Mike Wilhelm's Alabama Weather Blog Bamawx.com

Tuscaloosa Tornado 4/27/12 - Another Look

2012-02-03T05:39:00.003-06:00

When I post pictures to my Twitter account, my Facebook weather page, this blog, or wherever, I rarely do any editing of the photographs. At most I occasionally crop the picture, but that's it. What you see is how my camera "saw" it. Recently, my friend Rick Lipscomb did some editing of his photos of the Tuscaloosa tornado of April 27. The end result was very impressive because it brought out details of the storm that didn't show up other wise. I asked Rick to work some of his magic on my pictures. Here are the results!

All photos by Mike Wilhelm, 2011. Editing by Rick Lipscomb, 2012. Do not use without permission.

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January 22-23 Chase Account

2012-01-23T11:25:00.006-06:00

Wow, what a crazy Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday morning.

I woke up to go to the early service at church because I wanted to come home, take care of some things, and get a good nap before chasing Sunday night. When I got out of church I had a message from Jason Simpson, the new Chief Meteorologist at Channel 19 in Huntsville. We spoke about plans for coverage of the event on television and discussed the forecast. Jason and I communicated throughout the day and I was also in contact with chase partner John Brown. Our target was going to be NW Alabama, based on the severe weather parameters shown by the models.

I got a two hour nap in the afternoon. Jason and I spoke again about how we would communicate while he was on the air and shared thoughts about what we though might happen. I left at 6:30 and drove toward Moulton. I did a phone interview from Moulton live on WHNT's 10 p.m. newscast.

John went to Tupelo. I then went further west toward Russellville. We both saw some storms with rotation in the upper levels, but the air was just not quite unstable enough to produce discreet cells. The cells were mostly embedded in a larger rain mass. The storms produced frequent lightning but with the heavy rain and gusty winds, it was almost impossible to photograph the lightning.

There was no severe weather in North Alabama. This was the first time Jason Simpson provided severe weather coverage as Chief Meteorologist for WHNT 19 in Huntsville.

Considering it a moderate risk bust (STP values were 3-5 in NW AL and NE MS and there were no damage reports), John and I decided to head back toward our respective homes. I drove back toward Huntsville and he drove back toward the Birmingham area. He made a brief stop for a tornado-warned storm in Hamilton. I stopped in downtown Huntsville to see whether I could get any lightning pictures from the vantage point of a parking garage. The rain was just too heavy and it obscured the sky. After streaming video back to WHNT between 3 and 3:30 a.m., I headed to the house. John called and said he was in the Birmingham area. I told him to call me soon if he had a chance.

I had planned on looking at my photos quickly and getting to bed. While I was doing that, I was listening to James Spann's, Brian Peters', and Ashley Brand's coverage online for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham. Suddenly, supercells showing intense rotation began moving from Tuscaloosa into Jefferson County. Damage reports started coming in. The rotation signature ramped up so much that it was obvious there had to be a tornado with the cell. James Spann started showing John Brown's live stream on the air. John was in the Fultondale area.

Power flashes were visible on his stream and then the power went out, as all of the city lights disappeared from view.

More and more damage reports were coming in. The reports started getting more serious. Reports now were of people being trapped in places such as Center Point and Trussville. These are suburbs northeast of Birmingham with fairly dense population. I was really tired but I was riveted to the coverage and I was relaying reports via Twitter and Facebook. My heart started to really break when I realized that there were likely numerous injuries and probably multiple fatalities.

I received a text from another ABC 33/40 Skywatcher saying that John Brown's home had been damaged. He said he heard that on the Skywatcher IM chat. Then James Spann reported it on the air. I messaged John's wife. Thankfully she was ok and she said she saw no damage! I sent an IM and a tweet to the Skywatchers and James. Soon, James reported on the air that John's family and home were ok. James was very complimentary of John throughout the coverage, at one point calling him "the best storm chaser!"

Another storm with strong rotation was now showing up in Perry County, heading for Chilton County in Central Alabama. This rotation may have been the strongest of the day. Damage reports started coming in from Maplesville and Birmingham Nexrad was showing a possible "debris ball" signature. The storm was headed for the north side of Clanton.

There were a few more storms that showed signs of rotation, but by 6 a.m. it appeared that the worst was probably over. I was exhausted. I think it was around 6:30 a.m. when I finally decided to go to bed. By this time there were confirmed reports of numerous injuries and some fatalities. I was on the verge of crying several times as these reports were coming in. Praying, I finally fell asleep for a nap before I had to go into work later in the morning.

A of lunch time Monday there are at least two confirmed fatalities and over 100 injuries in Central Alabama.

Alabama has been through way too many of these tragedies. Please pray for Alabama.

