Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Mobile, AL

March 2, 2012Choctaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 7:47 PM CST for Choctaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 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, 7:47 PM CST (01:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 8:13 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Choctaw County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 157 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:49 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 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 754 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 231 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
754 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1391 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
231 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
315 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
7.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

952 
WFUS54 KMOB 030147
TORMOB
ALC023-030230-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0021.120303T0147Z-120303T0230Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 830 PM CST

* AT 745 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF BUTLER...OR 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LISMAN...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PENNINGTON...         LISMAN...

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.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3229 8792 3228 8794 3230 8795 3230 8798
      3228 8801 3226 8800 3219 8800 3207 8827
      3222 8839 3232 8822 3231 8793
TIME...MOT...LOC 0147Z 238DEG 35KT 3219 8824

$$
2 follow-up statements
214 
WWUS54 KMOB 030158
SVSMOB

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

ALC023-030230-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-120303T0230Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
758 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CST FOR
NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY...

AT 756 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS 
TORNADIC STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR DEAS...OR 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
BUTLER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
PENNINGTON...EDNA...TOMPKINSVILLE...NAHEOLA AND OAKCHIA

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.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3217 8815 3223 8818 3231 8816 3231 8793
      3229 8792 3228 8794 3230 8795 3230 8798
      3228 8801 3226 8800 3219 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 0157Z 244DEG 42KT 3224 8809

$$
022 
WWUS54 KMOB 030213
SVSMOB

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

ALC023-030223-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-120303T0230Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
813 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

AT 813 PM CST...THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS BOTH 
WEAKENED AND MOVED OUT OF NORTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY...THUS THE 
TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

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

LAT...LON 3217 8815 3223 8818 3231 8816 3231 8793
      3229 8792 3228 8794 3230 8795 3230 8798
      3228 8801 3226 8800 3219 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 0213Z 244DEG 42KT 3232 8789

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 12:01 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington4 hr
Mar 3, 6:26 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB64 min
Mar 3, 7:22 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB38 min
Mar 3, 12:46 PM CSTGale WarningMOB20 hr
Mar 3, 12:46 PM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB20 hr
Mar 3, 2:21 PM CSTFire Weather WatchMOBButler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 4 more17 hr

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.