Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2022

Tornado Watch 8

January 1, 202231 counties in Alabama; 11 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 1, 2022, 10:07 PM CST for 31 counties in Alabama; 11 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 1, 2022, 10:07 PM CST (04:07 UTC)
Expired
Jan 2, 2022, 3:54 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 42 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL, Bartow County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Cherokee County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Haralson County, GA, Heard County, GA, Paulding County, GA, Polk County, GA, Troup County, GA

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 13 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:07 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
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
10%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

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, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 12 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 00:00Z on 2022-01-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 227 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2022-01-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 362 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
227 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
965 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
362 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
462 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

631 
WWUS20 KWNS 020405
SEL8  
SPC WW 020405
ALZ000-GAZ000-021100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 8
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1010 PM CST Sat Jan 1 2022

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Alabama
  Northwest Georgia

* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 1010 PM
  until 500 AM CST.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...A severe-storm/tornado risk will likely persist through
parts of the overnight, at least on an isolated basis given a
moist/modestly unstable environment and very strong shear in advance
of a southeast-moving cold front.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles
north and south of a line from 55 miles southwest of Tuscaloosa AL
to 50 miles southeast of Rome GA. 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.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 7...

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 24045.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 1, 6:02 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb and 19 more118 min
Jan 1, 6:53 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCCullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone and 3 more7 hr
Jan 1, 8:30 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJackson60 min
Jan 1, 9:11 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb and 17 more64 min
Jan 1, 11:19 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw and 17 more116 min
Jan 2, 2:19 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw and 17 more116 min
Jan 2, 10:37 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston83 min
Jan 2, 12:53 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston2 hr
Jan 2, 1:17 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCGeneva, Henry, Houston9 hr
Jan 2, 2:48 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Calhoun and 32 more117 min
Jan 2, 3:50 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley and 33 more85 min
Jan 2, 4:01 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch and 20 more5 hr
Jan 2, 5:52 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley and 32 more113 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2022Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2022Every tornado watch in 2022

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.