Some of my Tweets during the storms:

bamawx Mike Wilhelm
Multiple fatalities in Oak Grove per @spann #alwx #fb

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RT @rickjourney: Birmingport FD confirms a fatality on Todd Dr off Toad Vine Rd in JeffCo #fb

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RT @stuffspannsays: "Don't be a bonehead! Don't go out there. Just don't. Don't be out there trying to get a video for youtube. Stop!!" #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: Unless you are an emergency work...PLEASE do not be an onlooker. It's not safe for you or anyone else! #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: 5:37:41 AM) John Talbot - Hueytown(Laptop): concord is closing off taylors ferry rd! #fb

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RT @YenuWodajo: Photo was sent to us by reporter @MarissaMtchll of the Jet Pep station near Pinson Valley Rd #alwx http://t.co/QJBZgxap #fb

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RT @TashaSimone: RT @TWCBreaking: New #tornado warning just E of Columbiana, AL. Circulation tightening: http://t.co/ZlHwSlyC #fb

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RT @YenuWodajo: @spann says large, violent tornado approaching downtown Clanton #fb

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ABC 33/40 Skycam in Chilton County lost power. #alwx #fb

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RT @spann: For those waking up, please watch our stream http://t.co/xQyJt1lc #alwx #fb

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Several people trapped in homes in Maplesville. Major structural damage! #alwx #fb

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Clanton residents should be in a safe place NOW!!! #alwx #fb

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Per @spann Sweeny Hollow Rd, part of house gone... Toadvine rd - Several homes taken out.

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Per NWS BMX... Maplesville PD were hunkered down & heard the roar as the possible tornado went over location. #alwx

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RT @TashaSimone: Triage site old winn dixie parking lot old springville rd. #fb

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RT @simpsonwhnt: Do not drive on I-65 in Chilton County; violent tornado moving through western Chilton County #alwx #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: Reporter @marissamtchll Wildwood at Pinson Valley. Damage to a gas station & large bldg destroyed. Debris in streets #fb

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@spann... Leslie, John Brown's wife, said no damage to their home as far as she can see. They are ok.

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RT @ashleyb3340: RT @joshuavest: Sweeney hollow rd is out of power lines down after Taylor memorial trees down blocking Sweeney hollow #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: From a skywatcher: centerpoint fire reports kids are missing on san marco drive #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: Amateur reports "complete destruction no houses left standing" Paradise Valley Clay Jefferson Cty #fb

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Storm w/ possible "debris ball" signature approaching Chilton -Clanton, Jemison, Lawley, Maplesville, & Pletcher community take cover #alwx

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RT @JohnTalbot: birmingham fd is sending all ther heavy rescue trucks to trussville! #fb

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RT @JohnTalbot: MAJOR DAMAGE IN TRUSSVILLE!! numerous houses destroyed & folks trapped!! they are calling for ALL HELP AVAILABLE!!! #fb

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RT @brettadair: Trees down on I-59 on each side of the interstate 59 between Argo and Springville. #alwx #fb

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RT @memborly: I think Alabamians take weather seriously. TT: Center Point, James @spann, Trussville & Jeff. County! http://t.co/mzZ8OZ8D #fb

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Tornado Warning for Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair SPOTTERS, NWS TRACKING LARGE & EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO NEAR CLAY #fb

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3rd St NW, Center Point, person trapped in a house. Extensive damage with trees and power lines down. Per @spann #alwx #fb

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RT @simpsonwhnt: RT @mustardseed74: roof collapsed on winewood road near center point, people trapped #alwx - simpsonwhnt (@simpsonwhnt) #fb

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RT @ashleyb3340: roof collapsed on winewood road near center point, people trapped #fb

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Power flashes being reported near Center Point Parkway by @spann #alwx #fb

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RT @tman2483: James Spann @spann is the #5 top trending topic in the united states right now #fb

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Storm Chaser John Brown's live stream showed a power flash and then an apparent power outage in the Forestdale area. #alwx #fb

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Structural damage in Birmingport, Alabama per @spann #alwx #fb

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Jefferson Co: Multiple trees down on Paul Almond Road. Taylor's Ferry Road also has damage. @spann reporting Forestdale damage #alwx #fb

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Lots of damage reports from Toadvine Road in Western Jefferson County, Alabama between Alliance and Oak Grove. #alwx #fb

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Live from Downtown Huntsville http://t.co/zGC5bbpJ #alwx #fb

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RT @alastormspotter: At 02:03 AM NWS HUN issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Madison, Marshall & Morgan Counties until 02:30 AM. #fb

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Saturday Morning Storms

2012-01-21T08:12:00.006-06:00

I took these photos of cloud to ground lightning as a line of storms approached Huntsville between 5 and 6 a.m. this morning. North Alabama was actually under Tornado Watch #2, but the line of storms produced no severe weather whatsoever in the Tennessee Valley. There were a few reports of pea-sized hail.

