Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Huntsville, AL

May 18, 2012Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 2012, 6:16 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 18, 2012, 6:16 PM CDT (23:16 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 2012, 6:45 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Limestone County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:19 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 18, 6:43 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	Athens, AL	PENNY SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED IN ATHENS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 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: 790 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1195 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 48 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.

033 
WUUS54 KHUN 182316
SVRHUN
ALC083-182345-
/O.NEW.KHUN.SV.W.0113.120518T2316Z-120518T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
616 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 615 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND   
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 5      
  MILES NORTH OF ATHENS...AND MOVING WEST AT 5 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ELKMONT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 3479 8705 3495 8703 3494 8687 3478 8690
TIME...MOT...LOC 2316Z 111DEG 5KT 3486 8695

$$

KULA

1 follow-up statement

737 
WWUS54 KHUN 182340
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
640 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012

ALC083-182350-
/O.EXP.KHUN.SV.W.0113.000000T0000Z-120518T2345Z/
LIMESTONE AL-
640 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY
EXPIRES AT 645 PM CDT...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING 
HAS WEAKENED. THEREFORE THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS 
BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

HOWEVER...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT 
LIGHTNING ARE STILL POSSIBLE FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM. STAY INDOORS 
UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE POSSIBLE. 
STANDING WATER ON AREA HIGHWAYS MAY CAUSE HYDROPLANING...WITH A LOSS 
OF VEHICLE CONTROL POSSIBLE.

LAT...LON 3479 8705 3495 8703 3494 8687 3478 8690
TIME...MOT...LOC 2340Z 111DEG 5KT 3487 8699

$$

KULA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 7:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	33 min
May 17, 8:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	25 min
May 17, 9:25 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Madison	58 min
May 17, 9:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Morgan	50 min
May 18, 2:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson	33 min
May 18, 3:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert	37 min
May 18, 3:42 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert	48 min
May 18, 3:59 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	31 min
May 18, 4:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin	29 min
May 18, 4:27 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	33 min
May 18, 5:05 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	40 min
May 18, 5:22 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	23 min
May 18, 5:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	34 min
May 18, 5:29 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	DeKalb	46 min
May 18, 5:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Limestone	50 min
May 18, 5:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone	30 min
May 18, 6:39 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Limestone	36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.