Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 11, 2013Pickens County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 11, 2013, 12:34 PM CDT for Pickens County, Alabama. It was in force for 56 min. 2 reports 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
Apr 11, 2013, 12:34 PM CDT (17:34 UTC)
Expired
Apr 11, 2013, 1:30 PM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Pickens County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:35 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
Apr 11, 12:57 PM CDTTORNADO 14 Ssw Ethelsville, ALTREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG PINE GROVE ROAD NEAR THE PINE GROVE COMMUNITY. STATE POLICE REPORT DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE HOMES. NUMEROUS TREES WERE ALSO BLOWN DOWN ALONG A PATH. RADAR INDICATED DEBRIS SIGNATURE AND PHOTOS OF A TORNADO.
Apr 11, 12:57 PM CDTTORNADO4 Ssw Ethelsville, ALTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ALONG PINE GROVE ROAD NEAR THE PINE GROVE COMMUNITY. RADAR INDICATED TORNADO.

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
Apr 11, 11:56 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 2013-04-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 35 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2013-04-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 143 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
35 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-291 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
169 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.

555 
WFUS54 KBMX 111734
TORBMX
ALC107-111830-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0009.130411T1734Z-130411T1830Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1234 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN PICKENS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 130 PM CDT

* AT 1234 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A
  CONFIRMED TORNADO 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BEVILL LOCK AND DAM...OR 13
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF PICKENSVILLE. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PICKENSVILLE...REFORM...BEVILL LOCK AND DAM...ETHELSVILLE...
  MEMPHIS...PINE GROVE...OWENS...MCSHAN...FOREST AND NORTH PICKENS
  AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758 OR TWEET YOUR REPORT USING HASHTAG ALWX

LAT...LON 3353 8828 3352 8784 3346 8784 3311 8833
      3315 8833
TIME...MOT...LOC 1734Z 221DEG 33KT 3315 8843

$$

GRANTHAM
4 follow-up statements
417 
WWUS54 KBMX 111747
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1247 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

ALC107-111830-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130411T1830Z/
PICKENS AL-
1247 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN PICKENS COUNTY
UNTIL 130 PM CDT...

AT 1247 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A CONFIRMED TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BEVILL LOCK AND
DAM...OR NEAR PICKENSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  REFORM...ETHELSVILLE...PINE GROVE...MCSHAN...FOREST...NORTH PICKENS
  AIRPORT AND SHAW.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3346 8784 3315 8833 3353 8828 3352 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 1747Z 217DEG 37KT 3326 8833

$$

GRANTHAM
092 
WWUS54 KBMX 111757
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1257 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

ALC107-111830-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130411T1830Z/
PICKENS AL-
1257 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN PICKENS
COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM CDT...

AT 1253 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A CONFIRMED TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF
PICKENSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ETHELSVILLE...PINE GROVE...MCSHAN...FOREST AND SHAW.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3328 8823 3329 8831 3353 8828 3352 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 1757Z 217DEG 37KT 3334 8825

$$

GRANTHAM
449 
WWUS54 KBMX 111805
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
105 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

ALC107-111830-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130411T1830Z/
PICKENS AL-
105 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN PICKENS
COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM CDT...

AT 105 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
CONFIRMED TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ETHELSVILLE...OR 12
MILES WEST OF REFORM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SHAW.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3335 8820 3336 8830 3353 8828 3352 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 1805Z 217DEG 37KT 3343 8819

$$

GRANTHAM
418 
WWUS54 KBMX 111818
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
118 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

ALC107-111830-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130411T1830Z/
PICKENS AL-
118 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL PICKENS
COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM CDT...

AT 118 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF
ETHELSVILLE...OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MILLPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SHAW.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3344 8810 3345 8824 3353 8820 3352 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 1818Z 224DEG 29KT 3349 8812

$$

GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 11, 7:54 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter37 hr
Apr 11, 1:08 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar67 min
Apr 11, 1:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens47 min
Apr 11, 1:47 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion43 min
Apr 11, 1:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette56 min
Apr 11, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter58 min
Apr 11, 2:39 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXTuscaloosa, Walker66 min
Apr 11, 2:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker, Winston55 min
Apr 11, 2:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo51 min
Apr 11, 3:17 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston28 min
Apr 11, 3:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBlount, Jefferson62 min
Apr 11, 4:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXShelby40 min
Apr 11, 5:07 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXCalhoun3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2013Every tornado warning in 2013Tornadoes in 2013

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.