Radar capture at 5:40 a.m. by WHNT 19 Chief Meteorologist Jason Simpson

Rob Koch and Jason Parkin shared my photo on WeatherNation TV

Here is a screen capture from my video camera

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Northeast Huntsville Flooding

2012-01-11T12:50:00.001-06:00

UAH Armor Radar Rainfall Estimate

The photos above were taken by my neighbor, LeeAnn Reid, this morning around 11:30. This is the creek that runs off Monte Sano between our homes in Northeast Huntsville. It was probably running higher before she took the pictures. That is the highest I have seen the creek in many years. UAH Armor Radar estimates that approximately four inches of rain fell in the area.

There were numerous reports of flooding in Huntsville, especially in the northeast part of town where I live. Pavement was washed away at Rodgers and Haynes Drive. There was significant flooding at Giles Ave., Oakwood Ave., and Maysville Road.

A woman had to be rescued from her car on Giles Ave., according to the Huntsville Times. Check out that link for news, photos, and video.

Here is a link to 30 photos from the Huntsville Times.

Today was yet another reminder to adhere to the NWS slogan on flooding: "Turn around, don't drown".

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KIH-20

2012-01-01T19:42:00.003-06:00

Douglas L. Davis of the National Weather Service Huntsville
Photo credit: Huntsville Magazine, Winter 1975

Tom Ward of the National Weather Service Huntsville
Photo credit: Huntsville Magazine, Winter 1975

For many years the National Weather Service in Huntsville requested a NOAA Weather Radio station from the federal government, to no avail. Huntsville was told it was a low priority. NOAA Weather Radio stations were mostly confined to coastal areas. Local governments, businesses and individuals had to raise the $30,000 needed for the station. According to the Huntsville Times, donors included: Huntsville-Madison County Airport Board of Control ($3,000), Limestone County ($2,460), Madison County ($4,392), Morgan County ($3,540), the city of Athens ($1,299), the city of Decatur ($3,429), and the city of Huntsville ($12,420). In addition, concerned citizens donated several hundreds of dollars. Onan Corporation manufactured a 5 kW emergency power generator, worth about $3,000, for the station's transmitter.

The transmitter was installed at the WYUR television studio. Signals from the broadcast console at the Huntsville Jetport were sent to the transmitter at WYUR, on Monte Sano. Huntsville NOAA Weather Radio Station KIH-20 became a reality and finally went on the air on Monday, January 12, 1976. KIH-20 was the second NOAA Weather Radio station to go on the air in Alabama. Mobile's station was the first.

Sources:

National Weather Service Huntsville
Huntsville Magazine, Winter 1975

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Memories of April 27, 2011 – Mississippi & Alabama Storm Chase Account

2011-12-27T22:16:00.024-06:00

5:10 p.m. 4/27/11, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Memories of April 27, 2011 – My Storm Chase Account

This is a personal account of my experiences as a storm chaser on April 26 and 27, 2011 in Mississippi and Alabama. This is just my story, as best as I can tell it. Over time, as information becomes available and my memories are triggered, I will periodically update this post with additional narrative, links, photos, or video.

I partially regret that I have waited eight months to compose a synopsis of my activities during the historic April 27, 2011 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes. The main reason we chase is to provide a public service by assisting in the warning process. My partner, John Brown and I have been Skywatchers for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham for many years. James Spann, Jason Simpson, Brian Peters, and Ashley Brand have assembled a great system of communicating with and training storm spotters for Central Alabama. It has been an honor to serve with this group for several years. John, Rick Lipscomb and I have spoken about our chase among ourselves and with friends, and we have all appeared on various local and national media outlets. Twenty four hours after the Tuscaloosa tornado, I spoke live by phone with KTEN TV in Texas. My most extensive interview was live on WHNT Channel 19 a few mornings later with Meteorologist Ben Smith. This is a shorter version of the interview as seen on the evening news. John was interviewed by ABC News Nightline and other media outlets. We told our story on the Weatherbrains podcast. In these interviews we told the story, but eight months later, I feel ready to relive the day in detail and put my memories in writing. I know John and Rick agree that it was a day that we will never forget and it will haunt us the rest of our lives. I have also spoken about the day on a few occasions with close friends, especially some of my closer friends in the weather community. Frankly, like others who witnessed the tragedy unfold, I have found it easier to spend the last eight months avoiding the subject. I usually post about my chase accounts immediately on this blog, but to this day I have said very little about my experiences on April 27. Witnessing the Tuscaloosa tornado was a shocking experience. I remember the next day my friend and fellow chaser, Jennifer New, asked how I was doing emotionally. I thought I was doing pretty well, but the depth and the shock of the tragedy really started hitting home in the coming days. She has encouraged me to tell the story. I think it is a story worth telling, and if I wait too long I will begin to forget details.

