Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 92, NWS Mobile, AL

December 20, 2012Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 20, 2012, 7:18 AM CST for Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 42 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, 7:18 AM CST (13:18 UTC)
Expired
Dec 20, 2012, 8:00 AM CST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clarke County, AL, Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:19 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.

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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 195 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 2012-12-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2012-12-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 574 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
574 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
705 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

644 
WFUS54 KMOB 201318
TORMOB
ALC025-129-201400-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0092.121220T1318Z-121220T1400Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 800 AM CST

* AT 718 AM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION AND
  LIKELY PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  CHATOM...OR 10 MILES WEST OF SAINT STEPHENS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  THOMASVILLE...        GROVE HILL...         FULTON...
  SAINT STEPHENS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3177 8756 3144 8821 3152 8827 3194 8774
TIME...MOT...LOC 1318Z 232DEG 43KT 3154 8817

$$

PURDY
1 follow-up statement
256 
WWUS54 KMOB 201338
SVSMOB

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

ALC129-201348-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0092.000000T0000Z-121220T1400Z/
WASHINGTON AL-
738 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL WASHINGTON
COUNTY...

AT 733 AM CST...THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING FOR CENTRAL 
WASHINGTON 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 3177 8756 3155 8800 3167 8808 3194 8774
TIME...MOT...LOC 1338Z 232DEG 43KT 3169 8795

$$

ALC025-201400-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0092.000000T0000Z-121220T1400Z/
CLARKE AL-
738 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM CST FOR NORTHERN
CLARKE COUNTY...

AT 733 AM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION AND LIKELY
PRODUCING A TORNADO  WAS LOCATED 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF JACKSON...OR 8
MILES NORTH OF SAINT STEPHENS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  THOMASVILLE...        GROVE HILL...         FULTON...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3177 8756 3155 8800 3167 8808 3194 8774
TIME...MOT...LOC 1338Z 232DEG 43KT 3169 8795

$$

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, 6:08 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin21 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, 7:19 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.