Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2017
Tornado Watch 17
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 21, 2017, 6:51 PM CST for 42 counties in Alabama; 7 counties in Florida; 21 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 8 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 21, 2017, 6:51 PM CST (00:51 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 22, 2017, 3:00 AM CST
- In force
- 8 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Particularly dangerous situation
- Yes
- Largest hail expected
- 2.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 65 kt
All 70 counties
Autauga County, AL, Baldwin County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Butler County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Mobile County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Escambia County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Baker County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Clay County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Grady County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Lee County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Turner County, GA, Worth County, GA
The radar
The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:54 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 90%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 80%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 50%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 30%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 30%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 30%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 95%
Warnings issued inside it
54 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 6:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin | 46 min |
| Jan 21, 7:03 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Mobile, Washington | 20 min |
| Jan 21, 7:07 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin, Mobile | 38 min |
| Jan 21, 7:11 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Mobile | 34 min |
| Jan 21, 7:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin | 45 min |
| Jan 21, 7:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe | 50 min |
| Jan 21, 7:30 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Baldwin, Escambia | 45 min |
| Jan 21, 7:40 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Mobile | 28 min |
| Jan 21, 7:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin, Escambia | 44 min |
| Jan 21, 7:51 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Conecuh, Covington, Escambia | 54 min |
| Jan 21, 7:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Escambia | 52 min |
| Jan 21, 8:11 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Escambia | 49 min |
| Jan 21, 8:15 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Escambia | 30 min |
| Jan 21, 8:28 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 8:28 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Washington | 47 min |
| Jan 21, 9:06 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Choctaw, Clarke, Washington | 39 min |
| Jan 21, 9:11 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Covington | 34 min |
| Jan 21, 9:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Conecuh, Escambia | 46 min |
| Jan 21, 9:18 PM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Coffee, Geneva | 15 min |
| Jan 21, 9:23 PM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Baker, Colquitt, Miller, Mitchell | 27 min |
| Jan 21, 9:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw | 44 min |
| Jan 21, 9:35 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | TAE | Coffee, Dale | 5 hr |
| Jan 21, 9:37 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Okaloosa, Santa Rosa | 11 min |
| Jan 21, 9:56 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Clarke, Monroe, Wilcox | 49 min |
| Jan 21, 9:58 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Baker, Colquitt, Dougherty, Mitchell, Tift, Turner and 1 more | 32 min |
| Jan 21, 10:06 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Dale, Henry | 39 min |
| Jan 21, 10:13 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | TAE | Henry | 5 hr |
| Jan 21, 10:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Choctaw, Washington | 45 min |
| Jan 21, 10:19 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Butler, Monroe, Wilcox | 41 min |
| Jan 21, 10:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Chilton, Shelby | 19 min |
| Jan 21, 10:25 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | MOB | Covington | 6 hr |
| Jan 21, 10:28 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Irwin, Tift, Turner, Worth | 47 min |
| Jan 21, 10:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dougherty, Early, Lee and 2 more | 55 min |
| Jan 21, 10:55 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lowndes | 21 min |
| Jan 21, 11:05 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene, Pickens | 40 min |
| Jan 21, 11:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Choctaw | 25 min |
| Jan 21, 11:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Dougherty, Lee, Worth | 58 min |
| Jan 21, 11:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Clarke, Wilcox | 16 min |
| Jan 21, 11:29 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene, Sumter | 31 min |
| Jan 21, 11:35 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | TAE | Dougherty, Lee | 4 hr |
| Jan 21, 11:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Henry, Houston | 46 min |
| Jan 22, 12:04 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Ben Hill, Irwin, Tift, Turner, Worth | 18 min |
| Jan 22, 12:24 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Jackson, Washington | 24 min |
| Jan 22, 12:27 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Hale, Perry | 22 min |
| Jan 22, 12:34 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dougherty, Early, Randolph and 1 more | 41 min |
| Jan 22, 1:02 AM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Baker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Lee, Mitchell, Worth | 28 min |
| Jan 22, 1:04 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 41 min |
| Jan 22, 1:25 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Colquitt, Decatur, Grady, Thomas | 65 min |
| Jan 22, 1:27 AM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Dougherty, Turner, Worth | 33 min |
| Jan 22, 1:44 AM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Irwin, Tift, Turner | 18 min |
| Jan 22, 1:49 AM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Thomas | 41 min |
| Jan 22, 1:59 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Houston | 46 min |
| Jan 22, 2:10 AM CST | Tornado Warning | TAE | Brooks, Colquitt, Cook | 50 min |
| Jan 22, 2:44 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Baker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Mitchell, Worth | 46 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 119 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 945 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -25 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted.
