Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Huntsville, AL

July 18, 2012Cullman County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this special weather statement at Jul 18, 2012, 1:17 PM CDT for Cullman County, Alabama. It was in force for 28 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 18, 2012, 1:17 PM CDT (18:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2012, 1:45 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL

County Cullman County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:20 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, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 2012-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1162 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 2012-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 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
1162 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
873 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
18 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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Jul 18, 12:21 PM CDT, 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 12:21 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1221 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

.UPDATE...
FOR 18Z TAFS

&&

.DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 1030 AM CDT WED JUL 18 2012/
SFC PATTERN REMAINS FAIRLY UNCHANGED THIS WED MORNING...WITH HIGH
PRESSURE DRAPED ACROSS NRN MS/AL LEADING INTO ERN TN. WEAK UPPER
RIDGE ALSO REMAINS FAIRLY STAGNANT ACROSS THE MIDWEST/LOWER MS VALLEY
REGIONS. UPPER WAVES EMBEDDED ALONG THE ERN FRINGE OF THE RIDGE
PATTERN/WEAK UPPER TROUGH AXIS ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC STATES WILL
AGAIN PROVIDE THE PRIMARY FOCUS MECH FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT LATER
TODAY. THIS ENERGY COUPLED WITH REMNANT OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM LAST
NIGHT'S CONVECTION SHOULD ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCT/NUMEROUS
SHOWERS/TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON...PROVIDED THE ENERGY FROM THESE PASSING
DISTURBANCES ALOFT BECOMES BETTER ORGANIZED. IN ANY CASE...WITH A
RELATIVELY LIGHT TRANSPORT/FLOW PATTERN IN PLACE...ANY STORMS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. A
MARGINAL SVR TSTM/MICROBURST THREAT DOES EXISTS GIVEN A SOMEWHAT
INVERTED V THERM PROFILE XCPETD TO EVOLVE LATER TODAY. ANY STRONG/SVR
TSTMS THOUGH WILL HAVE TO OVERCOME A SOMEWHAT CAPPED AIRMASS IN
PLACE...GIVEN THE LINGERING CLOUD COVER. EARLY MORNING CLOUD COVER
THOUGH SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH...AS TOWERING CU FORMS WITH SFC BASED
INSTABILITY/BUOYANCY INCREASING. ONGOING FORECAST LOOKS TO HAVE THIS
OVERALL TREND WELL IN HAND...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS CLIMBING INTO THE
LOWER/MID 90S RANGE...OR A FEW DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL TRENDS.

09

&&

.AVIATION...SCT CONVECTION IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS PARTS OF
THE AREA WHERE DIURNAL HEATING IS BETTER ENHANCED. CONVECTION MAY
BECOME MORE NUMEROUS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HRS.
HOWEVER...IT REMAINS DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE ANY
SHOWERS/TSTMS WILL DEVELOP IN RELATION TO THE TWO MAIN TERMINALS. AS
SUCH...WILL MAINTAIN PREVAILING VCTS IN THE TAFS THROUGH 01Z THU.
AMD/UPDATES THOUGH MAY BE REQUIRED PROVIDED ANY OF THIS ACTIVITY
APPROACHES ONE OF THE AIRPORTS...WITH CONDITIONS BRIEFLY LOWERING
INTO THE MVFR CAT IN/NEAR THE HEAVIER SHRA/TSRA. OTHERWISE...VFR
CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY XPCTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. ANY CIGS LOOK TO
REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE VFR LEVELS INTO THU.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 352 AM CDT WED JUL 18 2012/ IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...A
SMALL COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS FUELED BY AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
CONTINUES TO SLIDE ACROSS THE SE PORTIONS OF THE CWA. MORE STRATIFORM
TRAILING PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH THE ANVIL OF THE STORM IS ALLOWING
FOR PERIODIC LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS JACKSON/DEKALB COUNTIES IN
AL...WHILE THE MAIN CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
PRODUCERS PUSH ACROSS MARSHALL/MORGAN AND CULLMAN COUNTIES. SOME
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND VERY SMALL HAIL HAVE BEEN NOTED
WITH THE STRONGER CORES OVERNIGHT BUT THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING
GREATLY REDUCED THE SEVERITY OF STORMS.

THE STORMS OVERNIGHT/THIS MORNING DEVELOPED AROUND THE FRINGES OF A
WEAK LOW PRESSURE CIRCULATION THAT IS CENTERED OVER THE BEND OF
FLORIDA. POCKETS OF POSITIVE VORTICITY THAT ARE ROTATING AROUND THIS
SYSTEM HELPED SUPPORT STORM ORGANIZATION IN THE SOUTHEAST YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON...AND WE WILL SEE A REPEAT PERFORMANCE TODAY. SHOULD SEE
MORE COVERAGE OVER OUR CWA THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE THE LOW SHOULD
SLIDE NORTH EVER SO SLIGHTLY WHILE A WEAK SHORTWAVE IN THE MAIN
MIDLEVEL FLOW WILL SLIDE JUST A BIT MORE SOUTHEAST. THE STORMS THAT
DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED AGAIN FOR STRONG/SEVERE WIND
POTENTIAL (HIGH CAPE VALUES AND MODERATE WINDEX VALUES ASSOC WITH AN
INVERTED V TYPE SOUNDING...ALTHOUGH DCAPE VALUES ARE REDUCED COMPARED
TO YESTERDAY). HEAVY DOWNPOURS (PWAT VALUES NEAR 2IN) AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN BUT HAIL LESS SO (DUE TO 15+KFT FZG
HEIGHTS).

