WILL BE ALONG AND
NORTH OF A TUSCALOOSA...TO ANNISTON LINE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL AS THE MAIN THREATS.

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

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE
NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON.

08/MK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 27, 6:25 PM CDT, 20 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 27, 6:29 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
629 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0436 PM     LIGHTNING        2 N ONEONTA             33.98N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LIGHTNING STRUCK A HOME JUST NORTH OF ONEONTA AND WAS
            SEVERELY DAMAGED. NO INJURIES TO REPORT.

&&

GGOGGINS

Local storm report, Jul 27, 6:36 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
636 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0518 PM     FLASH FLOOD      ONEONTA                 33.95N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL ROADWAYS FLOODED WITHIN THE CITY OF ONEONTA...AND
            AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS WAS FLOODED DUE TO THE PERSISTENT
            HEAVY RAINFALL.

&&

GGOGGINS

Local storm report, Jul 27, 6:40 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
640 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0437 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ONEONTA                 33.95N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NUMEROUS TREES AND SOME POWER LINES DOWNED ACROSS THE
            CITY OF ONEONTA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

&&

GGOGGINS

Local storm report, Jul 27, 6:41 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
641 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0300 PM     HAIL             PELHAM                  33.30N 86.79W
07/27/2012  E0.88 INCH       SHELBY             AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

0315 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WADLEY                  33.12N 85.57W
07/27/2012                   RANDOLPH           AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES IN WADLEY.

0415 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W LOCUST FORK         33.91N 86.66W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREE DOWN BLOCKING DEAVER WALKER ROAD IN LOCUST FORK.

0415 PM     TSTM WND DMG     W ONEONTA               33.95N 86.48W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            POWER LINE DOWN ACROSS STATE ROAD IN ONEONTA.

0435 PM     HEAVY RAIN       E ONEONTA               33.95N 86.47W
07/27/2012  U0.00 INCH       BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ONE FOOT OF STANDING WATER COVERING HIGHWAY 75 NORTH OF
            HIGHWAY 231.

0436 PM     LIGHTNING        2 N ONEONTA             33.98N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LIGHTNING STRUCK A HOME JUST NORTH OF ONEONTA AND WAS
            SEVERELY DAMAGED. NO INJURIES TO REPORT.

0437 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ONEONTA                 33.95N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NUMEROUS TREES AND SOME POWER LINES DOWNED ACROSS THE
            CITY OF ONEONTA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

0443 PM     FLASH FLOOD      1 NE ONEONTA            33.97N 86.46W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   PUBLIC

            AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER OVER HIGHWAY 75.

0443 PM     HAIL             1 NE ONEONTA            33.97N 86.46W
07/27/2012  E1.00 INCH       BLOUNT             AL   PUBLIC

0518 PM     FLASH FLOOD      ONEONTA                 33.95N 86.47W
07/27/2012                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL ROADWAYS FLOODED WITHIN THE CITY OF ONEONTA...AND
            AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS WAS FLOODED DUE TO THE PERSISTENT
            HEAVY RAINFALL.

&&

GGOGGINS

Special weather statement, Jul 27, 6:45 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
645 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

ALZ012-280030-
LAMAR AL-
645 PM CDT FRI JUL 27 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN LAMAR COUNTY UNTIL 730
PM CDT...

AT 642 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR CREWS...OR 5 MILES NORTH OF SULLIGENT...MOVING
SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH.

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...
  SULLIGENT...
  CREWS...
  LAMAR COUNTY AIRPORT...
  BLOOMING GROVE...
  PINE SPRINGS...

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 3406 8821 3405 8799 3402 8799 3402 8795
      3389 8795 3383 8795 3371 8794 3372 8798
      3382 8825
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 027DEG 5KT 3396 8810

56

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 26, 7:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Russell	30 min
Jul 27, 1:46 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Jefferson	44 min
Jul 27, 2:41 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Etowah	34 min
Jul 27, 3:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Shelby	36 min
Jul 27, 3:28 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Bibb	32 min
Jul 27, 3:34 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	26 min
Jul 27, 3:37 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Blount	23 min
Jul 27, 3:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Shelby	27 min
Jul 27, 3:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Sumter	35 min
Jul 27, 4:02 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Blount	58 min
Jul 27, 4:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Calhoun	37 min
Jul 27, 4:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	32 min
Jul 27, 4:32 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marion	28 min
Jul 27, 4:48 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Blount	2 hr
Jul 27, 4:58 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	St. Clair	2 hr
Jul 27, 5:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	St. Clair	29 min
Jul 27, 5:02 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Cherokee	118 min
Jul 27, 5:05 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marion	40 min
Jul 27, 5:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Macon	37 min
Jul 27, 5:19 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Marion	116 min
Jul 27, 5:19 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	26 min
Jul 27, 6:25 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Russell	35 min
Jul 27, 6:57 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Russell	33 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Alabama, 2012 Every 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.