207
WWUS20 KWNS 220049
SEL7
SPC WW 220049
ALZ000-FLZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-220900-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 17
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
650 PM CST Sat Jan 21 2017
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of
Central and southern Alabama
Western and central Florida Panhandle
Small part of southeastern Mississippi
Coastal Waters
* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 650 PM
until 300 AM CST.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
* Primary threats include...
Several tornadoes and a few intense tornadoes likely
Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75
mph possible
Isolated very large hail events to 2.5 inches in diameter
possible
SUMMARY...A cluster of storms now moving into extreme southwestern
Alabama is the first of what likely will be several areas of severe
weather moving across this watch overnight. As a warm front moves
northward across the region, conditions will moisten and destabilize
considerably amidst strong vertical shear. The resulting parameter
space is one often associated with long-lasting, intense tornadoes
rated EF2 or greater.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 100 statute miles
north and south of a line from 80 miles north of Mobile AL to 50
miles south of Columbus GA. For a complete depiction of the watch
see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 15...WW 16...
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 25030.
...EdwardsSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 6:05 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Mobile | 85 min |
| Jan 21, 8:30 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler and 34 more | 90 min |
| Jan 21, 9:57 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chilton and 29 more | 93 min |
| Jan 21, 11:49 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chilton and 30 more | 116 min |
| Jan 22, 1:55 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Henry, Houston | 65 min |
| Jan 22, 2:20 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Henry, Houston | 9 hr |
| Jan 22, 2:46 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Clay, Coosa, Crenshaw and 9 more | 119 min |
| Jan 22, 5:34 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Houston | 86 min |
| Jan 22, 7:43 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baldwin, Barbour, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh and 9 more | 2 hr |
| Jan 22, 8:06 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baldwin, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 8 more | 5 hr |
| Jan 22, 9:16 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Escambia | 59 min |
| Jan 22, 11:02 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Geneva, Houston | 58 min |
| Jan 22, 11:47 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Coffee and 13 more | 7 hr |
| Jan 22, 12:31 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bullock, Chambers, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery and 2 more | 59 min |
| Jan 22, 2:28 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Chambers, Clay, Lee, Randolph | 92 min |
| Jan 22, 6:11 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baker, Calhoun, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson and 4 more | 2 hr |
| Jan 22, 8:11 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baker, Columbia, Duval, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson and 4 more | 64 min |
| Jan 22, 10:25 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay and 20 more | 95 min |
| Jan 22, 12:36 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson and 5 more | 54 min |
| Jan 22, 12:56 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval and 7 more | 94 min |
| Jan 22, 2:02 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Gadsden, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Madison, Taylor and 1 more | 58 min |
| Jan 22, 3:12 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee and 6 more | 63 min |
| Jan 22, 3:19 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alachua, Baker, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton and 5 more | 86 min |
| Jan 22, 3:35 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Brevard, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands and 12 more | 5 hr |
| Jan 21, 11:06 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Bacon, Ben Hill, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley and 34 more | 54 min |
| Jan 22, 9:41 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Dodge and 27 more | 94 min |
| Jan 22, 3:02 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Effingham and 8 more | 88 min |
| Jan 22, 3:25 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Columbia and 10 more | 3 hr |
| Jan 22, 5:58 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham and 11 more | 92 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2017Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2017Tornado Watches in Florida, 2017Every tornado watch 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.