Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 26, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 2, 2012Colbert County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 2, 2012, 4:05 PM CDT for Colbert County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 min. 2 reports 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
Sep 2, 2012, 4:05 PM CDT (21:05 UTC)
Expired
Sep 2, 2012, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Colbert County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:09 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
Sep 2, 4:30 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG3 W Red Bank, ALTREES BLOWN DOWN.
Sep 2, 4:30 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG7 N Town Creek, ALTREES BLOWN DOWN NEAR THE DOUBLEHEAD RESORT.

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

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 2, 2:49 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 178 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2012-09-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 257 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2012-09-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 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
257 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
627 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

563 
WFUS54 KHUN 022105
TORHUN
ALC033-079-022130-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0026.120902T2105Z-120902T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
405 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN COLBERT COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 400 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR LITTLEVILLE...OR 5 MILES SOUTH OF TUSCUMBIA...AND MOVING EAST
  AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MUSCLE SHOALS...TUSCUMBIA...TOWN CREEK...LITTLEVILLE...
  LEIGHTON...NORTH COURTLAND AND COURTLAND. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR
HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3474 8775 3479 8733 3477 8732 3475 8729
      3476 8724 3476 8722 3453 8720 3455 8753
      3457 8753 3457 8774
TIME...MOT...LOC 2100Z 267DEG 32KT 3465 8770 

$$

RSB
1 follow-up statement
627 
WWUS54 KHUN 022116
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
416 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

ALC033-079-022130-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0026.000000T0000Z-120902T2130Z/
COLBERT AL-LAWRENCE AL-
416 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CDT FOR
EASTERN COLBERT AND NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES...

AT 413 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
NEAR LEIGHTON...OR 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MUSCLE SHOALS...MOVING
EAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
TOWN CREEK...LEIGHTON...NORTH COURTLAND AND COURTLAND. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR
HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3479 8733 3477 8732 3475 8729 3476 8724
      3476 8722 3454 8720 3456 8753 3457 8753
      3457 8756 3475 8757
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 266DEG 35KT 3466 8753 

$$

RSB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 2, 12:34 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson26 min
Sep 2, 2:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLimestone36 min
Sep 2, 3:56 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNColbert34 min
Sep 2, 4:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Madison36 min
Sep 2, 4:14 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLimestone, Madison31 min
Sep 2, 4:27 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLawrence, Limestone, Morgan33 min
Sep 2, 4:40 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNJackson, Madison35 min
Sep 2, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin30 min
Sep 2, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNJackson26 min
Sep 2, 5:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Madison25 min
Sep 2, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence, Morgan31 min
Sep 2, 5:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin, Lawrence27 min
Sep 2, 5:24 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLimestone, Madison36 min
Sep 2, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin28 min
Sep 2, 5:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNMadison3 hr
Sep 2, 5:40 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNJackson, Madison35 min
Sep 2, 5:44 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNMadison3 hr
Sep 2, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin, Lawrence30 min
Sep 2, 5:50 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNFranklin, Lawrence25 min
Sep 2, 5:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin20 min
Sep 2, 5:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall47 min
Sep 2, 6:02 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNJackson28 min
Sep 2, 6:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNFranklin, Lawrence3 hr
Sep 2, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin36 min
Sep 2, 6:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLauderdale45 min
Sep 2, 6:37 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNDeKalb53 min
Sep 2, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin15 min
Sep 2, 6:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall53 min
Sep 2, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman, Marshall, Morgan34 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.