Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2019

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Huntsville, AL

April 8, 2019DeKalb County, Marshall County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 8, 2019, 6:22 AM CDT for DeKalb County, Marshall County, Alabama. It was in force for 23 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 8, 2019, 6:22 AM CDT (11:22 UTC)
Expired: Apr 8, 2019, 6:45 AM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Observed

Counties DeKalb County, AL, Marshall County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:22 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 nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 153 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: 581 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1416 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 8, 5:12 AM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 8, 5:12 AM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 8, 5:22 AM CDT, 1 hour before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 8, 2:35 AM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
235 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

ALZ001>004-007-016-080815-
Lawrence AL-Lauderdale AL-Morgan AL-Franklin AL-Colbert AL-
Cullman AL-
235 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LAUDERDALE...COLBERT...CULLMAN...
FRANKLIN...WESTERN MORGAN AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL 315 AM CDT...

At 234 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a broken line of strong
thunderstorms extending from 7 miles east of Tishomingo State Park
to near Winston Free State Barn to near West Jefferson. Movement
of this line was to the north northeast at 40 mph.

Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph will be possible with these storms.

Locations impacted include...
Decatur, Florence, Cullman, Hartselle, Muscle Shoals, Russellville,
Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Moulton and Hanceville.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Strong gusty winds will be capable of knocking down small tree limbs
along with other small unsecured items. Seek safe shelter until this
line of storms has passed.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike several miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a
safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 3389 8701 3390 8710 3399 8715 3399 8711
      3430 8711 3431 8779 3455 8815 3489 8810
      3492 8816 3501 8820 3500 8759 3463 8703
      3409 8666 3408 8670 3405 8668 3395 8679
      3394 8688 3387 8693 3386 8699
TIME...MOT...LOC 0734Z 217DEG 66KT 3460 8805 3417 8747 3360 8707

70/DD

Special weather statement, Apr 8, 3:28 AM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
328 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

ALZ001-004>008-016-TNZ096-080915-
Marshall AL-Lawrence AL-Madison AL-Lauderdale AL-Morgan AL-
Limestone AL-Cullman AL-Lincoln TN-
328 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN MARSHALL...
MADISON...EASTERN LAUDERDALE...LIMESTONE...CULLMAN...MORGAN...EASTERN
LAWRENCE AND SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 415 AM CDT...

At 326 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a broken line of strong
thunderstorms extending from 7 miles east of Collinwood to 6 miles
northwest of Trinity to near Dodge City. Movement of this line was
to the northeast at 40 mph.

Pea size hail and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph will be possible with
these storms.

Locations impacted include...
Huntsville, Decatur, Madison, Athens, Cullman, Hartselle,
Guntersville, Arab, Meridianville and Redstone Arsenal.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Strong gusty winds will be capable of knocking down small tree limbs
along with other small unsecured items. Seek safe shelter until this
line of storms has passed.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike several miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a
safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 3426 8711 3430 8711 3430 8713 3458 8727
      3473 8744 3480 8743 3483 8755 3500 8775
      3499 8684 3523 8682 3505 8663 3432 8628
      3423 8642 3426 8644 3425 8652 3412 8660
      3408 8669 3405 8668 3389 8693
TIME...MOT...LOC 0826Z 227DEG 56KT 3514 8763 3468 8714 3404 8684

70/DD

Special weather statement, Apr 8, 5:50 AM CDT, 32 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
550 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

ALZ008-010-081130-
Marshall AL-DeKalb AL-
550 AM CDT MON APR 8 2019

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL MARSHALL AND SOUTHWESTERN
DEKALB COUNTIES UNTIL 630 AM CDT...

At 550 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Susan Moore, or near Blountsville, moving northeast at 35 mph.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Albertville, Boaz, Guntersville, Crossville, Douglas, McVille, High
Point, Horton, Columbus City and Lake Guntersville St Park.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Very heavy rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3421 8642 3424 8644 3426 8644 3426 8646
      3427 8645 3427 8646 3429 8646 3451 8624
      3427 8599 3418 8615 3418 8619 3410 8631
TIME...MOT...LOC 1050Z 230DEG 31KT 3413 8649

Stumpf

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 8, 2:35 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence	40 min
Apr 8, 3:28 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Cullman, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	47 min
Apr 8, 5:50 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Marshall	40 min
Apr 8, 6:03 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Marshall	27 min
Apr 8, 6:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall	33 min
Apr 8, 6:49 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Jackson	26 min
Apr 8, 7:40 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	10 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2019 Every tornado warning in 2019 Tornadoes in 2019

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.