Severe Thunderstorm Watch 697

Issued

Dec 25, 2012, 4:38 PM CST (22:38 UTC)

Expired

Dec 25, 2012, 10:00 PM CST

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

0.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

Counties Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:40 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.

Two or more tornadoes

5%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

5%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

5%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 2219Dec 25, 4:34 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2222Dec 25, 6:05 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2223Dec 25, 7:08 PM CST

297 
WWUS20 KWNS 252237
SEL7
SPC WW 252237
ALZ000-260200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 697
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
440 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

       NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 440 PM UNTIL
800 PM CST.

HAIL TO 0.5 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 45
STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST OF
TUSCALOOSA ALABAMA TO 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF BIRMINGHAM
ALABAMA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 695...WW 696...

DISCUSSION...A WELL-DEFINED BOW ECHO IS RACING EAST-NORTHEASTWARD
ACROSS THE MS/AL LINE TOWARD NORTH-CENTRAL AL.  THIS COMPLEX OF
STORMS IS IN A REGION OF RELATIVELY DRY/STABLE LOW LEVEL
CONDITIONS...SUGGESTING THAT DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL HAVE TROUBLE
REACHING THE GROUND.  NEVERTHELESS...THE MESOSCALE ORGANIZATION OF
THE SYSTEM MAY CONTINUE TO POSE A LOCALIZED RISK OF SEVERE STORMS
FOR ANOTHER FEW HOURS ACROSS THE WW AREA.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 0.5 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 400. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 26035.


...HART

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Alabama, 2012Every severe thunderstorm watch in 2012

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.