Alert archive / Alabama / Special Weather Statements in 2021

Special Weather Statement, NWS Huntsville, AL

March 17, 2021Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this special weather statement at Mar 17, 2021, 8:50 PM CDT for Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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 17, 2021, 8:50 PM CDT (01:50 UTC)
Expired: Mar 17, 2021, 9:15 PM CDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL

Counties Colbert County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:50 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 190 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: 51 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -123 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 623 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 249 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement 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 special weather statement went out at Mar 17, 6:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 6:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 17, 4:50 PM CDT, 4 hours before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
450 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-181200-
Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan-
Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN-
450 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of
southern middle Tennessee.

.DAY ONE...Tonight...

Numerous to widespread thunderstorms are expected through the evening
hours, as a cold front gradually moves eastward across the region.
Some of these storms will be strong to severe in nature and will be
capable of producing damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes. A few
storms may in fact be capable of producing significant damaging winds
and violent, long-track tornadoes later this evening. The severe
weather threat is expected to taper off to the east early Thursday
morning following the passage of the cold front.

In addition to the threat for severe thunderstorms, multiple rounds
of locally heavy rainfall will lead to an enhanced risk for flash
flooding through tonight, as well as river flooding that may persist
through the end of the week. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect through
7 AM Thursday morning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday...

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel is
requested through early Thursday morning.

Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the
NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 17, 8:17 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 17, 8:26 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

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Local storm report, Mar 17, 8:27 PM CDT, 23 minutes before

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Local storm report, Mar 17, 8:47 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
847 PM CDT WED MAR 17 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0446 PM     FLOOD            3 NE SHEFFIELD          34.78N 87.67W
03/17/2021                   COLBERT            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NORTH JACKSON HWY IN SHEFFIELD; 2-3 INCHES
            OF WATER OVER ROADWAY AT THE ONEAL BRIDGE.

&&

12

Local storm report, Mar 17, 8:50 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
850 PM CDT WED MAR 17 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0831 PM     FLOOD            2 NE SHEFFIELD          34.78N 87.67W
03/17/2021                   COLBERT            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MULTIPLE VEHICLES STALLED ON NORTH JACKSON
            HIGHWAY AT THE BASE OF ONEAL BRIDGE DUE TO
            FLOODWATERS 1 FOOT DEEP.

&&

12

Special weather statement, Mar 17, 8:50 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
850 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

ALZ001>004-180215-
Lawrence AL-Lauderdale AL-Franklin AL-Colbert AL-
850 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LAUDERDALE...COLBERT...EASTERN
FRANKLIN AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL 915 PM CDT...

At 849 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 6 miles east of Iuka to near Tuscumbia to 6
miles north of Needmore. Movement was to the north-northeast at 65
mph.

Penny size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with
these storms.

Locations impacted include...
Florence, Muscle Shoals, Russellville, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Moulton,
Phil Campbell, Killen, Town Creek and Cherokee.

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.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3501 8817 3500 8747 3471 8729 3431 8716
      3430 8719 3431 8769 3452 8782 3468 8813
      3489 8810 3494 8817 3497 8818
TIME...MOT...LOC 0149Z 198DEG 56KT 3484 8809 3466 8775 3434 8755

70/DD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 17, 7:40 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Lauderdale	6 hr
Mar 17, 7:54 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert, Lauderdale	36 min
Mar 17, 8:16 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	DeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	6 hr
Mar 17, 8:17 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	43 min
Mar 17, 8:26 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lauderdale	34 min
Mar 17, 8:47 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Madison	11 hr
Mar 17, 9:06 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	HUN	Lawrence	24 hr
Mar 17, 9:07 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Lauderdale	3 hr
Mar 17, 9:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Cullman	31 min
Mar 17, 9:19 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	3 hr
Mar 17, 9:34 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	DeKalb	6 hr
Mar 17, 9:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Marshall, Morgan	30 min
Mar 17, 10:09 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Cullman, Madison, Morgan	6 hr
Mar 17, 10:13 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	DeKalb, Jackson	47 min
Mar 17, 10:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb	13 min
Mar 17, 11:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	DeKalb	27 min
Mar 17, 11:10 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	HUN	Jackson, Marshall	4 hr
Mar 18, 12:03 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Marshall	117 min
Mar 18, 1:30 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	8 hr
Mar 18, 8:35 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	HUN	Madison	2 hr
Mar 18, 10:15 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	HUN	Jackson, Madison, Marshall	67 hr
Mar 18, 10:45 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Lauderdale	4 days

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Alabama, 2021 Every special weather statement in 2021

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.