The story of my April 27, 2011 storm chase actually began eight days earlier. I pay close attention to forecast models, especially during the primary severe weather season. I also pay close attention to forecasters who look at the models closely who are much more knowledgeable than I. As early as Tuesday April 19, ABC 33/40 Chief Meteorologist James Spann mentioned in his morning “Weather Xtreme” video (this is his map discussion that he usually produces twice a day) that severe weather was a possibility on the 27th. By the next morning, the 20th, James said it could be a “significant severe weather outbreak”. On Friday April 22, James was mentioning the possibility of tornadoes, as was the National Weather Service Birmingham in their Hazardous Weather Outlook. Models were quite consistent in portraying a setup favorable for tornadoes as many as five days in advance. I asked to be off work on Friday the 22nd. As April 27 approached, confidence continued to increase that there would be multiple waves of severe weather, including the possibility of long-tracked supercells. By Monday the NWS Birmingham was referring to the storm system as “dangerous” and predicted the possibility of “strong, long-track tornadoes”. I later wrote an extensive blog post showing details of how local media and NWS offices forecasted this event.

With all of these ominous forecasts and the staggering severe weather indices that models were showing, Wednesday the 27th was obviously a day that I wanted to be out chasing. I was getting nervous, though, because I still had not been approved for leave at work. I finally received approval at 3:30 Tuesday April 26. I immediately texted my partner John Brown and we started formulating plans. He and I exchanged several texts and calls that evening. I also was contacted by my friend Rick Lipscomb, an Alabama native, who was going to drive up from South Georgia and tandem chase with John and I. The idea of the system coming in the form of two or three waves was still being shown by the models late Tuesday afternoon. By 4 p.m. portions of North Mississippi were placed in a "High Risk" area by the Storm Prediction Center. After leaving work, I immediately filled my vehicle with gasoline, drove home, studied every model and forecast I could look at, and called John and Rick.

The three of us decided to begin the chase that night. We decided to meet in Cullman around 11 p.m. at the Days Inn parking lot on the US 278 exit on Interstate 65. I drove from Huntsville and got there at 11:10 and caught about an hour of sleep in my vehicle while I waited for John to arive from Birmingham and Rick to arrive from Georgia. After Rick and John arrived just after Midnight we discussed our plan further. We didn’t necessarily expect to see a whole lot at night but we wanted to be positioned in the best possible location for the main events on the 27th. We decided to head west on US Highway 278. Around 1:15 a.m. the Storm Prediction Center issued a "High Risk" for North Alabama and surrounding areas. We saw our first storm in Hamilton, Alabama around 3:30 a.m. It was a strong thunderstorm with intense lightning and gusty winds. Jennifer Watson of WVTA Tupelo reported a severe thunderstorm warning for Lamar and Marion counties in Alabama until 4:30 a.m. with the possibility of winds of 70 mph. As we headed toward Tupelo on US 78, we encountered another storm between Hamilton and the Alabama State line. The lightning was almost constant between 3:45 and 4 a.m. These were the first of countless storms we would witness over the next 36 hours.

When we got to Tupelo we pulled into a Waffle House parking lot. I studied ongoing weather data as well as forecasts, and tried (mostly unsucessfully) to take a brief nap. Storms continued to fire that morning. Not long after breakfast, Pontotoc County, northwest of Tupelo, was placed under a tornado warning. At 9:15 a.m. there was a brief tornado at Esperanza, Mississippi, with minor damage. The clouds were impressive and very picturesque.

9:29 a.m., northwest of Tupelo, Mississippi

We saw what might have been a wall cloud, but nothing definite. As with all of the storms we had seen, the winds were very gusty and the lightning was intense. I recorded some video of the skies when we ate at Waffle House, along with the storm west of Tupelo on US 78 from 9:12 and 9:30. The video includes my discussion with Greg Nordstrom, Instructor of Meteorology at Mississippi State who is also a phenomenal storm chaser. He expressed grave concern about the nature of the environment, the type of supercells that we might see during the afternoon, and the danger it would pose to the public and also to any inexperienced chasers who might be out driving.

While we were in North Mississippi during the morning we were hearing about severe storms with numerous damage reports in Alabama counties such as Marion, Pickens, Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Jefferson, and Shelby. We later learned that the damage was more extensive than initially reported and that some of the damage was produced by tornadoes. After the storm we witnessed northwest of Tupelo, the temperature dropped into the 50’s in northeast Mississippi. We made the decision to drive southeast into West Alabama where the air was more unstable.

