Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 86, NWS Mobile, AL

December 20, 2012Baldwin County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 20, 2012, 6:08 AM CST for Baldwin County, Alabama. It was in force for 21 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
Dec 20, 2012, 6:08 AM CST (12:08 UTC)
Expired
Dec 20, 2012, 6:29 AM CST
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Baldwin County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:10 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
Dec 20, 4:23 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 207 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 2012-12-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1181 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2012-12-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 275 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1181 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
506 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
275 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
310 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
9.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

101 
WFUS54 KMOB 201208
TORMOB
ALC003-201300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0086.121220T1208Z-121220T1300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 700 AM CST

* AT 605 AM CST...ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF BAY MINETTE...OR 9 MILES
  NORTH OF I65 AND AL 59...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RURAL NORTHWESTERN BALDWIN COUNTY

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3110 8796 3115 8792 3115 8790 3116 8790
      3115 8787 3116 8788 3117 8786 3120 8787
      3121 8785 3122 8786 3128 8778 3130 8778
      3130 8771 3126 8767 3123 8762 3113 8762
      3098 8781
TIME...MOT...LOC 1208Z 224DEG 52KT 3112 8780

$$
1 follow-up statement
403 
WWUS54 KMOB 201229
SVSMOB

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

ALC003-201239-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0086.000000T0000Z-121220T1300Z/
BALDWIN AL-
629 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR NORTHWESTERN BALDWIN
COUNTY...

AT 628 AM CST...THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN
BALDWIN COUNTY HAS MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

ADDITIONAL WARNINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. 

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

LAT...LON 3110 8796 3115 8792 3115 8790 3116 8790
      3115 8787 3116 8788 3117 8786 3120 8787
      3121 8785 3122 8786 3128 8778 3130 8778
      3130 8771 3126 8767 3123 8762 3113 8762
      3098 8781
TIME...MOT...LOC 1229Z 224DEG 52KT 3134 8755

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 20, 2:51 AM CSTGale WarningMOB30 hr
Dec 20, 2:51 AM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB33 hr
Dec 20, 4:11 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMobile64 min
Dec 20, 4:42 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMobile36 min
Dec 20, 4:49 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw30 min
Dec 20, 5:14 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin46 min
Dec 20, 5:29 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington46 min
Dec 20, 5:38 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington52 min
Dec 20, 5:45 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile39 min
Dec 20, 6:03 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke28 min
Dec 20, 6:06 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington22 min
Dec 20, 6:11 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Escambia, Monroe49 min
Dec 20, 6:39 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Monroe35 min
Dec 20, 6:40 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington50 min
Dec 20, 6:56 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile34 min
Dec 20, 7:02 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile58 min
Dec 20, 7:06 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB84 min
Dec 20, 7:18 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington42 min
Dec 20, 7:19 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Escambia, Monroe56 min
Dec 20, 7:25 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Wilcox50 min
Dec 20, 7:36 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke, Monroe42 min
Dec 20, 7:52 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin53 min
Dec 20, 8:10 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBWilcox32 min
Dec 20, 8:14 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Monroe33 min
Dec 20, 8:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke17 min
Dec 20, 8:26 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB94 min
Dec 20, 8:27 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBEscambia63 min
Dec 20, 8:29 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBEscambia46 min
Dec 20, 9:11 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBEscambia25 min
Dec 20, 9:25 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington55 min
Dec 20, 9:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox15 min
Dec 20, 9:30 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB60 min
Dec 20, 9:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox26 min
Dec 20, 9:50 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington, Crenshaw16 min
Dec 20, 10:23 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB82 min
Dec 20, 11:34 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB61 min
Dec 20, 2:19 PM CSTFire Weather WatchMOBButler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Monroe and 1 more16 hr
Dec 20, 2:19 PM CSTRed Flag WarningMOBButler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 4 more27 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.