Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 2, 2012Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 2, 2012, 5:50 PM CDT for Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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, 5:50 PM CDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired
Sep 2, 2012, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:51 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 155 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 2012-09-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1480 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 2012-09-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 94 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
1480 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 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.

995 
WFUS54 KHUN 022250
TORHUN
ALC059-079-022315-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0033.120902T2250Z-120902T2315Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  SOUTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 546 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR PHIL CAMPBELL...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF HALEYVILLE...AND MOVING
  EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PHIL CAMPBELL.
  RURAL PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST FRANKLIN AND SOUTHWEST LAWRENCE 
  COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
ISSUED FOR THE SAME AREA.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3445 8774 3448 8737 3430 8738 3431 8775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2246Z 272DEG 16KT 3436 8768 

$$

RSB
1 follow-up statement
521 
WWUS54 KHUN 022306
SVSHUN

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

ALC059-079-022315-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0033.000000T0000Z-120902T2315Z/
FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE AL-
606 PM CDT SUN SEP 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN AND SOUTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES...

AT 600 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
NEAR PHIL CAMPBELL...OR 6 MILES NORTH OF HALEYVILLE...MOVING EAST
AT 20 MPH.

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN AND SOUTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3442 8763 3439 8737 3433 8738 3430 8739
      3431 8767
TIME...MOT...LOC 2300Z 288DEG 16KT 3433 8761 

$$

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, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNColbert, Lawrence25 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, 5:55 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.