Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 25, 2015Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 25, 2015, 3:35 PM CST for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 min. 8 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
Dec 25, 2015, 3:35 PM CST (21:35 UTC)
Expired
Dec 25, 2015, 4:00 PM CST
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

County Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:35 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
Dec 25, 3:35 PM CSTTSTM WND DMGCoaling, ALTREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE. POSSIBLE TORNADO. TIME ESTIMATED.
Dec 25, 3:38 PM CSTTORNADO 0Coaling, ALTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NEAR DUDLEY ROAD. NUMBER OF TREES DOWN ON WIRE ROAD AND DUDLEY ROAD.
Dec 25, 3:38 PM CSTTORNADOCoaling, ALTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NEAR DUDLEY ROAD. NUMBER OF TREES DOWN ON WIRE ROAD AND DUDLEY ROAD. POSSIBLE TORNADO.
Dec 25, 3:39 PM CSTTORNADO3 Sw Mercede, ALMULTIPLE PINE TREES SNAPPED ALONG WIRE RD AND DUDLEY RD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Dec 25, 3:40 PM CSTFUNNEL CLOUD3 Wsw Mercede, ALFUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED.
Dec 25, 3:41 PM CSTTORNADO 02 Sw Mercede, ALTHE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF COALING. THE TORNADO WAS WEAK AND RATED AN EF-0 WITH HIGHLY SPOTTY DAMAGE CONSISTING OF SNAPPED TREES. ENDING POINT.
Dec 25, 3:41 PM CSTTORNADO 02 Sw Mercede, ALTHE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF COALING. THE TORNADO WAS WEAK AND RATED AN EF-0 WITH HIGHLY SPOTTY DAMAGE CONSISTING OF SNAPPED TREES. ENDING POINT. CORRECTED LOCATION.
Dec 25, 3:42 PM CSTTORNADO 02 Sw Mercede, ALTHE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF COALING. THE TORNADO WAS WEAK AND RATED AN EF-0 WITH HIGHLY SPOTTY DAMAGE CONSISTING OF SNAPPED TREES. FINIALIZED ENDING POINT.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 39 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 2015-12-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 803 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 2015-12-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 270 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
803 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
638 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
370 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

412 
WFUS54 KBMX 252135
TORBMX
ALC125-252200-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0015.151225T2135Z-151225T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
335 PM CST FRI DEC 25 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 400 PM CST
    
* AT 335 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER COALING...OR 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HOLT...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE 
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  VANCE AND MERCEDES BENZ OF ALABAMA AROUND 340 PM CST.
  BROOKWOOD AND NORTH BIBB AROUND 350 PM CST.
  ABERNANT AROUND 355 PM CST.
  LAKE VIEW AND TANNEHILL IRONWORKS STATE PARK AROUND 400 PM CST.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE CEDAR
COVE...I 20 REST AREA NEAR TUSCALOOSA...CAFFEE JUNCTION...BUCKSVILLE
AND EAST BROOKWOOD.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 20 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 86 AND 100.
 
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 YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3337 8723 3336 8720 3334 8720 3334 8718
      3332 8718 3331 8716 3331 8713 3329 8712
      3328 8707 3325 8707 3322 8710 3322 8712
      3324 8712 3323 8715 3319 8720 3315 8720
      3313 8724 3313 8728 3309 8731 3313 8740
TIME...MOT...LOC 2135Z 223DEG 30KT 3315 8731 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 24, 8:03 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXSumter27 min
Dec 24, 8:31 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXGreene, Sumter29 min
Dec 24, 9:57 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery3 hr
Dec 25, 12:56 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Macon, Pike, Russell12 hr
Dec 25, 1:08 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXChambers, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Tallapoosa6 hr
Dec 25, 1:15 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Lowndes, Montgomery6 hr
Dec 25, 4:24 AM CSTFlash Flood WatchBMXBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton and 17 more17 hr
Dec 25, 7:14 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningBMXChambers, Elmore, Lee, Montgomery, Tallapoosa2 hr
Dec 25, 7:21 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXChilton, Shelby, Talladega3 hr
Dec 25, 7:40 AM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarion50 min
Dec 25, 7:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion, Winston42 min
Dec 25, 8:35 AM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXWinston40 min
Dec 25, 9:17 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXLamar, Marion, Winston3 hr
Dec 25, 9:40 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXWinston3 hr
Dec 25, 9:42 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery11 days
Dec 25, 9:42 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Lowndes8 days
Dec 25, 9:42 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningBMXDallas9 days
Dec 25, 10:30 AM CSTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyBMXMarion, Winston9 hr
Dec 25, 11:51 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBlount3 hr
Dec 25, 12:36 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount3 hr
Dec 25, 12:43 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker3 hr
Dec 25, 2:28 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCherokee, Etowah32 min
Dec 25, 2:50 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Walker5 hr
Dec 25, 3:04 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBlount, Cherokee, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair, Walker3 hr
Dec 25, 3:13 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXFayette47 min
Dec 25, 3:31 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPerry44 min
Dec 25, 3:49 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount8 hr
Dec 25, 4:24 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson36 min
Dec 25, 4:28 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Walker3 hr
Dec 25, 4:55 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson50 min
Dec 25, 5:25 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBibb, Chilton21 min
Dec 25, 5:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.