Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Mobile, AL

February 18, 2012Baldwin County, Alabama; Escambia County, Florida

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2012, 5:17 PM CST for Baldwin County, Alabama; Escambia County, Florida. It was in force for 28 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, 5:17 PM CST (23:17 UTC)
Expired
Feb 18, 2012, 5:45 PM CST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Escambia County, FL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:19 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, 5:20 PM CSTTSTM WND DMG3 Sw Seminole, ALSEVERAL TREES DOWN WITH SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A SHED AND A MOBILE HOME. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN THE CC ROAD AREA ON CACTUS COURT...JUST NORTH OF ELBERTA.

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, 4:48 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 218 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.

447 
WFUS54 KMOB 182317
TORMOB
ALC003-FLC033-182345-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0009.120218T2317Z-120218T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
517 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL ESCAMBIA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA...
  EAST CENTRAL BALDWIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CST

* AT 518 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF ROBERTSDALE...OR 5 MILES EAST OF SUMMERDALE...MOVING
  EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CANTONMENT AROUND 540 PM CST...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 10 IN FLORIDA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 9.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 10 IN ALABAMA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 57 AND
66.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3074 8735 3050 8729 3046 8762 3055 8768
TIME...MOT...LOC 2318Z 250DEG 38KT 3054 8758

$$

JP/MB
1 follow-up statement
945 
WWUS54 KMOB 182330
SVSMOB

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

ALC003-FLC033-182345-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120218T2345Z/
ESCAMBIA FL-BALDWIN AL-
530 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CST FOR EXTREME
EAST CENTRAL BALDWIN AND CENTRAL ESCAMBIA COUNTIES...

AT 530 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR SEMINOLE...OR 9
MILES WEST OF BELLVIEW...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PINE FOREST AND CANTONMENT BY 540 PM CST...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3052 8749 3063 8732 3050 8729 3048 8748
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 258DEG 40KT 3051 8742

$$

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, 3:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile61 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, 5:27 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB93 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2012Tornado Warnings in Florida, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.