Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Mobile, AL

April 12, 2020Wilcox County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 2020, 9:43 PM CDT for Wilcox County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 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 12, 2020, 9:43 PM CDT (02:43 UTC)
Expired: Apr 12, 2020, 10:15 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Wilcox County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:44 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 12, 4:38 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 124 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: 533 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 847 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 401 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 509 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

085 
WFUS54 KMOB 130243 RRA
TORMOB
ALC131-130315-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0020.200413T0243Z-200413T0315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Mobile AL
943 PM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020

The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Wilcox County in south central Alabama...

* Until 1015 PM CDT.
    
* At 943 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Magnolia, or 15 miles northeast of Thomasville,
  moving northeast at 65 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.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  northwestern Wilcox County.

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 3224 8741 3224 8739 3222 8739 3222 8737
      3221 8736 3220 8734 3213 8762 3215 8756
      3217 8752 3226 8752 3227 8751 3226 8746
      3227 8744
TIME...MOT...LOC 0243Z 232DEG 63KT 3211 8761 

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

$$

JLH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 12, 8:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	44 min
Apr 12, 8:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	47 min
Apr 12, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Monroe, Washington, Wilcox	47 min
Apr 12, 9:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	45 min
Apr 12, 9:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	52 min
Apr 12, 9:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Monroe, Wilcox	35 min
Apr 12, 9:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile, Washington	43 min
Apr 12, 10:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Washington	41 min
Apr 12, 10:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	39 min
Apr 12, 10:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Clarke, Monroe, Wilcox	46 min
Apr 12, 10:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and 1 more	43 min
Apr 12, 10:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke, Conecuh, Monroe	56 min
Apr 12, 10:59 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MOB	Wilcox	46 min
Apr 12, 11:32 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MOB	Butler, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Monroe	43 min
Apr 12, 11:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Crenshaw	47 min
Apr 13, 12:41 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		64 min
Apr 13, 1:12 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MOB	Covington	48 min
Apr 13, 1:58 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		62 min
Apr 13, 2:14 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		20 min
Apr 13, 2:52 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		68 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.