Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 14, 2018Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 2018, 12:41 PM CDT for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 13 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: Apr 14, 2018, 12:41 PM CDT (17:41 UTC)
Expired: Apr 14, 2018, 12:54 PM CDT
In force: 13 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:39 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
Apr 14, 10:36 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 87 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: 224 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 275 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 324 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

743 
WFUS54 KBMX 141741
TORBMX
ALC125-141815-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0012.180414T1741Z-180414T1815Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1241 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  West central Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama...

* Until 115 PM CDT
    
* At 1241 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located near Jena, or 10 miles southeast of Gordo,
  moving northeast at 35 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...
  Tuscaloosa, Northport, Holt, Coker, Lake Lurleen State Park, Binion
  Creek Landing, Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, Bryant Denny Stadium,
  Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, Lake Tuscaloosa, Lake Tuscaloosa Dam,
  Buhl, Flatwoods, Sexton Bend, Peterson, University Of Alabama Quad,
  Lake Harris, Palmore Park, Tierce Pattton Bridge and Stillman
  College.

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 3324 8784 3342 8763 3323 8742 3310 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 1741Z 243DEG 32KT 3318 8781 

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

$$

17/KLAWS

1 follow-up statement

637 
WWUS54 KBMX 141754 RRA
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1254 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

ALC125-141804-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-180414T1815Z/
Tuscaloosa AL-
1254 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below tornado 
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore the warning has been cancelled.  However gusty winds are
still possible with this thunderstorm.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 700 PM CDT for west central
Alabama.

LAT...LON 3324 8784 3342 8763 3323 8742 3310 8784
TIME...MOT...LOC 1753Z 243DEG 32KT 3323 8769 

$$

17/KLAWS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 14, 6:49 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion	56 min
Apr 14, 7:37 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marion	38 min
Apr 14, 10:57 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pickens	78 min
Apr 14, 11:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Pickens	56 min
Apr 14, 11:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Sumter	43 min
Apr 14, 11:36 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar	24 min
Apr 14, 11:49 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Lamar, Marion	3 hr
Apr 14, 11:53 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Marion	52 min
Apr 14, 11:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	65 min
Apr 14, 12:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	25 min
Apr 14, 12:23 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Winston	37 min
Apr 14, 12:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	81 min
Apr 14, 12:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Walker, Winston	20 min
Apr 14, 12:57 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Walker	63 min
Apr 14, 1:02 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Hale, Marengo	58 min
Apr 14, 1:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Hale	16 min
Apr 14, 1:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Marengo, Perry	41 min
Apr 14, 1:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Jefferson	60 min
Apr 14, 2:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Bibb, Dallas, Perry	67 min
Apr 14, 2:35 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	4 hr
Apr 14, 4:38 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Etowah	52 min
Apr 14, 5:33 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Dallas, Marengo, Perry	4 hr
Apr 14, 6:07 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Clay, Talladega	38 min
Apr 14, 6:36 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Clay	24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2018 Every tornado warning in 2018 Tornadoes in 2018

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.