Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Huntsville, AL

March 30, 2012Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this special weather statement at Mar 30, 2012, 9:56 AM CDT for Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 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
Mar 30, 2012, 9:56 AM CDT (14:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 30, 2012, 10:45 AM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL

Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:55 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, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 192 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 2012-03-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 36 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 2012-03-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
36 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-75 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1106 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Mar 30, 6:25 AM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 6:25 AM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
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  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
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  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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        Please try again in a few minutes.
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 30, 4:35 AM CDT, 5 hours 21 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
435 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-302000-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
435 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA TODAY AS AN
UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. SOME STRONGER STORMS
COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING.

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

ON SATURDAY...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CROSS THE TENNESSEE
VALLEY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS.

ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST WILL INCREASE
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES AGAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ON MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRONGER STORMS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...BUT ANY TIMELY REPORTS OF RAINFALL
AMOUNTS WILL BE APPRECIATED.

CCC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 30, 9:56 AM CDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
956 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

ALZ001>003-301545-
COLBERT-FRANKLIN-LAUDERDALE-
956 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COLBERT...FRANKLIN AND SOUTHERN
LAUDERDALE COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 AM CDT...

AT 956 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA. THE STRONGEST
CELL WAS LOCATED NEAR CROOKED OAK...OR 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF
RUSSELLVILLE. ALL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEASTWARD AT 20 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  CROOKED OAK...MALONE.
  MT HESTER.
  NEW BETHEL...POSEY LOOP.
  BARTON...CHEROKEE.
  PRIDE LANDING...COLBERT HEIGHTS.
  SPRING VALLEY.

&&

LAT...LON 3481 8810 3481 8749 3431 8780 3432 8818
TIME...MOT...LOC 1455Z 207DEG 19KT 3458 8783

70/DD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 12:00 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin, Lawrence45 min
Mar 30, 12:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence54 min
Mar 30, 3:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall23 min
Mar 30, 3:59 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNCullman31 min
Mar 30, 4:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson31 min
Mar 30, 4:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNCullman26 min
Mar 30, 4:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNCullman23 min
Mar 30, 4:26 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNDeKalb34 min
Mar 30, 5:23 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson37 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.