THE END OF THE WEEK STILL LOOKS TO BRING INCREASING POP CHANCES AS
THE MID LEVEL LONGWAVE TROF DEEPENS AND THE AXIS SLIDES TOWARD THE
SE. A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL HELP FOCUS STORM DEVELOPMENT AND
POOL MOISTURE AHEAD OF IT LATE THURS-LATE FRI...WITH FROPA EXPECTED
DURING THE DAY SAT. THE CLEARING BEHIND THE FRONT SHOULD STILL BE
SLOW ENOUGH TO KEEP TEMPS FROM REBOUNDING TOO MUCH ON SATURDAY.

FOR THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK...MODELS NOW INDICATE THE
RIDGE ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS TO BE CENTERED SLIGHTLY FURTHER NORTH
WHILE THE ATLANTIC HIGH WILL BE STRONGER. THE MORE SOUTHERLY SOLN SEEN
YESTERDAY IN THE MODELS POINTED TO BETTER CHANCES FOR A DRIER/QUIETER
PERIOD TO START THE NEXT WORK WEEK...PUSHING THE FRONT TO STALL NEAR
THE COAST. BUT THE FRONT MAY NOW STALL FURTHER NW TOWARD OUR AREA SO
HAVE HAD TO UP POP CHANCES FOR MONDAY/TUESDAY DUE TO BETTER RETURN
FLOW PROGGED TO SETUP ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH. THE HIGHER CLOUD COVER
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SOLN WILL ALSO KEEP HIGHS CLOSER TO THE 90
DEGREE MARK THROUGH THE EXTENDED.

CCC

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.
TN...NONE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 12:35 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1235 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-191015-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
1235 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

NUMEROUS AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE
CENTRAL TENNESSEE VALLEY...WITH THE COVERAGE OF STORMS DIMINISHING
AFTER MIDNIGHT. A FEW STRONG TO MARGINALLY SEVERE STORMS REMAIN
POSSIBLE...WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT COMING FROM DAMAGING WIND GUSTS
AROUND 60 MPH. OTHERWISE...GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS
ON BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HOWEVER...AS A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHES
SOUTHWARD ON SATURDAY...CHANCES FOR STORMS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH
FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL AROUND
THE AREA...WITH A LOW CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON STORMS CONTINUING
THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...TIMELY REPORTS OF GUSTY
WINDS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 1:17 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 7:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNCullman29 min
Jul 17, 9:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson53 min
Jul 17, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNJackson43 min
Jul 17, 10:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNJackson34 min
Jul 17, 11:16 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson44 min
Jul 17, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNDeKalb22 min
Jul 18, 12:04 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson41 min
Jul 18, 12:05 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNDeKalb40 min
Jul 18, 12:46 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall44 min
Jul 18, 12:49 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNCullman41 min
Jul 18, 1:37 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall38 min
Jul 18, 3:03 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall42 min
Jul 18, 3:25 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan50 min
Jul 18, 1:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison25 min
Jul 18, 1:59 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison31 min
Jul 18, 2:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLawrence23 min
Jul 18, 2:18 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan27 min
Jul 18, 2:24 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison51 min
Jul 18, 2:27 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison33 min
Jul 18, 2:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson25 min
Jul 18, 2:42 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison33 min
Jul 18, 2:57 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson48 min
Jul 18, 3:02 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMadison28 min
Jul 18, 3:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNLimestone111 min
Jul 18, 3:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLimestone32 min
Jul 18, 3:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall26 min
Jul 18, 3:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNMadison, Marshall, Morgan87 min
Jul 18, 3:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNLimestone, Madison119 min
Jul 18, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMarshall26 min
Jul 18, 3:41 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLauderdale34 min
Jul 18, 3:47 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNDeKalb28 min
Jul 18, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLauderdale39 min
Jul 18, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone49 min
Jul 18, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMarshall30 min
Jul 18, 4:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale3 hr
Jul 18, 4:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNDeKalb30 min
Jul 18, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone23 min
Jul 18, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale48 min
Jul 18, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert28 min
Jul 18, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLauderdale23 min
Jul 18, 5:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale95 min
Jul 18, 5:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNColbert25 min
Jul 17, 10:20 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin25 min
Jul 18, 1:45 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin, Moore30 min
Jul 18, 2:12 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin48 min
Jul 18, 2:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLincoln42 min
Jul 18, 3:28 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLincoln32 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.