Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 25, NWS Huntsville, AL

May 13, 2012Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at May 13, 2012, 6:21 PM CDT for Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 24 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 13, 2012, 6:21 PM CDT (23:21 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2012, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Limestone County, AL, Morgan County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 13, 6:25 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Decatur, ALA UA-HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH METEOROLOGIST OBSERVED A BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUD LOOKING NORTH FROM THE BEE LINE HIGHWAY BRIDGE OVER THE TENNESSEE RIVER JUST NORTHEAST OF DECATUR. THE FUNNEL WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 0.5 TO 1.0 MILES NORTH OR NORTHWEST OF THE OBSERVERS LOCATION

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

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 160 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 2012-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 367 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 168 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
367 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
515 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
215 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.

067 
WFUS54 KHUN 132321
TORHUN
ALC083-103-132345-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0025.120513T2321Z-120513T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
621 PM CDT SUN MAY 13 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTH CENTRAL MORGAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 621 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR DECATUR...MOVING EAST
  AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  MOORESVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT USE HIGHWAY OVERPASSES FOR SHELTER. OVERPASSES DO NOT PROVIDE
PROTECTION FROM TORNADIC WINDS. VEHICLES STOPPED UNDER BRIDGES BLOCK
TRAFFIC AND PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING OUT OF THE STORM'S PATH AND
TO SHELTER. IF YOU CANNOT DRIVE AWAY FROM THE TORNADO...GET OUT OF
YOUR VEHICLE AND LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AS A LAST RESORT.

&&

LAT...LON 3464 8679 3450 8687 3461 8703 3467 8700
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 290DEG 9KT 3462 8697

$$

CA
2 follow-up statements
507 
WWUS54 KHUN 132331
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
631 PM CDT SUN MAY 13 2012

ALC083-103-132345-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-120513T2345Z/
LIMESTONE AL-MORGAN AL-
631 PM CDT SUN MAY 13 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR NORTH
CENTRAL MORGAN AND SOUTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTIES...

AT 626 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD. 
THIS  WAS LOCATED NEAR DECATUR...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
PRICEVILLE AND MOORESVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

METEOROLOGY STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE 
REPORTED A WALL CLOUD AND ASSOCIATED FUNNEL CLOUD AT THE INTERSTATE 
65/565 INTERCHANGE. IT WAS UNSURE IF THE FUNNEL REACHED THE GROUND 
AT THIS TIME.

&&

LAT...LON 3464 8679 3450 8687 3461 8703 3467 8700
TIME...MOT...LOC 2329Z 290DEG 9KT 3461 8695

$$

CA
310 
WWUS54 KHUN 132344
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
644 PM CDT SUN MAY 13 2012

ALC083-103-132354-
/O.EXP.KHUN.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-120513T2345Z/
LIMESTONE AL-MORGAN AL-
644 PM CDT SUN MAY 13 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL MORGAN AND SOUTHEASTERN
LIMESTONE COUNTIES EXPIRES AT 645 PM CDT...

WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THE THUNDERSTORM THAT
PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND IS NO LONGER SEVERE.
THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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

LAT...LON 3464 8679 3450 8687 3461 8703 3467 8700
TIME...MOT...LOC 2344Z 290DEG 9KT 3460 8691

$$

CA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 4:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan46 min
May 13, 4:26 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLimestone49 min
May 13, 5:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLimestone45 min
May 13, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Morgan16 min
May 13, 5:41 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLimestone19 min
May 13, 5:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan47 min
May 13, 6:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.