Alert archive / Alabama / Mesoscale Discussions in 2016
Mesoscale Discussion 85
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 3, 2016, 1:30 AM CST for 7 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 60 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 3, 2016, 1:30 AM CST (07:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 3, 2016, 2:30 AM CST
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Calhoun County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Macon County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL
The radar
The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:32 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
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 74 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 313 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -40 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 765 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 371 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 518 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.9
- Supercell composite
- 5.2
The text
As transmitted.
554
ACUS11 KWNS 030731
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 030730
ALZ000-030830-
MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0085
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0130 AM CST WED FEB 03 2016
AREAS AFFECTED...ERN AL THROUGH EXTREME
CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 13...
VALID 030730Z - 030830Z
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 13 CONTINUES.
SUMMARY...LINE OF STORMS WILL REMAIN CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SPORADIC
STRONG TO DAMAGING GUSTS AND A COUPLE OF TORNADOES THROUGH THE EARLY
MORNING AS IT CONTINUES THROUGH ERN AL NEXT COUPLE HOURS. STORMS
WILL BEGIN MOVING EAST OF WW 13 BY 08Z...AND THIS WW CAN BE LOCALLY
EXTENDED FARTHER EAST ANOTHER COUPLE HOURS AS NEEDED.
DISCUSSION...LINE OF STORMS FROM NERN AL SWWD THROUGH CNTRL AL IS
MOVING EAST AT AROUND 35 KT. THE STORMS WILL APPROACH THE ERN END OF
WW 13 BY 08Z. THE DOWNSTREAM ATMOSPHERE IS ONLY MARGINALLY UNSTABLE
WITH WEAK LOW-MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...AND THE WEAK THERMODYNAMIC
ENVIRONMENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO SERVE AS A LIMITING FACTOR FOR A MORE
WIDESPREAD AND ROBUST SEVERE THREAT. NEVERTHELESS...A STRONG LLJ
REMAINS IN PLACE ALONG WITH 60 KT 0-6 KM SHEAR. THUS OCCASIONAL
EMBEDDED MESO-VORTICES AND BOWING SEGMENTS WILL CONTINUE TO
OCCUR...POSING AT LEAST A MODEST THREAT FOR A FEW STRONG TO DAMAGING
WIND GUSTS AND A COUPLE OF TORNADOES THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING.
..DIAL.. 02/03/2016
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
ATTN...WFO...BMX...
LAT...LON 32308623 32868649 33538641 33948613 33968571 33568561
32868548 32388567 32308623SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 6:52 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Monroe, Washington and 1 more | 8 hr |
| Feb 2, 8:50 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Colbert, Cullman, Fayette and 22 more | 55 min |
| Feb 2, 9:59 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Dallas and 14 more | 6 hr |
| Feb 2, 10:23 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Monroe, Washington and 1 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2016Every mesoscale discussion 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.