Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2023
Tornado Watch 9
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 3, 2023, 3:20 PM CST for 10 counties in Alabama; 10 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 3, 2023, 3:20 PM CST (21:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 3, 2023, 8:00 PM CST
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
Counties Butler County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Baker County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Clay County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Lee County, GA, Miller County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Terrell County, GA
The radar
The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:19 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
- 50%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 40%
- 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
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 60%
Warnings issued inside it
2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 4:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Henry, Houston | 59 min |
| Jan 3, 5:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE | Calhoun, Randolph, Terrell | 54 min |
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 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 182 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 169 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -27 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 620 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 257 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 318 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.1
The text
As transmitted.
022 WWUS20 KWNS 032116 SEL9 SPC WW 032116 ALZ000-GAZ000-040200- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 9 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 320 PM CST Tue Jan 3 2023 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Southeast Alabama Southwest Georgia * Effective this Tuesday afternoon and evening from 320 PM until 800 PM CST. * Primary threats include... A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible SUMMARY...Isolated thunderstorms have been intensifying over southeast Alabama. These storms are in an environment favorable for supercells, and could pose a risk of locally damaging wind gusts or perhaps a tornado or two through early evening. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 35 statute miles north and south of a line from 10 miles west southwest of Evergreen AL to 35 miles north northeast of Albany GA. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9). 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...WW 8... 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 500. Mean storm motion vector 24035. ...Hart
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 7:56 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion | 2 hr |
| Jan 3, 9:14 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke and 30 more | 8 hr |
| Jan 3, 11:38 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bibb, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale and 7 more | 97 min |
| Jan 3, 12:29 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee and 15 more | 91 min |
| Jan 3, 12:56 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Barbour, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay and 13 more | 7 hr |
| Jan 3, 2:07 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Clarke, Clay and 13 more | 113 min |
| Jan 3, 2:54 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 8 more | 2 hr |
| Jan 3, 5:19 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Crisp and 25 more | 86 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2023Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2023Every tornado watch in 2023
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.