Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2013

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS Huntsville, AL

March 18, 2013Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 18, 2013, 12:44 PM CDT for Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Mar 18, 2013, 12:44 PM CDT (17:44 UTC)
Expired: Mar 18, 2013, 1:15 PM CDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:46 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 18, 8:09 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 150 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 188 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 810 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 376 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 366 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 18, 12:31 PM CDT, 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 12:31 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1231 PM CDT MON MAR 18 2013

.UPDATE...
FOR 18Z TAFS

&&

.AVIATION...
FOR 18Z TAFS...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE TERMINALS
/KHSV AND KMSL/ THROUGH AT LEAST 21Z. THERE ARE 2 LINES TO FOCUS ON
ATTM...THE INITIAL LINE ORIENTED SW-NE FROM NEAR RUSSELLVILLE TO
ATHENS AND THE OTHER LINE JUST TO THE WEST EXTENDING FROM NE
MISSISSIPPI TO SRN MIDDLE TN. MVFR CIGS WILL PERSIST OUTSIDE OF ANY
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. WITHIN THE STORMS...BRIEF WIND GUSTS TO 35KTS
AND HAIL UP TO 3/4 INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS
WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST 19-21Z WITH LARGER HAIL AND STRONGER
WINDS POSSIBLE.

COLD FRONT WILL CROSS KMSL BTWN 21-23Z AND KHSV BTWN 22-00Z WITH
WINDS SHIFTING AROUND TO THE NW. MVFR TO IFR CIGS AND AREAS OF RAIN
WILL OCCUR FOR SEVERAL HOURS EARLY THIS EVENING BEFORE DRIER AIR
MOVES IN AND RAIN ENDS. CIGS WILL IMPROVE BTWN 04-07Z AND VFR
CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY PREVAIL FOR THE REMAINDER OF TEH TAF PERIOD
/09-18Z/.

DJN.83

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 1059 AM CDT MON MAR 18 2013/

LATEST SYNOPTIC SET UP SHOWING THE COLD FRONT JUST TO OUR
NORTHWEST...EXTENDING FROM MIDDLE TN TO SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. THE TN
VALLEY IS FAIRLY WELL-ENTRENCHED IN THE WARM SECTOR WITH TEMPS IN THE
LOWER TO MID 60S AND DEWPOINTS CLIMBING TO NEAR 60F. TWO AREAS OF
CONVECTION EXIST...ONE ALONG/AHEAD OF THE FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH INTO
THE WARM SECTOR AND ANOTHER FARTHER BACK TO THE WEST OVER ARKANSAS
WHICH APPEARS TO BE MORE ELEVATED IN ASSOCIATION WITH UPR LVL ENERGY
MOVING THROUGH THE BASE OF A NEGATIVE-TILT UPR TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER
THE NRN/CNTRL PLAINS.

BROKEN LINE OF STORMS CURRENTLY ENTERING NW AL FROM NE MS HAS SHOWN
SIGNS OF INTENSIFYING OVER THE PAST HOUR...WITH SOME DISTINCT LOW LVL
ROTATION SEEN EARLIER WITH A STORM NEAR TUPELO. DESPITE THE POTENTIAL
FOR SOME LOW LVL STORM ROTATION WITH MORE ORGANIZED/INTENSE UPDRAFTS
ESPECIALLY INTERACTING WITH ANY RESIDUAL BOUNDARIES...STILL BELIEVE
PRIMARY THREATS WILL CONTINUE TO BE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS THROUGH THE
LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS.

STEEPENING LOW TO MID LVL LAPSE RATES THROUGH THE DAY WITH WARM
SECTOR WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT INTENSIFICATION OF STORMS AS THE COLD
FRONT /AND ANY PRE-FRONTAL BOUNDARY/ CROSS THE AREA. GOING FORECAST
SEEMS TO HANDLE EVERYTHING AT THIS TIME...SO NO MAJOR CHANGES. STAY
TUNED FOR FURTHER MESOSCALE UPDATES AS THINGS EVOLVE.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 51 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL HUN CWFA
COUNTIES UNTIL 3 PM CDT.

DJN.83

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 18, 4:49 AM CDT, 7 hours 55 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 18, 10:39 AM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:13 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:24 AM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:40 AM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:50 AM CDT, 54 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 18, 12:20 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 18, 7:55 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson	35 min
Mar 18, 8:20 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Limestone	40 min
Mar 18, 8:52 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	23 min
Mar 18, 9:19 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lauderdale	26 min
Mar 18, 10:20 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert	40 min
Mar 18, 10:39 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert	36 min
Mar 18, 10:51 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	24 min
Mar 18, 11:24 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lauderdale	21 min
Mar 18, 11:40 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lawrence	35 min
Mar 18, 11:50 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	25 min
Mar 18, 12:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence, Limestone	31 min
Mar 18, 12:20 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	40 min
Mar 18, 12:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin	26 min
Mar 18, 12:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence	31 min
Mar 18, 1:21 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	39 min
Mar 18, 1:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan	33 min
Mar 18, 1:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale	43 min
Mar 18, 1:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Lawrence	27 min
Mar 18, 1:38 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson	37 min
Mar 18, 1:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence	31 min
Mar 18, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan	30 min
Mar 18, 2:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone	19 min
Mar 18, 2:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson	31 min
Mar 18, 2:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone, Morgan	30 min
Mar 18, 2:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan	48 min
Mar 18, 2:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Cullman, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan	36 min
Mar 18, 3:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson	22 min
Mar 18, 3:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and 1 more	48 min
Mar 18, 3:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Jackson	15 min
Mar 18, 3:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	33 min
Mar 18, 3:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Jackson	28 min
Mar 18, 3:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb, Jackson	19 min
Mar 18, 3:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb	15 min
Mar 18, 3:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall	38 min
Mar 18, 3:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb	31 min
Mar 18, 3:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb	31 min
Mar 18, 8:35 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	25 min
Mar 18, 8:59 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	31 min
Mar 18, 9:42 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Marion	48 min
Mar 18, 10:12 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	18 min
Mar 18, 11:13 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	32 min
Mar 18, 12:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	31 min
Mar 18, 2:59 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lincoln	46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2013 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.