Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2017

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Birmingham, AL

August 31, 2017Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Aug 31, 2017, 5:30 PM CDT for Winston 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: Aug 31, 2017, 5:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC)
Expired: Aug 31, 2017, 5:53 PM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Winston County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:33 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 31, 11:13 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 129 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: 724 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 569 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 198 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 229 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

415 
WFUS54 KBMX 312230
TORBMX
ALC133-312315-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0049.170831T2230Z-170831T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
530 PM CDT THU AUG 31 2017

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Western Winston County in northwestern Alabama...

* Until 615 PM CDT
    
* At 530 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Lynn, moving northeast at 45 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado. 

  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...
  Lynn, Double Springs, Winston Free State Barn, Ashridge, Natural
  Bridge, Weiss, Sipsey River Rec Area and Pebble.

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 3430 8732 3403 8749 3405 8761 3430 8755
TIME...MOT...LOC 2230Z 202DEG 38KT 3406 8754 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

32/Davis

2 follow-up statements

178 
WWUS54 KBMX 312242
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
542 PM CDT THU AUG 31 2017

ALC133-312315-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-170831T2315Z/
Winston AL-
542 PM CDT THU AUG 31 2017

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN WINSTON COUNTY...
    
At 541 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Ashridge, or 8 miles southeast of Haleyville, moving
north at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado. 

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...
Double Springs, Ashridge, Weiss, Sipsey River Rec Area and Pebble. 

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 3430 8734 3414 8743 3415 8757 3430 8755
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 202DEG 38KT 3418 8748 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

32/Davis

655 
WWUS54 KBMX 312253
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
553 PM CDT THU AUG 31 2017

ALC133-312302-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-170831T2315Z/
Winston AL-
553 PM CDT THU AUG 31 2017

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN WINSTON COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore the warning has been cancelled.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 800 PM CDT for northwestern
Alabama.

LAT...LON 3430 8734 3414 8743 3415 8757 3430 8755
TIME...MOT...LOC 2250Z 202DEG 38KT 3430 8742 

$$

32/Davis

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 30, 7:17 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Bullock	58 min
Aug 30, 7:19 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pike	26 min
Aug 30, 7:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Barbour	70 min
Aug 31, 12:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marengo	29 min
Aug 31, 2:49 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee and 29 more	27 hr
Aug 31, 3:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens	48 min
Aug 31, 3:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Pickens	52 min
Aug 31, 3:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Hale, Perry	10 min
Aug 31, 4:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	BMX	Fayette	30 min
Aug 31, 4:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa	52 min
Aug 31, 4:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threat	BMX	Marion, Winston	35 min
Aug 31, 5:41 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marengo	34 min
Aug 31, 6:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Hale	38 min
Aug 31, 6:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb	65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2017 Every tornado warning in 2017 Tornadoes in 2017

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.