As we drove south through Marion, Fayette and northern Tuscaloosa counties that morning we began to realize that the morning round of storms produced a great deal of damage to the communications infrastructure. This would prove to be a significant problem later in the day as it hindered people from receiving warnings. Power, cell phone, and internet service was out due to the extensive damage produced by the morning severe weather events. John, Rick, and I were handicapped for several hours without access to much in the way of weather data. We pulled up to a gas station and couldn't purchase gasoline because they were out of power and the credit card machines were down. Our instincts told us that supercell storms that afternoon would move through the I 20-59 corridor, but now we had added reason to chase in that area. We did not want to be stuck in Fayette, Marion, or Walker counties without data or cell phone service. For quite some time, John and I were chasing "old school", relying on nothing but NOAA Weather Radio, scanner, and occasional reports on commercial radio. Driving south through northern Tuscaloosa County we saw numerous trees down from the morning storms on Highway 171. I received a call from my friend Craig Woodham. He and his wife were considering driving home to Tuscaloosa from Mobile that afternoon. I advised against it. Craig told me that a family we know, Reginald and Danielle Eppes, who live in Coaling in eastern Tuscaloosa County, had apparently been in a tornado that morning at their home. You can listen to their miraculous story on National Public Radio, here. Here is another story on them in the UK's Daily Mail. Craig didn't know all of the details at the time, but that was a sad precursor of things to come for the Tuscaloosa area.

Jim Stefkovich, Meteorologist-in-Charge of the NWS Birmingham gave a chilling and accurate prediction of what to expect after the morning storms passed, live on 100 WAPI's Matt Murphy Show late in the morning of April 27.

John, Rick, and I stopped at the Burger King in Northport, across the Black Warrior River from Tuscaloosa just after Noon. The temperature was 20-25 degrees warmer than what we experienced near Tupelo. It was now up to the lower 80’s here! The air was very humid and turbulent. As we ate at Burger King, John Brown uttered these words, “Someone is going to die today. They just don’t know it yet.” Those words hit hard but rang true to Rick and I. One thing I like about John and Rick is they take the public service aspect of chasing very seriously. It is our goal that we can play a part in the warning process so that loss of life can be prevented. John’s words were sobering, and sadly, all too true.

We stayed in Northport for nearly two hours, watching the satellite, radar, and mesoscale analysis page on the SPC site very closely. The severe weather parameters were off the chart! We felt like we were in the prime location, but all of North and Central Alabama was in danger. Finally, just before 2:00 p.m., we decided to head west towards Pickens County, near the Alabama/Mississippi border, west of Tuscaloosa. Storms were exploding in Mississippi.

By 3:30 we were on a tornado-warned storm in Pickens County. This was the scariest part of the chase. John, Rick, and I debated as to what we needed to do to be safe. We were not really in the safest place relative to the storm. We were on the north side of Pickensville as the tornado formed to our east. After it formed and we drove east to follow it, we ran into tree and power lines in the road. This storm eventually produced EF4 damage in Cordova in Walker County. This is my video of the formation of this tornado, along with the location it touched down.

When we came up on the initial damage (trees down on the road), our chase came to a major crossroads. Should we try to follow this storm or try to intercept a storm entering Greene County that was on a course for Tuscaloosa? John suggested hightailing it to Tuscaloosa. I was not confident that we could make it to Tuscaloosa ahead of the storm. But seeing that we had little alternative and considering that we always had the option of pulling back to be safe, I agreed with John. It was about 3:35 p.m. when we made the decision to go to Tuscaloosa. It was around this time that we were seeing ABC 33/40 cover a tornado live on towercam in Cullman. I tried calling my family there to make sure they were safe.

John was driving his truck. Rick was following us in his truck. We made our way to US Highway 82. This thoroughfare brings you into Tuscaloosa County from the west. We passed through the communities of Buhl and Coker, west of Northport. I was still unsure if we were far enough ahead of the storm to have time to get south in front of it. To make matters worse, Rick was behind us, and we didn't know how far. I told John we needed to hustle south over the Black Warrior River and get down I-359 as soon as we could. As we crossed the river, I looked west out of the passenger window. I saw an amazing display of cloud to ground lightning due west of Tuscaloosa. Bolts of lightning were striking in what appeared to be the same location repeatedly. Comparing what I was seeing to our Gibson Ridge Radar software, the lightning was striking out of the rain free base immediately ahead of what was later confirmed to be the tornado. It was a hectic time. We were having to navigate and keep track of the storm on radar and in the sky. John's GPS link to the radar software was a great tool in helping us get in a safe place relative to the storm. But it was not the only thing. Years of spotter training and a knowledge of the geography of the area served us well. We could not see the tornado at this point. We knew by now we were safely ahead of the storm but we were concerned about Rick. If he followed the same route, we wondered if he would run into the tornado. Frustratingly, I could not reach him by phone.

At this point, emotions and adrenaline were off the charts. I had a sense that this was going to be a major tornado by the time it approached Tuscaloosa. We then heard a report on ABC 33/40 that Meteorologist John Oldshue had streamed live video of a tornado leaving Greene County and entering Tuscaloosa County. Around this same time, Dr. Tim Coleman and Brian Peters were witnessing and reporting a large tornado on Interstate 22 in Walker County. I suggested to John that we go east on I 59-20 and pull off the interstate at the McFarland Boulevard Exit (U.S. Highway 82). We were on the ramp so in addition to having a great view of the sky we also had a very important escape route to the south or the east if we needed it.

