Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Mobile, AL

March 2, 2012Clarke County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 4:57 PM CST for Clarke County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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
Mar 2, 2012, 4:57 PM CST (22:57 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 5:30 PM CST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Clarke County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 142 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:58 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
Mar 2, 4:37 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 544 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 180 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
544 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

330 
WFUS54 KMOB 022257
TORMOB
ALC025-022330-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0016.120302T2257Z-120302T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
457 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 530 PM CST

* AT 455 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 14 MILES WEST OF
  THOMASVILLE...OR 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOLTAMVILLE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ROCK SPRINGS...       OPINE...              SMYER...
  GLOVER...             FAILETOWN...          CAMPBELL...
  WOODS BLUFF...        TALLAHATTA SPRINGS... MORVIN...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MANUFACTURED HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST SATURDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3199 8776 3193 8779 3189 8784 3187 8799
      3191 8808 3193 8805 3194 8807 3192 8809
      3195 8812 3197 8810 3195 8808 3196 8807
      3199 8807
TIME...MOT...LOC 2257Z 234DEG 31KT 3194 8795

$$
1 follow-up statement
162 
WWUS54 KMOB 022331
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
531 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

ALC025-022341-
/O.EXP.KMOB.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120302T2330Z/
CLARKE AL-
531 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLARKE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST SATURDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

ADDITIONAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL DEVELOPING TO THE WEST SO 
ADDITIONAL WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED.

LAT...LON 3199 8776 3193 8779 3189 8784 3187 8799
      3191 8808 3193 8805 3194 8807 3192 8809
      3195 8812 3197 8810 3195 8808 3196 8807
      3199 8807
TIME...MOT...LOC 2257Z 234DEG 31KT 3194 8795

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 3:40 PM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB26 hr
Mar 2, 3:55 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Wilcox50 min
Mar 2, 4:26 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBMonroe, Wilcox49 min
Mar 2, 4:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke48 min
Mar 2, 4:43 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington17 min
Mar 2, 5:03 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe42 min
Mar 2, 5:16 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington29 min
Mar 2, 5:17 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Wilcox58 min
Mar 2, 5:35 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke19 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.