Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Mobile, AL

February 18, 2012Baldwin County, Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 18, 2012, 3:59 PM CST for Baldwin County, Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 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
Feb 18, 2012, 3:59 PM CST (21:59 UTC)
Expired
Feb 18, 2012, 5:00 PM CST
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Mobile County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:00 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
Feb 18, 4:10 PM CSTTORNADOGrand Bay, ALPUBLIC REPORT OF A TORANDO TOUCHDOWN NEAR GRAND BAY,AL. ALSO PRODUCED TREE DAMAGE.

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
Feb 18, 11:49 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 154 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2012-02-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2012-02-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 160 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
449 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
177 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.

921 
WUUS54 KMOB 182159
SVRMOB
ALC003-097-182300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.SV.W.0015.120218T2159Z-120218T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
359 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN BALDWIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 500 PM CST

* AT 358 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
  HAIL...AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THESE STORMS
  WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  ESCATAWPA TO 5 MILES WEST OF GRAND BAY TO 7 MILES SOUTH OF
  PASCAGOULA...AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CODEN...              GULF SHORES...        TILLMANS CORNER...
  THEODORE...           TANNER WILLIAMS...    I10 AND I65...
  GRAND BAY...          BELLE FONTAINE...     BAYOU LA BATRE...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 10 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 49.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CST SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3028 8777 3041 8792 3062 8792 3068 8801
      3030 8814 3025 8807 3022 8831 3023 8832
      3027 8813 3032 8823 3035 8820 3037 8824
      3032 8826 3037 8826 3039 8833 3035 8840
      3070 8841 3068 8769 3024 8766 3022 8803
TIME...MOT...LOC 2158Z 272DEG 42KT 3061 8843 3049 8841
          3039 8845 3027 8855

$$

JP/MB
1 follow-up statement
717 
WWUS54 KMOB 182232
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
432 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

ALC003-097-182300-
/O.CON.KMOB.SV.W.0015.000000T0000Z-120218T2300Z/
BALDWIN AL-MOBILE AL-
432 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CST
FOR SOUTHERN MOBILE AND SOUTHWESTERN BALDWIN COUNTIES...

AT 431 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER
SIZE HAIL...AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THESE STORMS 
WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM I10 NEAR THE BATTLESHIP 8 
MILES SOUTHEAST OF THEODORE TO 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BAYOU LA 
BATRE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  VOLANTA...SEACLIFF...MAGNOLIA BEACH AND BELFOREST BY 440 PM CST...
  BARNWELL...ELLISVILLE AND FORT GAINES BY 445 PM CST...
  RIVER PARK...TURKEY BRANCH AND SILVERHILL BY 450 PM CST...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CST SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3022 8831 3023 8832 3026 8818 3036 8820
      3032 8826 3037 8826 3038 8839 3048 8841
      3069 8809 3068 8769 3024 8766 3022 8803
      3028 8777 3041 8792 3062 8792 3068 8801
      3026 8818 3026 8817 3029 8813 3025 8807
TIME...MOT...LOC 2231Z 270DEG 39KT 3067 8796 3051 8801
          3040 8810 3032 8828

$$

JP/MB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 18, 3:38 AM CSTWind AdvisoryMOB38 hr
Feb 18, 1:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile49 min
Feb 18, 2:28 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBMobile, Washington32 days
Feb 18, 3:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe47 min
Feb 18, 3:28 PM CSTGale WarningMOB21 hr
Feb 18, 3:37 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and 1 more113 min
Feb 18, 4:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh, Covington, Escambia44 min
Feb 18, 4:07 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB83 min
Feb 18, 4:19 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile116 min
Feb 18, 4:21 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBMobile24 min
Feb 18, 4:25 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Monroe, Washington, Wilcox2 hr
Feb 18, 4:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBMobile, Washington60 min
Feb 18, 4:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia52 min
Feb 18, 4:52 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin113 min
Feb 18, 4:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin76 min
Feb 18, 5:13 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin, Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia2 hr
Feb 18, 5:17 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin28 min
Feb 18, 5:27 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB93 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2012Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.