Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2014

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Huntsville, AL

April 28, 2014Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 2014, 5:41 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 34 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: Apr 28, 2014, 5:41 PM CDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired: Apr 28, 2014, 6:15 PM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Limestone County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:43 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 28, 5:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	2 Nne Ripley, AL	PARTIAL ROOF TORN OFF OF A HOME.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 28, 12:39 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 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: 267 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -224 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 707 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 573 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 616 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 14.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

238 
WFUS54 KHUN 282241
TORHUN
ALC083-282315-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0011.140428T2241Z-140428T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
541 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT
    
* AT 541 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 
  NEAR ROGERSVILLE...OR 15 MILES WEST OF ATHENS...AND MOVING EAST-
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ATHENS...ELKMONT...RIPLEY...FRENCH MILL...COXEY AND CARTWRIGHT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3499 8691 3485 8684 3475 8682 3474 8717
      3476 8722 3476 8726 3478 8728 3479 8726
      3482 8722 3499 8692
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 250DEG 37KT 3478 8725 

$$

DJN.83

2 follow-up statements

324 
WWUS54 KHUN 282305
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
605 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

ALC083-282315-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-140428T2315Z/
LIMESTONE AL-
605 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY...
    
AT 604 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
ATHENS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ATHENS...ELKMONT AND CARTWRIGHT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3499 8691 3485 8684 3483 8684 3481 8709
      3486 8712 3499 8692
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 242DEG 24KT 3486 8704 

$$

DJN.83

655 
WWUS54 KHUN 282314 RRA
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
614 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

ALC083-282324-
/O.EXP.KHUN.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-140428T2315Z/
LIMESTONE AL-
614 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 615 PM CDT...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS TO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER SMALL
HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS
THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3499 8691 3485 8684 3483 8684 3481 8709
      3486 8712 3499 8692
TIME...MOT...LOC 2313Z 250DEG 37KT 3486 8704 

$$

DJN.83

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Apr 28, 4:55 PM CDT, 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 4:55 PM CDT, 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
455 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

.UPDATE...
MESOSCALE UPDATE.

&&

.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
SUPERCELLS CONTINUE TO MARCH EASTWARD ACROSS THE HUN CWFA THIS
AFTERNOON...WITH A CONFIRMED TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT THE MOMENT
CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER FROM THE LAWRENCE/LAUDERDALE COUNTY BORDER
INTO LIMESTONE COUNTY. THIS CELL DEVELOPED WEST OF RUSSELLVILLE JUST
A SHORT WHILE AGO AND HAS STRENGTHENED AS IT MOVED EAST/NORTHEAST.
LOW LEVEL HELICITIES OF 200 TO 300 M2/S2 AND LCL LEVELS OF 500-700M ARE
POOLING JUST HEAD OF/ALONG THE SUPERCELLS, AIDING IN TORNADO
DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON.

THE AREA REMAINS IN THE RIGHT REAR QUADRANT OF A H5 JET ROUNDING THE
BASE OF THE UPPER TROF PARKED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS, ENHANCING LIFT
ALOFT FOR THE ONGOING CONVECTION.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE THREAT, HP SUPERCELLS ARE ALSO KNOWN FOR
THEIR PROLIFIC RAIN-PRODUCING PROPERTIES. AS SUCH, RAIN RATES OF 3-4"
PER HOUR HAVE BEEN NOTED OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA. FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS
WILL FOLLOW THIS LINE OF CONVECTION AS IT MARCHES EASTWARD THIS
EVENING.

12

&&

.AVIATION...
/ISSUED 1222 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014/
FOR 18Z TAFS...
TS WILL INCREASE BETWEEN 21-23Z FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF I-65.
STORMS WILL IMPACT KMSL INITIALLY AND POSSIBLY KHSV BY 23Z.
CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING
TORNADOES...THROUGH THIS EVENING ACROSS N AL. AS STORMS APPROACH...
EXPECT WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS AND VSBY WITH HEAVY RAIN/INTENSITY OF
STORMS TEMPORARILY LOWERING CIGS/VSBY TO IFR (OR WORSE). WIND GUSTS
WILL BE ERRATIC. CONDITIONS APPEAR TO IMPROVE WEST TO EAST BETWEEN
03-07Z/TONIGHT.

DJN.83

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR ALZ001>010-016.

TN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR TNZ076-096-097.

&&

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 28, 2:28 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
228 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-291000-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-
LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
228 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK POSSIBLE ACROSS THE TENNESSEE
VALLEY LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THIS ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING DAMAGING
WINDS...TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND FLASH FLOODING. A FEW STRONG
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING WILL INCREASE
THIS EVENING AS MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAINFALL OCCUR...ESPECIALLY
ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

ONE FINAL ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED ALONG A COLD FRONT AS
IT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE
STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS AS THE PRIMARY THREATS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
REQUESTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
401 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0358 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     RUSSELLVILLE            34.51N 87.73W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR RUSSELLVILLE.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
423 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0417 PM     HAIL             4 NNW LEIGHTON          34.76N 87.56W
04/28/2014  E0.50 INCH       COLBERT            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            DIME SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:50 PM CDT, 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
450 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0410 PM     TORNADO          8 W LEIGHTON            34.70N 87.67W
04/28/2014                   COLBERT            AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY A TRAINED SPOTTER AT THIS
            LOCATION.

0400 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     5 N NORTH COURTLAND     34.74N 87.33W
04/28/2014                   LAWRENCE           AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A WALL CLOUD NORTH OF COURTLAND

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:58 PM CDT, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
458 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0400 PM     TORNADO          2 NNW RUSSELLVILLE      34.53N 87.74W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   STORM CHASER

            STORM CHASER REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND NORTHWEST
            OF RUSSELLVILLE.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 5:04 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
504 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0359 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NNW RUSSELLVILLE      34.53N 87.74W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN NORTHWEST OF
            RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 5:22 PM CDT, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
522 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0521 PM     HAIL             ELKMONT                 34.93N 86.98W
04/28/2014  E2.75 INCH       LIMESTONE          AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BASEBALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED.

&&

KWEBER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 28, 2:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	58 min
Apr 28, 3:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	51 min
Apr 28, 3:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	34 min
Apr 28, 3:50 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale	6 hr
Apr 28, 3:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	34 min
Apr 28, 4:29 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone	6 hr
Apr 28, 4:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone	25 min
Apr 28, 4:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	HUN	Limestone	34 min
Apr 28, 5:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	HUN	Limestone, Madison	30 min
Apr 28, 5:32 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Limestone, Madison, Morgan	3 hr
Apr 28, 5:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	39 min
Apr 28, 5:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	30 min
Apr 28, 5:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	25 min
Apr 28, 6:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	33 min
Apr 28, 6:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	35 min
Apr 28, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone, Madison	25 min
Apr 28, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence	23 min
Apr 28, 6:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2014 Every tornado warning in 2014 Tornadoes in 2014

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.