Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Huntsville, AL

March 31, 2016Madison County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 31, 2016, 9:24 PM CDT for Madison 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, 9:24 PM CDT (02:24 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2016, 9:47 PM CDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

County Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:24 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 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 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 163 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 00:00Z on 2016-04-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 693 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 00:00Z on 2016-04-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 294 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
693 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
764 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
294 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
366 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

189 
WFUS54 KHUN 010224
TORHUN
ALC089-010300-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0007.160401T0224Z-160401T0300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
    
* AT 923 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
  WAS LOCATED OVER TRIANA...OR NEAR MADISON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35
  MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. AT ABOUT 905 PM...DAMAGE WAS
           REPORTED IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF MORGAN
           COUNTY IN THE HARTSELLE AND PRICEVILLE AREAS.  

  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...
  HUNTSVILLE...MADISON...REDSTONE ARSENAL...MOORES MILL...TRIANA...
  MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER...ALABAMA A AND M UNIVERSITY...
  HUNTSVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN
  HUNTSVILLE AND HAMPTON COVE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. DO NOT
WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3484 8654 3466 8641 3457 8667 3459 8669
      3459 8671 3455 8675 3455 8678 3457 8679
      3465 8679
TIME...MOT...LOC 0223Z 234DEG 30KT 3461 8673 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

KDW
1 follow-up statement
984 
WWUS54 KHUN 010247 RRA
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
947 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

ALC089-010257-
/O.CAN.KHUN.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-160401T0300Z/
MADISON AL-
947 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MADISON 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.  HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS AND
HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT FOR NORTHERN
ALABAMA...AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE.

LAT...LON 3484 8654 3466 8641 3457 8667 3459 8669
      3459 8671 3455 8675 3455 8678 3457 8679
      3465 8679
TIME...MOT...LOC 0245Z 234DEG 30KT 3473 8653 

$$

KDW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 7:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin52 min
Mar 31, 7:17 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedHUNMadison28 min
Mar 31, 7:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLawrence23 min
Mar 31, 7:30 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLimestone30 min
Mar 31, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence29 min
Mar 31, 7:50 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNFranklin25 min
Mar 31, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence, Limestone, Morgan23 min
Mar 31, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale13 min
Mar 31, 8:25 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMorgan35 min
Mar 31, 8:35 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLawrence, Morgan25 min
Mar 31, 8:38 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNMarshall37 min
Mar 31, 8:55 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNLimestone, Madison, Morgan35 min
Mar 31, 9:31 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNLimestone29 min
Mar 31, 9:35 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNMadison12 min
Mar 31, 10:25 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHUNJackson35 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.