Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 10, 2012Calhoun County, Cherokee County, Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Dec 10, 2012, 5:42 AM CST for Calhoun County, Cherokee County, Etowah 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: Dec 10, 2012, 5:42 AM CST (11:42 UTC)
Expired: Dec 10, 2012, 6:30 AM CST
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL

Counties Calhoun County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Etowah County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:45 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 146 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1249 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 120 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 Dec 10, 3:12 AM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 3:12 AM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 5:40 AM CST, 2 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 1:55 AM CST, 3 hours 47 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 4:38 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
438 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

ALZ030-031-101130-
GREENE AL-SUMTER AL-
438 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL SUMTER AND GREENE
COUNTIES UNTIL 530 AM CST...

AT 439 AM CST...AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EMELLE TO YORK...AND MOVING EAST
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
  LIVINGSTON...
  EUTAW...
  GAINESVILLE...
  THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA...
  EPES...

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

&&

LAT...LON 3285 8833 3301 8784 3279 8783 3276 8787
      3275 8786 3276 8783 3277 8783 3271 8783
      3270 8782 3257 8781 3240 8840
TIME...MOT...LOC 1039Z 242DEG 31KT 3281 8824 3254 8828

75

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 5:01 AM CST, 41 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
501 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

ALZ017-018-026-101145-
BLOUNT AL-ETOWAH AL-ST. CLAIR AL-
501 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN ST. CLAIR...ETOWAH AND
SOUTHEASTERN BLOUNT COUNTIES UNTIL 545 AM CST...

AT 457 AM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ALLGOOD...OR 6 MILES SOUTH OF
ONEONTA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

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...
  RAINBOW CITY...
  GADSDEN...
  HOKES BLUFF...
  ASHVILLE...
  ALTOONA...

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 3398 8579 3377 8644 3397 8654 3413 8633
      3411 8630 3419 8619 3419 8612 3421 8610
      3420 8595
TIME...MOT...LOC 1101Z 239DEG 36KT 3389 8640

MA

Local storm report, Dec 10, 5:36 AM CST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
536 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

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

0443 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 WNW BIRMINGHAM        33.54N 86.83W
12/10/2012                   JEFFERSON          AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            SEVERAL REPORTS OF HOUSES DAMAGED AROUND THE 1300 BLOCK
            OF 24TH AVE NORTH IN BIRMINGHAM. ROOFS OFF HOUSES AND A
            COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE. ALSO POWER LINES DOWN. POSSIBLE
            TORNADO.

&&

AG

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 5:42 AM CST, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
542 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

ALZ018>021-026-027-101230-
CALHOUN AL-CHEROKEE AL-CLEBURNE AL-ETOWAH AL-ST. CLAIR AL-TALLADEGA
AL-
542 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN TALLADEGA...EASTERN ST.
CLAIR...EASTERN ETOWAH...NORTHERN CLEBURNE...CHEROKEE AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES UNTIL 630 AM CST...

AT 537 AM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF REECE CITY
TO RAINBOW CITY TO RAGLAND TO PELL CITY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45
MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
  RAINBOW CITY...
  GADSDEN...
  HOKES BLUFF...
  SAKS...
  LITTLE RIVER CANYON NATIONAL PRESERVE...

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 3415 8542 3380 8537 3356 8632 3371 8623
      3421 8602 3421 8585 3425 8584 3424 8582
      3426 8580 3426 8578 3437 8566 3438 8563
      3443 8559 3449 8558 3453 8551
TIME...MOT...LOC 1142Z 239DEG 38KT 3417 8596 3399 8604
          3376 8613 3362 8621

MA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 10, 1:55 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens	65 min
Dec 10, 4:38 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene, Sumter	52 min
Dec 10, 5:01 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Etowah	44 min
Dec 10, 7:02 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Talladega	28 min
Dec 10, 8:02 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Sumter	28 min
Dec 10, 8:18 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Sumter	27 min
Dec 10, 8:22 AM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Hale, Sumter	3 hr
Dec 10, 8:49 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Sumter	26 min
Dec 10, 9:15 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Coosa	45 min
Dec 10, 9:54 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Clay, Cleburne, Randolph	66 min
Dec 10, 9:59 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Dallas	31 min
Dec 10, 10:05 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas	25 min
Dec 10, 10:10 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Lowndes	35 min
Dec 10, 10:29 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas	31 min
Dec 10, 10:47 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Elmore	43 min
Dec 10, 11:06 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marengo	24 min
Dec 10, 12:16 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Dallas	44 min
Dec 10, 12:28 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Lowndes	47 min
Dec 10, 1:07 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Elmore, Montgomery	53 min
Dec 10, 1:13 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery	47 min
Dec 10, 1:41 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bullock, Lee, Macon, Tallapoosa	64 min
Dec 10, 1:55 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Macon	22 min
Dec 10, 2:37 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Barbour	23 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.