Alert archive / Alabama / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 2075

December 29, 202122 counties in Alabama; 5 counties in Georgia; 8 counties in Tennessee

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Dec 29, 2021, 2:36 PM CST for 22 counties in Alabama; 5 counties in Georgia; 8 counties in Tennessee. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 29, 2021, 2:36 PM CST (20:36 UTC)
Expired
Dec 29, 2021, 5:00 PM CST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 35 counties

Blount County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Colbert County, AL, Cullman County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marion County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Morgan County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL, Catoosa County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Dade County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Walker County, GA, Franklin County, TN, Giles County, TN, Lawrence County, TN, Lincoln County, TN, Marion County, TN, Marshall County, TN, Moore County, TN, Wayne County, TN

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:37 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 146 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2021-12-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2021-12-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 75 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
690 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
75 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

595 
ACUS11 KWNS 292036
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 292036 
GAZ000-TNZ000-ALZ000-MSZ000-292300-

Mesoscale Discussion 2075
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0236 PM CST Wed Dec 29 2021

Areas affected...portions of Middle TN...northern AL and northwest
GA

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 292036Z - 292300Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Severe thunderstorm potential will increase from late
afternoon into this evening. Timing of watch issuance remains
uncertain, but may be needed within the next 2-3 hours.

DISCUSSION...Airmass recovery slowly continues this afternoon across
parts of northern AL in the wake of morning/early afternoon showers.
A surface boundary related to this earlier precipitation extends
west to east from roughly Haleyville AL into far northwest GA. Some
additional destabilization is expected with northward extent across
the MCD area in a sustained warm advection regime through the
evening hours. However, latest hi-res guidance continues to indicate
some uncertainty with regards to the northward extent of severe
potential, as well as in timing of the severe threat. Most guidance,
along with observational trends, preclude discrete warm sector
development in deference to an eastward-advancing, and currently
developing, bow/QLCS in the vicinity of the Mississippi
River/western TN/northwest MS as of 2030z/230pm CST. The best
estimate of severe storms moving into the MCD area is between
22-00z. 

Once storms do emerge over the region, a strong low-level jet and
bowing segments will favor damaging gusts, with a few mesovortex
tornadoes possible as well. Convective trends will continue to be
monitored as a watch will likely be needed for portions of the MCD
area in the next 2-3 hours.

..Leitman/Hart.. 12/29/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...MRX...FFC...OHX...BMX...HUN...MEG...JAN...

LAT...LON   33818564 33508679 33418766 33538812 33708824 34248826
            35018822 35338794 35498757 35548706 35448624 35328552
            35138516 34848500 34538496 34348502 34198514 33888544
            33818564

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 29, 10:44 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Franklin, Lamar, Marion2 hr
Dec 29, 12:24 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGeneva, Houston96 min
Dec 29, 3:53 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman and 24 more6 hr
Dec 29, 4:38 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence and 6 more2 hr
Dec 29, 12:05 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCFayette, Hardeman, Hardin, McNairy, Shelby7 hr
Dec 29, 3:41 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHardeman, Hardin, McNairy64 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Tennessee, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.