Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2016

Special Weather Statement, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 31, 2016Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this special weather statement at Mar 31, 2016, 5:37 AM CDT for Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 23 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 31, 2016, 5:37 AM CDT (10:37 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2016, 6:00 AM CDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL

County Sumter County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:38 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 nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 195 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, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2016-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 213 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2016-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
213 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
871 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
303 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Mar 31, 4:24 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 4:24 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 5:14 AM CDT, 23 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
514 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

ALZ011>015-017>050-011315-
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE-
CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA-
CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-
CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON-
BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
514 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT.

AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN
COUNTIES THROUGH NOON...ROUGHLY SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM MILLPORT
TO MAPLESVILLE TO MONTGOMERY. DAMAGING WINDS AND SMALL HAIL WILL
BE THE MAIN THREATS. THIS LIMITED THREAT WILL EXTEND ACROSS ALL
OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THRU EARLY AFTERNOON...AS LINGERING STORMS FROM
THE MORNING ACTIVITY INTENSIFIES WITH INCREASING INSTABILITY.

A GREATER SEVERE THREAT WILL ACCOMPANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP AND
MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO
TONIGHT...WHICH COULD OCCUR IN SEVERAL WAVES. THIS THREAT WILL
INCLUDE ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...WITH THE HIGHEST SEVERE THREAT
WEST OF A LINE FROM MARION TO BIRMINGHAM TO GADSDEN. THE THREAT
COULD BEGIN AS EARLY AS 3 PM IN THE WEST AND LAST AS LATE AS 3 AM
IN THE SOUTHEAST. ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE
POSSIBLE...INCLUDING TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS.
UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR AIRMASS RECOVERY DUE
TO THIS MORNING'S CONVECTION...AND ADJUSTMENTS COULD BE NEEDED
THROUGH THE DAY.

HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ACCOMPANY ALL STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS
COULD LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

HEAVY RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS...IS LIKELY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS COULD LEAD TO
LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AND MINOR RIVER FLOODING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE
NEEDED TODAY AND FRIDAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 31, 5:37 AM CDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
537 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

ALZ030-311100-
SUMTER AL-
537 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN SUMTER COUNTY UNTIL 600
AM CDT...

AT 537 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
CUBA...MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH.

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LIVINGSTON...YORK...CUBA...COATOPA...KINTERBISH...BLUFFPORT...THE
UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA...DUG HILL...LILITA...WARD...BELMONT...
DEMOPOLIS LOCK AND DAM...OLD MALLARD AIRPORT...MCDOWELL...BELLAMY...I 20
WELCOME CENTER AT CUBA AND WHITFIELD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD
TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.

&&

LAT...LON 3259 8839 3262 8808 3259 8805 3263 8793
      3262 8791 3261 8784 3259 8786 3260 8786
      3260 8790 3254 8787 3252 8784 3252 8791
      3246 8796 3244 8803 3242 8804 3238 8804
      3234 8799 3235 8797 3231 8794 3231 8842
TIME...MOT...LOC 1037Z 257DEG 53KT 3238 8839

32/DAVIS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 8:47 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXLamar, Marion, Winston118 min
Mar 31, 9:54 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter35 hr
Mar 31, 9:54 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter3 days
Mar 31, 9:59 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo60 hr
Mar 31, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Pickens63 min
Mar 31, 6:22 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLamar, Pickens50 min
Mar 31, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo57 min
Mar 31, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette46 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Alabama, 2016Every special weather statement in 2016

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.