Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2020
Tornado Watch 38
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 3, 2020, 5:12 AM CST for 21 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 3, 2020, 5:12 AM CST (11:12 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 3, 2020, 10:08 AM CST
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 21 counties
Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:12 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 40%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 50%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 20%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 70%
Warnings issued inside it
3 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 5:33 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Hale | 42 min |
| Mar 3, 6:29 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bibb, Chilton, Perry | 31 min |
| Mar 3, 6:43 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Perry | 37 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 53 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 299 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -23 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 648 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 250 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 250 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
The text
As transmitted.
450 WWUS20 KWNS 031109 SEL8 SPC WW 031109 ALZ000-031700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 38 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 510 AM CST Tue Mar 3 2020 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Parts of central Alabama * Effective this Tuesday morning from 510 AM until 1100 AM CST. * Primary threats include... A couple tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible Isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible SUMMARY...A cluster of storms with embedded supercells and bowing segments will move eastward across central Alabama through the morning. The threat for damaging gusts and a couple of tornadoes will increase some as it warms and moistens at the surface through the morning. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 25 statute miles north and south of a line from 155 miles west of Auburn AL to 15 miles northeast of Auburn AL. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. && AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector 27040. ...Thompson
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2:34 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Lauderdale | 116 min |
| Mar 3, 2:52 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Colbert, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Lamar, Marion and 2 more | 2 hr |
| Mar 3, 7:25 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Clay and 8 more | 2 hr |
| Mar 3, 9:16 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barbour, Bullock, Russell | 89 min |
| Mar 3, 12:52 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Dallas and 12 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
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.