Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Huntsville, AL

December 11, 2021Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 11, 2021, 4:40 AM CST for Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 22 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: Dec 11, 2021, 4:40 AM CST (10:40 UTC)
Expired: Dec 11, 2021, 5:02 AM CST
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:44 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
Dec 11, 3:41 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 175 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: 1725 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 759 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 78 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 398 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 420 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 4.8
Supercell composite: 16.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

620 
WFUS54 KHUN 111040
TORHUN
ALC033-059-111115-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0013.211211T1040Z-211211T1115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
440 AM CST Sat Dec 11 2021

The National Weather Service in Huntsville Alabama has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Colbert County in northwestern Alabama...
  Northwestern Franklin County in northwestern Alabama...

* Until 515 AM CST.
    
* At 438 AM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Burton, or 11 miles west of Tishomingo State Park,
  moving east at 50 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.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Cherokee around 510 AM CST.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Pleasant Site, Malone, Pogo, Mynot, Mt Hester, Srygley Church, Maud
and Allsboro.

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.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3474 8812 3479 8796 3458 8785 3451 8815
TIME...MOT...LOC 1038Z 250DEG 42KT 3457 8838 

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

$$

KTW

1 follow-up statement

390 
WWUS54 KHUN 111102
SVSHUN

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
502 AM CST Sat Dec 11 2021

ALC033-059-111112-
/O.CAN.KHUN.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-211211T1115Z/
Colbert AL-Franklin AL-
502 AM CST Sat Dec 11 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN COLBERT AND NORTHWESTERN
FRANKLIN COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...
    
The tornado threat has diminished and the Tornado Warning has been 
cancelled. However, damaging winds remain likely and a Severe 
Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for the area.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 AM CST for northwestern
Alabama.

LAT...LON 3474 8812 3479 8796 3458 8785 3451 8815
TIME...MOT...LOC 1100Z 250DEG 42KT 3467 8806 

$$

KTW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 11, 4:29 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	31 min
Dec 11, 4:59 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale	31 min
Dec 11, 5:27 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale	33 min
Dec 11, 5:50 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan	40 min
Dec 11, 6:31 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan	29 min
Dec 11, 6:41 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	34 min
Dec 11, 7:01 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison, Morgan	44 min
Dec 11, 7:06 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Cullman, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan	24 min
Dec 11, 7:31 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Cullman, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	29 min
Dec 11, 7:57 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Cullman, Jackson, Marshall, Morgan	48 min
Dec 11, 9:12 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	DeKalb	33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes 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.