Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Mobile, AL

March 17, 2021Choctaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 17, 2021, 1:38 PM CDT for Choctaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 37 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, 1:38 PM CDT (18:38 UTC)
Expired: Mar 17, 2021, 2:15 PM CDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Choctaw County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:40 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
Mar 17, 11:36 AM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 178 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: 658 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -112 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 759 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 301 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

827 
WFUS54 KMOB 171838
TORMOB
ALC023-171915-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0004.210317T1838Z-210317T1915Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Mobile AL
138 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northern Choctaw County in southwestern Alabama...

* Until 215 PM CDT.
    
* At 137 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a 
  tornado was located near Melvin, or 16 miles southeast of Quitman, 
  moving northeast at 40 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...
  Butler and Lisman around 205 PM CDT.

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 3214 8804 3211 8805 3209 8804 3207 8808
      3207 8810 3206 8812 3204 8812 3186 8847
      3202 8846 3229 8825
TIME...MOT...LOC 1837Z 232DEG 34KT 3192 8847 

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

$$

1 follow-up statement

860 
WWUS54 KMOB 171851
SVSMOB

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mobile AL
151 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

ALC023-171915-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-210317T1915Z/
Choctaw AL-
151 PM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
CHOCTAW COUNTY...
    
At 150 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 6 miles north of Toxey, or 9 miles southwest of Butler,
moving northeast at 40 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 dangerous storm will be near...
  Butler and Lisman around 205 PM CDT.

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 3214 8804 3211 8805 3209 8804 3207 8808
      3207 8810 3206 8812 3204 8812 3186 8847
      3202 8846 3229 8825
TIME...MOT...LOC 1850Z 232DEG 34KT 3200 8835 

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

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 16, 9:23 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington, Wilcox	16 hr
Mar 16, 11:44 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MOB	Covington	46 min
Mar 17, 4:18 AM CDT	High Surf Advisory	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	26 hr
Mar 17, 4:27 AM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Wilcox	18 hr
Mar 17, 10:36 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	32 days
Mar 17, 10:39 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	32 days
Mar 17, 11:58 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw	47 min
Mar 17, 12:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw	46 min
Mar 17, 1:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw	48 min
Mar 17, 2:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke	40 min
Mar 17, 2:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw	44 min
Mar 17, 2:19 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	6 hr
Mar 17, 2:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	56 min
Mar 17, 2:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke	39 min
Mar 17, 2:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw	52 min
Mar 17, 3:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw	47 min
Mar 17, 3:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw	44 min
Mar 17, 3:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	20 min
Mar 17, 4:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	14 min
Mar 17, 4:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Washington	26 min
Mar 17, 4:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threat	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke	43 min
Mar 17, 5:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke	30 min
Mar 17, 5:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Wilcox	40 min
Mar 17, 5:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	37 min
Mar 17, 5:54 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Clarke, Wilcox	6 hr
Mar 17, 5:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke, Wilcox	46 min
Mar 17, 6:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	22 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.