Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 25, 2012Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Dec 25, 2012, 4:13 PM CST for Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 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 25, 2012, 4:13 PM CST (22:13 UTC)
Expired: Dec 25, 2012, 4:45 PM CST
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL

County Sumter County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:13 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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 137 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: 1008 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 114 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 25, 2:14 PM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 25, 2:14 PM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
214 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

.SHORT TERM...

PDS TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 692 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SEVERAL COUNTIES IN
OUR SOUTHWESTERN CWA...IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM. OUR CURRENT THINKING IS
THAT WE'VE GOT AT LEAST A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE THE SEVERE THREAT
STARTS TO RAMP UP IN THE BMX CWA. THE MAIN THING TO WATCH BETWEEN
NOW AND THEN IS THE PROGRESS OF THE SURFACE LOW (NOW IN LA) AND ITS
ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT (NOW STRETCHING WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN FIFTH OF AL).

AT 18Z...THE SURFACE LOW WAS A BIT FARTHER EAST THAN BOTH THE (12Z
RUNS OF THE) NAM AND GFS HAD PREDICTED IT TO BE. IN FACT...THE NAM
POSITION AND STRENGTH FORECAST AT 21Z WAS CLOSER TO THE ACTUAL AT
18Z...SO THE NAM IS ALREADY ABOUT 3 HOURS TOO SLOW. THE GFS WAS
PRETTY GOOD ON STRENGTH...AND JUST A BIT SLOW (TOO FAR WEST). THE
SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS BULLSEYE WAS NEAR GREENVILLE MS...WHICH
SUGGESTS THE NORTHWEST MOVEMENT PREDICTED BY THE MODELS IS STILL
VALID.

SO...EVERYTHING BASICALLY HINGES ON THE WARM FRONT. ALL THE SURFACE
BASED INSTABILITY WAS (AT 18Z) STILL SOUTH OF OUR CWA. BUT AS THE
CURRENT LARGE RAIN MASS MOVES NORTHWARD...AND THE SURFACE LOW
DEEPENS AND MOVES CLOSER TO ALABAMA...SOUTH WINDS SHOULD HELP PUSH
THAT WARM FRONT NORTHWARD. THAT IS LIKELY TO LEAD TO
DESTABILIZATION...WHICH IS ALSO EXPECTED TO SPREAD A GOOD BIT TO THE
NORTH. THERE IS NO LACK OF SHEAR. THE MISSING INGREDIENT RIGHT NOW
IS INSTABILITY.

TIMING FOR THE HIGHEST SEVERE THREAT LARGELY DEPENDS ON STORM MODE.
IF THERE IS NO SEVERE CELL DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE OF
STORMS...THEN THE SEVERE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY IS RELATIVELY
DECREASED. I'VE ROUGHLY TIMED IT OUT TO START AROUND 5 PM IN THE FAR
WEST AND LAST AT LATE AS 2 AM IN THE EAST. IF DISCRETE CELLS WERE TO
DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE...THEN THAT WOULD ADD TIME ON TO THE
BEGINNING OF THE PRECEDING TIMING.

/61/

.LONG TERM...

THE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH TO THE EAST OF CENTRAL ALABAMA BY 12Z
TOMORROW. IN ITS WAKE...LIGHT RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE...AS THE LOW
MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA. A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL
CAUSE WINDS TO BE SUSTAINED ABOVE 20 MPH...WITH GUSTS ABOUT 30
MPH...SO A WIND ADVISORY SEEMS APPROPRIATE FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
ALABAMA THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE INTO THE
AREA...WITH MUCH COLDER AIR FILTERING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. MOVING
INTO FRIDAY...LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF
COAST AND THEN MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST...PULLING MOISTURE INTO CENTRAL
ALABAMA. A SHORTWAVE WILL ALSO MOVE THROUGH AND AID IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT WILL
PUSH THE SHOWERS THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FRIDAY
AND INTO SATURDAY. STILL DOES NOT LOOK LIKE TEMPERATURES WILL BE LOW
ENOUGH TO SUPPORT FROZEN PRECIP. BEYOND SATURDAY...THE FORECAST
THROUGH REMAIN DRY THROUGH THE REST OF THIS PACKAGE.

73

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAF DISCUSSION

WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION COVERS MOST OF THE TERMINALS AT THIS HOUR
AND WILL MOVE INTO KANB OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. ALONG THE LEADING
EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION CEILINGS ARE IFR BUT BEGIN TO LIFT
FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. THE MAIN CHALLENGE IS HOW FAR WILL THE
PRECIPITATION LIFT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WENT A BIT PESSIMISTIC
KEEPING KBHM AND KANB IFR AND MVFR THROUGHOUT THE TAF CYCLE. A BRIEF
BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO OCCUR ACROSS THE OTHER TERMINALS
THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL QUICKLY RECOVER THIS
AFTERNOON WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT. TRIED TO TIME OUT THE BEST POSSIBILITY
OF THESE STORMS WITH A TEMPO GROUP IN THE TAFS. SHOWERS WILL
QUICKLY EXIT THE AREA AFTER 09Z. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE
POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS
EXPECTED TOMORROW BEHIND THE FRONT.

