Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 2, 2012Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 2, 2012, 4:14 PM CDT for Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 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
Sep 2, 2012, 4:14 PM CDT (21:14 UTC)
Expired
Sep 2, 2012, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:16 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 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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 141 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°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.

628 
WFUS54 KHUN 022114
TORHUN
ALC083-089-022145-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0027.120902T2114Z-120902T2145Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 445 PM CDT

* AT 411 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR HARVEST...OR 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF ATHENS...AND MOVING EAST AT
  30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HARVEST.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3495 8660 3478 8659 3476 8690 3491 8691
TIME...MOT...LOC 2111Z 263DEG 24KT 3485 8685 

$$

SL
2 follow-up statements
413 
WWUS54 KHUN 022136
SVSHUN

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

ALC083-089-022145-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-120902T2145Z/
LIMESTONE AL-MADISON AL-
436 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE AND NORTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTIES...

AT 430 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
NEAR ATHENS...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
HARVEST.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3495 8660 3478 8659 3476 8690 3491 8691
TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 261DEG 26KT 3481 8685 

$$

SL
148 
WWUS54 KHUN 022144
SVSHUN

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

ALC083-089-022154-
/O.EXP.KHUN.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-120902T2145Z/
LIMESTONE AL-MADISON AL-
444 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE AND NORTHWESTERN
MADISON COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 445 PM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3495 8660 3478 8659 3476 8690 3491 8691
TIME...MOT...LOC 2144Z 263DEG 24KT 3481 8685 

$$

SL

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, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNColbert, Lawrence25 min
Sep 2, 4:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Madison36 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.