After we pulled off, we grabbed our cameras and video cameras. While filming, I continued to try to reach Rick. I finally reached him by phone. He was seeing the tornado and seemed to be safe before I lost the connection again. Here is his video. As I said in my video, we really were in the perfect spot. We saw the tornado gradually appear on the horizon. As it did, within seconds, it appeared massive as it approached Tuscaloosa. John managed to report this on the ABC 33/40 Skywatcher chat. This tornadic storm in Tuscaloosa was streamed live on Ustream from 4:40 until 5:20. ABC 33/40's James Spann and Jason Simson covered the storm live as did The Weather Channel's Greg Forbes.

Words cannot express what went through my mind as I witnessed this beast approach a town I love and lived in for eight years. As it approached I imagined someone was about to be killed while he walked to his car after paying for his gas. I imagined a little old lady who might lose her life as she walked out of the grocery store. My mind was racing with thoughts of people being unaware of the danger headed their way. I felt helpless! It was too late to even send another report to help Tuscaloosa residents. All I could do was pray!

My video:

John's video:

If you watch my video, you will hear me say repeatedly, "Jesus help these people," or "Jesus help these people be safe." I have been amazed at the amount negative response to this on YouTube. There were so many hateful, derogatory, obscene, mean, and attacking comments about the fact that I prayed. I had many people ask that I turn the comments off on the video because some were so vile. I thought about it but I think it reflects the reality of this world and we should let people voice their opinions. Also, about the video, I took it down from YouTube for several days. It seems it was being stolen by certain media outlets and I was advised to bring it down until it could be protected. Thanks to Kendra Reed with KDR Media for help with this. It was a shame because John helped me get it online at his house within two hours of the tornado and it garnered a lot of interest. Not that it matters in the big scheme of things, but it would have had hundreds of thousands of more views.

John and I followed the tornado up 20/59 from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. Some have asked why we didn't try to drive into Tuscaloosa to help assist victims. It isn't that we were unwilling to do something to help, but there was no way we could have been in a position to get to where help was needed. Back in 1995 I helped rescuse a tornado victim, but it was a rare situation where I just happened to have easy access. Once the authorities arrived I was no longer needed. We stopped near Bessemer where John shot some video and I took some still photographs. John and I noticed that the storm became more rain-wrapped as it approached Jefferson County. We saw the storm as it was tearing up places like Concord to our north.

The next day John and I witnessed the destruction at Concord. John was being interviewed by ABC News Nightline. One of my best friends, Tom Windsor, lived in Concord for years. They were also affected by the April 8, 1998 F5 tornado. The destruction we witnessed the next day was unbelievable.

4/28/11 7:28 p.m. Concord, Alabama

After seeing the damage in Concord on April 28, I thought there was a lot of high end EF4 damage. There were a lot of bare slab foundations. It was very sad to witness. Four or five people (at least) died in that little neighborhood. If that was the only community affected in the state it would have been on the national news. Sadly, it was only a small fraction of the horror our state experienced. I hope I never see anything like this again. There was warning. But there was nothing these people could do to be safe from an EF4 tornado unless they had access to an underground shelter. Our minds will never grasp the magnitude of this tragedy. When I witnessed first hand the kindnesses given to those affected in the wake of the storms, I am prouder than ever to be an Alabamian.

Back to the chase. As we approached Birmingham, John asked me if I minded ending the chase. He was concerned about his family and wanted to check on them. Of course I told him that was a "no-brainer". As we approached his home in the Trussville area, we were very close to the area of circulation. We didn't know it at the time, but the tornado temporarily "lifted" just east of Fultondale. John and I tried to take shelter in a gas station but the employees had locked the door and would not let us in. We drove to John's house. His family was ok. I was finally able to get in touch and find out that my sons in Cullman were ok. By this point in the day cell phone service was becoming spotty in many areas. We uploaded my video and sent reports to ABC 33/40.

My vehicle was still in Cullman. John had to drive me back to Cullman. It was after dark and we began to wonder if the Cullman tornado hit the area where my vehicle was parked. The magnitude of the storm event was such that we had no idea, even by this hour, how many parts of the state were devastated. Everything was completely dark north of Birmingham. The North Alabama tornadoes had destroyed the power infrastructure. After we found my vehicle, surrounded by utility trucks, I drove home to Huntsville. With no power and no moonlight it was surreal driving home. The normal glow in the sky over Decatur, Madison, and Huntsville was missing. As I drove through Huntsville I only saw lights at the hospital and police station, which were running on generator power. As I pulled in my driveway, my garage door opener didn't work (of course), and as I opened the car door I heard the roar of generators in the neighborhood. I used the light of my Droid phone to get me to the back door of the house. Then I looked for candles and flashlights and a radio. I could tell from the radio that things were worse up in North Alabama than I realized.

