Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 31, 2016Fayette County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 31, 2016, 6:58 PM CDT for Fayette County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 min. 2 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
Mar 31, 2016, 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2016, 7:44 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.75 in

County Fayette County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:00 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
Mar 31, 7:05 PM CDTHAIL 13 S Belk, AL
Mar 31, 7:08 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG4 Wsw Fayette, ALTREES REPORTED DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 96. LOCATION APPROXIMATE.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 31, 5:58 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2016-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2016-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 441 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1040 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
441 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
538 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

564 
WFUS54 KBMX 312358
TORBMX
ALC057-010100-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0016.160331T2358Z-160401T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
658 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  FAYETTE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT
    
* AT 658 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
  WAS LOCATED NEAR KENNEDY...OR NEAR MILLPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30
  MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. 

  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. 

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  FAYETTE...BERRY...BELK...BANKSTON...BOLEY SPRINGS...RICHARD ARTHUR
  FIELD...FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC LAKE...STONE WALL AND BEVILL STATE
  COLLEGE FAYETTE.

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 3368 8794 3385 8753 3369 8753 3369 8742
      3360 8742 3361 8763 3358 8763 3358 8767
      3353 8767 3352 8768 3353 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 2358Z 245DEG 28KT 3354 8802 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

87/GRANTHAM
2 follow-up statements
939 
WWUS54 KBMX 010014
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
714 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

ALC057-010100-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-160401T0100Z/
FAYETTE AL-
714 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN FAYETTE COUNTY...
    
AT 714 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR ASHCRAFT CORNER...OR 7 MILES SOUTH OF FAYETTE...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. 

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. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FAYETTE...BERRY...BELK...BANKSTON...BOLEY SPRINGS...RICHARD ARTHUR FIELD...
FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC LAKE AND STONE WALL.

LAT...LON 3365 8794 3385 8753 3369 8753 3369 8742
      3360 8742 3361 8763 3358 8763 3358 8767
      3353 8767 3352 8768 3353 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 0014Z 246DEG 28KT 3359 8788 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

87/GRANTHAM
001 
WWUS54 KBMX 010044
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
744 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

ALC057-010054-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-160401T0100Z/
FAYETTE AL-
744 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN FAYETTE COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT FOR WESTERN
ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3365 8794 3385 8753 3369 8753 3369 8742
      3360 8742 3361 8763 3358 8763 3358 8767
      3353 8767 3352 8768 3353 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 0042Z 245DEG 28KT 3369 8762 

$$

87/GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 5:37 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXSumter23 min
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

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2016Every tornado warning in 2016Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.