Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Birmingham, AL

January 3, 2015Greene County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jan 3, 2015, 5:16 PM CST for Greene County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 14 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: Jan 3, 2015, 5:16 PM CST (23:16 UTC)
Expired: Jan 3, 2015, 5:30 PM CST
In force: 14 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Greene County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:18 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
Jan 3, 5:19 PM CST	TORNADO 0	1 Sse Jena, AL	NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE IN GREENE AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES AND CONFIRMED A WEAK TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE GREENE-TUSCALOOSA COUNTY LINE JUST SOUTH OF THE JENA COMMUNITY. THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN WAS ALONG SHILOH RD

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jan 3, 3:18 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 92 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 471 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 266 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 377 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.

085 
WFUS54 KBMX 032316
TORBMX
ALC063-125-032345-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0006.150103T2316Z-150103T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
516 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL GREENE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CST

* AT 513 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM
  WAS LOCATED NEAR JENA...OR 16 MILES SOUTH OF GORDO...AND MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  TUSCALOOSA...NORTHPORT...HOLT...COKER...LAKE LURLEEN STATE PARK...
  TUSCALOOSA AMPHITHEATER...BRYANT DENNY STADIUM...LAKE TUSCALOOSA
  BINION CREEK LANDING...SAMANTHA AND DEERLICK CREEK CAMPGROUNDS.

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 3312 8792 3315 8784 3322 8783 3355 8755
      3332 8728 3302 8785 3311 8794
TIME...MOT...LOC 2316Z 232DEG 46KT 3311 8783

$$

GRANTHAM

2 follow-up statements

230 
WWUS54 KBMX 032327
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
527 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

ALC063-032337-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-150103T2345Z/
GREENE AL-
527 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL GREENE COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED 
AREA.

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

LAT...LON 3322 8783 3355 8755 3338 8736 3336 8732
      3335 8732 3312 8783 3311 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 2327Z 235DEG 37KT 3318 8778

$$

ALC125-032345-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-150103T2345Z/
TUSCALOOSA AL-
527 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY
UNTIL 545 PM CST...

AT 525 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR JENA...OR 12 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF GORDO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  NORTHPORT...COKER...LAKE LURLEEN STATE PARK...LAKE TUSCALOOSA
  BINION CREEK LANDING...SAMANTHA...ELROD...BUHL...FLATWOODS...
  TUSCALOOSA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AND LAKE TUSCALOOSA SEXTON BEND.

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

LAT...LON 3322 8783 3355 8755 3338 8736 3336 8732
      3335 8732 3312 8783 3311 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 2327Z 235DEG 37KT 3318 8778

$$

GRANTHAM

051 
WWUS54 KBMX 032330
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
530 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

ALC125-032340-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-150103T2345Z/
TUSCALOOSA AL-
530 PM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.

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

LAT...LON 3322 8783 3355 8755 3338 8736 3336 8732
      3335 8732 3312 8783 3311 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 235DEG 37KT 3320 8775

$$

GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 3, 3:42 AM CST	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah and 14 more	24 hr
Jan 3, 3:56 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	32 min
Jan 3, 4:02 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Sumter	11 min
Jan 3, 4:27 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Sumter	48 min
Jan 3, 4:34 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Sumter	41 min
Jan 3, 4:44 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lamar	46 min
Jan 3, 5:13 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion	47 min
Jan 3, 5:29 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Lamar, Pickens, Sumter	3 hr
Jan 3, 5:32 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Lowndes	43 min
Jan 3, 5:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	20 min
Jan 3, 5:49 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Chilton, Coosa, Shelby, Talladega	3 hr

Nearby

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