Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 19, 2018Cherokee County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 19, 2018, 8:02 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Alabama. It was in force for 58 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 19, 2018, 8:02 PM CDT (01:02 UTC)
Expired: Mar 19, 2018, 9:00 PM CDT
In force: 58 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Cherokee County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:05 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 was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 19, 8:19 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Weiss Dam, AL	TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND LEESBURG, INCLUDING ON EWING GAP ROAD AND COUNTY ROAD 5.
Mar 19, 8:20 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 Ne Tennala, AL	A SHORT-LIVED TORNADO BEGAN NEAR HIGHWAY 9 AND THE CHEROKEE COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB GOLF COURSE. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED BEFORE IT REACHED HIGHWAY 411. THE TORNADO DAMAGE PATH WAS 1.07 MILES LONG AND WAS 400 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT.
Mar 19, 8:27 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Centre, AL	TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN IN AND AROUND CENTRE, INCLUDING NEAR CENTRE MIDDLE SCHOOL, COUNTRY ROAD 59, COUNTRY ROAD 163, AND PARK STREET. AWNING DAMAGED AT GRUB MART IN CENTRE. ROOF DAMAGE TO THE WEBB CONCRETE STORE ON MAIN STREET.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 19, 3:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 143 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: 184 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -90 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 630 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 258 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

620 
WFUS54 KBMX 200102
TORBMX
ALC019-200200-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0003.180320T0102Z-180320T0200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
802 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Cherokee County in northeastern Alabama...

* Until 900 PM CDT
    
* At 802 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Tabor Road, or 11 miles west of Centre, moving
  east at 45 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail. 

  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...
  Centre, Cedar Bluff, Centre Municipal Airport, Forney, Leesburg,
  Sand Rock, Gaylesville, Tennala, Slackland, Cherokee Rock Village,
  Cornwall Furnace Park, Western Weiss Lake, Eastern Weiss Lake,
  Moshat, Weiss Dam, Fullerton, Yellow Creek Falls, Chesnut Bay
  Resort, Howells Crossroads and Waterhouse.

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 3404 8541 3409 8579 3412 8579 3413 8580
      3411 8584 3424 8584 3424 8581 3426 8581
      3426 8577 3429 8573 3430 8547
TIME...MOT...LOC 0102Z 277DEG 40KT 3418 8587 

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

$$

87/GRANTHAM

2 follow-up statements

251 
WWUS54 KBMX 200122
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
822 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

ALC019-200200-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-180320T0200Z/
Cherokee AL-
822 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
CHEROKEE COUNTY...
    
At 822 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Centre, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail. 

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...
Centre, Cedar Bluff, Centre Municipal Airport, Forney, Leesburg, Sand
Rock, Tennala, Slackland, Cherokee Rock Village, Western Weiss Lake,
Eastern Weiss Lake, Moshat, Weiss Dam, Yellow Creek Falls, Chesnut
Bay Resort, Howells Crossroads and Waterhouse.

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 3417 8584 3424 8583 3424 8581 3425 8581
      3422 8545 3404 8541 3409 8579 3412 8579
      3413 8580 3411 8584
TIME...MOT...LOC 0122Z 280DEG 34KT 3415 8565 

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

$$

87/GRANTHAM

421 
WWUS54 KBMX 200139
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
839 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

ALC019-200200-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-180320T0200Z/
Cherokee AL-
839 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN CHEROKEE COUNTY...
    
At 839 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Forney, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail. 

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...
Centre, Cedar Bluff, Centre Municipal Airport, Forney, Tennala,
Eastern Weiss Lake, Moshat, Western Weiss Lake, Howells Crossroads
and Waterhouse.

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 3408 8568 3424 8564 3422 8545 3404 8541
TIME...MOT...LOC 0139Z 279DEG 35KT 3411 8548 

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

$$

87/GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 19, 7:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	42 min
Mar 19, 7:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount	31 min
Mar 19, 7:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Etowah	61 min
Mar 19, 7:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, St. Clair	34 min
Mar 19, 7:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Etowah	62 min
Mar 19, 7:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	56 min
Mar 19, 8:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun	66 min
Mar 19, 8:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Etowah	45 min
Mar 19, 8:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	St. Clair	42 min
Mar 19, 8:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cleburne	46 min
Mar 19, 8:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun	42 min
Mar 19, 9:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun	21 min
Mar 19, 9:24 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair	6 hr
Mar 19, 9:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne	34 min
Mar 19, 9:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega	59 min
Mar 19, 10:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cleburne	40 min
Mar 19, 11:01 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne, Talladega	3 hr
Mar 20, 3:06 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	19 hr
Mar 20, 5:33 AM CDT	Dense Fog Advisory	BMX	Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah and 3 more	3 hr

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.