Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 14, 2018Fayette County, Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 2018, 11:36 AM CDT for Fayette County, Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 24 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, 11:36 AM CDT (16:36 UTC)
Expired: Apr 14, 2018, 12:00 PM CDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Fayette County, AL, Lamar County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:38 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, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 125 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.

951 
WFUS54 KBMX 141636
TORBMX
ALC057-075-141700-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0009.180414T1636Z-180414T1700Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1136 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Fayette County in west central Alabama...
  East central Lamar County in west central Alabama...

* Until noon CDT
    
* At 1136 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located near Belk, or 7 miles southeast of Vernon,
  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...
  Bluff and Cody. 

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 3365 8802 3372 8806 3387 8787 3375 8779
TIME...MOT...LOC 1636Z 246DEG 41KT 3370 8799 

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

$$

25/Owen

2 follow-up statements

500 
WWUS54 KBMX 141648
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1148 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

ALC075-141657-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-180414T1700Z/
Lamar AL-
1148 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL LAMAR COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out 
of the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

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

LAT...LON 3387 8787 3375 8779 3368 8794 3371 8795
      3381 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 1647Z 246DEG 41KT 3375 8787 

$$

ALC057-141700-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-180414T1700Z/
Fayette AL-
1148 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTY...
    
At 1147 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Fayette, 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...
Bluff.

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 3387 8787 3375 8779 3368 8794 3371 8795
      3381 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 1647Z 246DEG 41KT 3375 8787 

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

$$

25/Owen

653 
WWUS54 KBMX 141655
SVSBMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1155 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

ALC057-141705-
/O.EXP.KBMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-180414T1700Z/
Fayette AL-
1155 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
NOON CDT...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning will
be allowed to expire.

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

LAT...LON 3387 8787 3375 8779 3368 8794 3371 8795
      3381 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 1655Z 246DEG 41KT 3378 8779 

$$

25/Owen

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, 11:49 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, 12:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	13 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.