Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 19, 2018Calhoun County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 19, 2018, 8:48 PM CDT for Calhoun County, Alabama. It was in force for 42 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: Mar 19, 2018, 8:48 PM CDT (01:48 UTC)
Expired: Mar 19, 2018, 9:30 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Calhoun County, AL

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:48 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
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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 118 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.

517 
WFUS54 KBMX 200148
TORBMX
ALC015-200230-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0007.180320T0148Z-180320T0230Z/

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

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Calhoun County in east central Alabama...

* Until 930 PM CDT
    
* At 848 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Weaver, or near Jacksonville, moving east at 35
  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...
  Anniston, Jacksonville, Weaver, Alexandria, Jacksonville State
  University, Sulphur Springs and Wellington.

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 3380 8559 3380 8560 3379 8561 3379 8562
      3377 8562 3377 8564 3373 8564 3376 8590
      3387 8590 3387 8564 3385 8564 3384 8559
TIME...MOT...LOC 0148Z 279DEG 32KT 3380 8583 

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

$$

87/GRANTHAM

2 follow-up statements

764 
WWUS54 KBMX 200200
SVSBMX

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

ALC015-200230-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-180320T0230Z/
Calhoun AL-
900 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL CALHOUN COUNTY...
    
At 859 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Jacksonville, 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...
Jacksonville.

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 3374 8577 3387 8575 3387 8564 3385 8564
      3384 8559 3380 8559 3380 8560 3379 8561
      3379 8562 3377 8562 3377 8564 3373 8564
TIME...MOT...LOC 0159Z 276DEG 34KT 3379 8568 

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

$$

87/GRANTHAM

287 
WWUS54 KBMX 200225
SVSBMX

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

ALC015-200235-
/O.EXP.KBMX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-180320T0230Z/
Calhoun AL-
925 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL CALHOUN COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
930 PM CDT...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore the warning will be allowed to expire.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for east central
Alabama.

LAT...LON 3374 8577 3387 8575 3387 8564 3385 8564
      3384 8559 3380 8559 3380 8560 3379 8561
      3379 8562 3377 8562 3377 8564 3373 8564
TIME...MOT...LOC 0225Z 279DEG 32KT 3375 8541 

$$

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, 8:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cherokee	58 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, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.