Thus ended a very long and emotional day......

---

Here are some of other links of interest. I will be adding to this list over time.

The May 3, 2011 Weatherbrains, Episode 275, was a two hour special. Regulars James Spann, Bill Murray, Dr. Tim Coleman, and Kevin Selle were joined by John Oldshue, John Brown, and Mike Wilhelm to simply share their thoughts on the horrible April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak that has killed over 300 people across the Deep South and injured thousands more.

Dr. Jon Nese of Penn State University describes the forecasting of the tornado outbreak as well as the warning process in his weekly program, Wxyz (Weather Whys) which airs on Pennsylvania Public TV. In September 2011 I had the pleasure of visiting Dr. Nese as he gave me, Bill Murray, Ben Smith and other guests from Alabama a tour of the PSU Meteorology Department. Penn State people did a lot to reach out and help Alabamians.

WHNT 19's Michelle Stark tells the story of this historic tragedy through YouTube videos.

WSFA Montgomery's Rich Thomas showed radar history of the Tuscaloosa-Jefferson tornado.

John Brown raised money for victims selling We Are Alabama tee shirts.

ESPN visited Tuscaloosa and did a special story on the tornado recovery in May. My video was used in that story.

James Spann wrote a famous blog post about the warning process that was even covered by the media in the UK.

NOAA movie showing the rapid scan infrared imagery from the GOES-East weather satellite from April 26-28, 2011.

Miraculous story of survival and recovery of one Alabama student.

NWS Meteorologists "detective work" in performing numerous, massive storm surveys.

Crazy video someone took inside the Fultondale tornado.

Birmingham NWS Meteorologist in Charge Jim Stefkovich describes the event.

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Severe Thunderstorms in North Alabama

2011-11-16T16:59:00.004-06:00

8:47 a.m., 11/16/11, Decatur, Alabama (Taken on my Droid phone)

8:50 a.m., 11/16/11, Decatur, Alabama

There were several reports of severe weather across Alabama today. Preliminary reports of possible tornadoes are coming in from Central and South Alabama. In North Alabama, reports so far have been confined to straight-line wind damage resulting from a severe thunderstorm in Madison County. The picture above was taken of the storm in Decatur that later caused the damage in Huntsville and Madison County.

The National Weather Service in Huntsville did a good job warning for the storm. At 8:42 a.m. a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for portions of Morgan, Limestone and Madison counties. At 9:15 another Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for central portions of Madison County until 9:45.

Reports so far include the following:

8:27 am, 2 NE of Chalybeate: roof blown off porch, trees down, & awning blown off mobile home.
9:07 am, 4 miles north of Madison: trees and power lines down
9:15 am, Providence area: two reports of 55-65 mph wind gust reported
9:15 am, 911 Call Center in Huntsville: reported 74 mph wind gust
9:25 am, tree reported down on home and power lines down in N Huntsville.

Video as the storm approached Decatur and the first warning was being issued:

Radarscope capture by Chris Palmgren

Video of velocity loop on radar from Chris Palmgren:

Straight line winds knocked a tree on Pulaski Pike and power outages were reported on Shady Lane Drive. In Rutledge Heights, a tree was blown onto a car, and Johnson High School's marquee was blown off the frame.

Phoros from WHNT 19

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Huntsville Lightning 9/15/11

2011-09-15T01:14:00.002-05:00

12:22 Columbus Nexrad

Lightning photo taken at Oak Park in NE Huntsville, Alabama at 12:21 a.m. 9/15/11.

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Rocket City Weather Fest

2011-09-14T06:13:00.001-05:00

If you live in North Alabama and have in interest in the weather, or have children interested in science, consider attending the secon annual Rocket City Weather Fest this Saturday, September 17, 2011 at UA Huntsville's Shelby Hall from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Find out all of the details at www.rocketcityweatherfest.com.

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August 16, 1985 Hurricane Danny Tornado Outbreak

2011-08-15T18:43:00.001-05:00

2:10 p.m. 8/16/85 Jasper, Alabama tornado. Photo taken by Douglas Pearson of the Daily Mountain Eagle newspaper. Source: Obsevations of the Hurricane Danny Tornado Outbreak of 16 August 1985 , by Eugene McCaul, Jr.

4:37 p.m. 8/16/85 Redstone Arsenal Airfield tornado, Huntsville, Alabama. Photo by Andrew Junkins, Avionics Supervisor. Source: Obsevations of the Hurricane Danny Tornado Outbreak of 16 August 1985 , by Eugene McCaul, Jr.

4:38 p.m. 8/16/85 Redstone Arsenal Airfield tornado, Huntsville, Alabama. Photo by Andrew Junkins, Avionics Supervisor. Source: Obsevations of the Hurricane Danny Tornado Outbreak of 16 August 1985, by Eugene McCaul, Jr.