MA

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     45  45  29  46  27 / 100  30  10  10  10
ANNISTON    46  44  29  48  29 / 100  30  10  10  10
BIRMINGHAM  41  44  29  47  30 / 100  20  10  10  10
TUSCALOOSA  40  45  30  50  33 / 100  20  10  10  10
CALERA      42  44  30  49  32 / 100  20  10  10  10
AUBURN      48  48  32  49  35 / 100  20  10  10  10
MONTGOMERY  46  49  31  52  31 / 100  10   0  10  10
TROY        45  49  29  51  31 / 100  10   0  10  10

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: 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.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 25, 2:48 PM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
248 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

ALZ011>015-017>050-262100-
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-
248 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...TORNADOES...
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL ARE ALL POSSIBLE.
SOME OF THE TORNADOES COULD BE STRONG. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD
BEGIN THROUGH 5 PM SOUTHWEST...SPREADING QUICKLY ACROSS CENTRAL
ALABAMA BETWEEN 5 AND 8 PM  THE THREAT COULD LAST THROUGH 3 AM
WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR AREAS NEAR THE GEORGIA STATE LINE. WHILE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AREA WIDE ACROSS
CENTRAL ALABAMA...THE GREATEST THREAT AREA WILL BE ALONG AND
SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM REFORM...TO TUSCALOOSA...TO CLANTON...TO
MONTGOMERY.

WITH ALL THAT SAID...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT IS EXPECTED
FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH TONIGHT. PERSONS ACROSS
CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SEVERE WEATHER...AS
CHRISTMAS PLANS WILL BE IMPACTED.

ADDITIONALLY...WINDS OUTSIDE THUNDERSTORM AREAS MAY BECOME GUSTY
WITH A FEW GUSTS INTO THE 30 -35 MPH RANGE OVERNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

WINDS WILL BE RATHER BREEZY WEDNESDAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...WITH
GUSTS 30 TO 40 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE
NECESSARY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

75

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 25, 2:28 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
228 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

0126 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GEIGER                  32.87N 88.31W
12/25/2012                   SUMTER             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN GEIGER
            ALONG HIGHWAY 17. A FEW MOBILE HOMES HAD THEIR
            UNDERPINNED REMOVED. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 40 TO 50
            MPH.

&&

LINHARES

Local storm report, Dec 25, 2:35 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
235 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

0149 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S MOUNDVILLE          32.97N 87.63W
12/25/2012                   HALE               AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN A SMALL AREA ALONG
            HIGHWAY 69 SOUTH OF MOUNDVILLE. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED 50
            TO 55 MPH.

&&

LINHARES

Local storm report, Dec 25, 3:57 PM CST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
357 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

0355 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W DIXONS MILL         32.06N 87.82W
12/25/2012                   MARENGO            AL   PUBLIC

            TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG MARENGO ROAD 8 BETWEEN
            SWEETWATER AND DIXONS MILL.

&&

LINHARES

Local storm report, Dec 25, 3:58 PM CST, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
358 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

0320 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W DIXONS MILL         32.06N 87.82W
12/25/2012                   MARENGO            AL   PUBLIC

            TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG MARENGO ROAD 8 BETWEEN
            SWEETWATER AND DIXONS MILL.

&&

LINHARES

Local storm report, Dec 25, 4:01 PM CST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
401 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

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

0126 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GEIGER                  32.87N 88.31W
12/25/2012                   SUMTER             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN GEIGER
            ALONG HIGHWAY 17. A FEW MOBILE HOMES HAD THEIR
            UNDERPINNED REMOVED. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 40 TO 50
            MPH.

0149 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S MOUNDVILLE          32.97N 87.63W
12/25/2012                   HALE               AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN A SMALL AREA ALONG
            HIGHWAY 69 SOUTH OF MOUNDVILLE. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED 50
            TO 55 MPH.

0320 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W DIXONS MILL         32.06N 87.82W
12/25/2012                   MARENGO            AL   PUBLIC

            TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG MARENGO ROAD 8 BETWEEN
            SWEETWATER AND DIXONS MILL.

&&

LINHARES

Special weather statement, Dec 25, 4:13 PM CST, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
413 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

ALZ030-252245-
SUMTER AL-
413 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL SUMTER COUNTY UNTIL 445
PM CST...

AT 408 PM CST...STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES
NORTHEAST OF KINTERBISH...OR 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF YORK...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  LIVINGSTON...
  COATOPA...
  BOYD...
  THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA...
  BLUFFPORT...

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY....AND A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS
AREA. 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3287 8830 3284 8816 3283 8817 3284 8814
      3279 8810 3280 8806 3277 8808 3278 8811
      3271 8808 3269 8811 3269 8804 3264 8806
      3264 8808 3259 8806 3260 8800 3234 8815
      3236 8835
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 203DEG 39KT 3246 8821

61

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 25, 10:10 AM CST	Dense Fog Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers and 24 more	110 min
Dec 25, 1:40 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Tuscaloosa	50 min
Dec 25, 2:22 PM CST	Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	25 hr
Dec 25, 2:35 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Tuscaloosa	40 min
Dec 25, 2:59 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marengo	30 min
Dec 25, 4:33 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Sumter	42 min
Dec 25, 5:04 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa	3 hr
Dec 25, 5:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	67 min
Dec 25, 5:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	15 min
Dec 25, 5:23 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marengo, Sumter	29 min
Dec 25, 5:47 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter	47 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.