Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 78, NWS Mobile, AL

December 20, 2012Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 20, 2012, 4:42 AM CST for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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: Dec 20, 2012, 4:42 AM CST (10:42 UTC)
Expired: Dec 20, 2012, 5:18 AM CST
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Mobile County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:42 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Dec 20, 4:55 AM CST	TORNADO	7 E Mobile Airport, AL	BUILDINGS DAMAGED. POWER OUTAGES REPORTED.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Dec 20, 4:23 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 164 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 673 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 242 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 277 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.

674 
WFUS54 KMOB 201042
TORMOB
ALC097-201130-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0078.121220T1042Z-121220T1130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
442 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 530 AM CST

* AT 437 AM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 3 MILES WEST OF TILLMANS CORNER...OR 7 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF I10 AND I65...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  REGIONAL AIRPORT IN WEST MOBILE...          MIDTOWN MOBILE...
  DOWNTOWN MOBILE...    TILLMANS CORNER...    THEODORE...
  SATSUMA...            SARALAND...           PRICHARD...
  I65 AND US 45...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 10 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 11 AND 28. THIS
INCLUDES INTERSTATE 65 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 21.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST THURSDAY FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3049 8818 3062 8833 3098 8803 3078 8800
      3078 8802 3075 8803 3074 8801 3072 8801
      3070 8800 3064 8803 3064 8805 3062 8805
TIME...MOT...LOC 1042Z 224DEG 41KT 3063 8818

$$

2 follow-up statements

344 
WWUS54 KMOB 201105
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
505 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

ALC097-201130-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0078.000000T0000Z-121220T1130Z/
MOBILE AL-
505 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 AM CST FOR EAST
CENTRAL MOBILE COUNTY...

AT 500 AM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
WAS LOCATED NEAR PRICHARD...OR 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF I65 AND I165...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  DOWNTOWN MOBILE...    SATSUMA...            SARALAND...
  PRICHARD...           I65 AND US 45...      I65 AND US 43...
  I65 AND I165...       I65 AND AL 158...     CREOLA...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 65 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 7 AND 21.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST THURSDAY FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

&&

LAT...LON 3075 8816 3097 8803 3079 8800 3078 8801
      3077 8803 3075 8803 3074 8801 3072 8802
      3069 8804 3069 8807 3068 8808
TIME...MOT...LOC 1105Z 221DEG 22KT 3075 8805

$$

850 
WWUS54 KMOB 201118
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
518 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

ALC097-201128-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0078.000000T0000Z-121220T1130Z/
MOBILE AL-
518 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EAST CENTRAL MOBILE
COUNTY...

AT 514 AM CST...THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL
MOBILE COUNTY HAS MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST THURSDAY FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3075 8816 3097 8803 3079 8800 3078 8801
      3077 8803 3075 8803 3074 8801 3072 8802
      3069 8804 3069 8807 3068 8808
TIME...MOT...LOC 1118Z 221DEG 22KT 3081 8799

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 20, 2:51 AM CST	Gale Warning	MOB		30 hr
Dec 20, 2:51 AM CST	Small Craft Advisory	MOB		33 hr
Dec 20, 4:11 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Mobile	64 min
Dec 20, 4:49 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw	30 min
Dec 20, 5:14 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	46 min
Dec 20, 5:29 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	46 min
Dec 20, 5:38 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	52 min
Dec 20, 5:45 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	39 min
Dec 20, 6:03 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke	28 min
Dec 20, 6:06 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	22 min
Dec 20, 6:08 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	21 min
Dec 20, 6:11 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe	49 min
Dec 20, 6:39 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Monroe	35 min
Dec 20, 6:40 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	50 min
Dec 20, 6:56 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	34 min
Dec 20, 7:02 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	58 min
Dec 20, 7:06 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		84 min
Dec 20, 7:18 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	42 min
Dec 20, 7:19 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe	56 min
Dec 20, 7:25 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Wilcox	50 min
Dec 20, 7:36 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Monroe	42 min
Dec 20, 7:52 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	53 min
Dec 20, 8:10 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	32 min
Dec 20, 8:14 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Monroe	33 min
Dec 20, 8:15 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke	17 min
Dec 20, 8:26 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		94 min
Dec 20, 8:27 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Escambia	63 min
Dec 20, 8:29 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Escambia	46 min
Dec 20, 9:11 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Escambia	25 min
Dec 20, 9:25 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	55 min
Dec 20, 9:28 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	15 min
Dec 20, 9:30 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		60 min
Dec 20, 9:49 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	26 min
Dec 20, 9:50 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington, Crenshaw	16 min
Dec 20, 10:23 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		82 min
Dec 20, 11:34 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		61 min
Dec 20, 2:19 PM CST	Fire Weather Watch	MOB	Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Monroe and 1 more	16 hr
Dec 20, 2:19 PM CST	Red Flag Warning	MOB	Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 4 more	27 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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.