In a very very interesting paper authored by Eugene McCaul, Jr. about the tornadoes that struck Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee on August 16, 1985, he describes the atmospheric conditions that led to an unusually violent tornado outbreak for a land-falling tropical system. These tornadoes were spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Danny, which had made landfall on the Louisiana Coast the previous day. This article includes photographs of two of the hurricane-spawned tornadoes, the first such documentation to be published, showing that the tornadoes displayed multiple-vortex structure and formed beneath wall clouds.

Account by Eugene W. McCaul, Jr. and Dave Gallaher in Storm Track:
Their account is about two thirds of the way down the page on the link, but here are some excerpts.

It was at 11AM CDT, right during my seminar, that the first Alabama tornado (an F2) struck Parrish, a small town about 80 miles southwest of Huntsville. Shortly thereafter, the town of Jasper was hit by an F2, and before the day was over some 53 other communities had reported tornado damage in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. The radio station I listened to on my way to and from lunch didn't say anything (!) about the storms, at least while I was tuned in, so I didn't know anything about the remarkable goings-on to my southwest. In fact, I was beginning to wonder whether Huntsville would even get a decent rain that day.

After lunch, the rain finally got cranked up to moderate, with big drops of the kind you see in thundershowers; but there wasn't any thunder or lightning. I was working in my windowless, interior office in one of the huge NASA warehouse-type labs at 3:30, when I heard a gust of wind on the roof above me. Still, there was no thunder, so I didn't give it a second thought." At this point, Dave Gallaher was watching a just formed tornadic storm, from 4-5 miles to its east...

I wedged my way through the crowd of 30 co-workers, standing at the North Entrance of our building to get a look at a magnificent wall cloud with a multiple vortex tornado just about three miles northwest, moving north. To the north, there was a very ominous band of low clouds extending east from the wall cloud, but at first, I couldn't tell if the band represented the mesocyclone's pseudo-warm front or gust front. Since the storms were moving north and there was no evidence of a gust front to the west, I surmised that the low cloud band was probably the gust front--and that it had caused the winds I had heard a few minutes earlier. Cloud bases under this band were ragged, almost blurry looking and very low, perhaps only 300 feet above the ground while to the south was about 1,500 feet. A moderate shower of large raindrops continued to fall, accompanied by a 10-15 knot south-southwest wind, but there was still no thunder or lightning. 'Does anyone have a camera?' I pleaded, but nobody was listening.

I noted the time on my watch, 3:42PM CDT, rushed back to my office, put up the 'gone fishin' ' (i.e. chasin') sign, and took off for my apartment to get a camera. As I tore out of the building, the loudspeakers in the halls declared: 'Warning! A tornado has been sighted on Redstone Arsenal. All personnel take cover in designated areas until further notice.' Of course, at that point, there was no longer any danger from this particular storm--at least not to the Arsenal. - - - It was early rush hour as I departed, and rush hour in Huntsville is not a pretty sight--even on a dry day. I made several unauthorized U-turns in order to get home 'efficiently,' and the native Alabamans seemed to be impressed; a couple of them even honked their horns at me. When I got to my apartment, the other tenants were all outside, looking to the northeast at the departing storm. The radio crackled with tornado warnings for Madison and Limestone Counties. I grabbed my camera and headed west.

Now away from the traffic, the radio was starting to issue tornado warnings on another round of storms, moving up from Cullman and Morgan Counties --and there was a report of a tornado on the ground south of Decatur, which is about 20 miles southwest of Huntsville. I headed northwest on Route 72 toward Athens, hoping to intercept the mesocyclone, which I figured was moving through Decatur at that time. The radio was remarkably free of static.

After a few miles, I encountered a very heavy rainshower -with visibility down to a quarter-mile and figured the storms were already on me. I found a spot on the side of the road, where there was an open view to the south, and waited for the rain to stop. A bright line appeared on the southern horizon and another band of low clouds swept over, but behind this gust front there was no evidence of a wall cloud to the west. However, now the view to the east, back towards Huntsville, looked promising, so I headed back towards town.

To the east, there were several purplish bands of north-south ragged low bases, with one especially dark base behind Rainbow Mountain a 400 foot hill that was scraping the cloud bases just to my southwest. There was rotation almost everywhere in the low clouds, and I noted on my tape recorder that I expected to see a tornado any minute. As I continued to race east toward the presumed well cloud, a small break appeared in the stratiform deck above me, giving me a brief glimpse of big gray towers -leaning sharply to the north and penetrating the mid-level clouds higher up. In hopes of catching e tornado, I blew off picture options and headed north on a road named, appropriately, Wall Highway.

The dark base to my southeast emerged from behind Rainbow Mountain, but to my disappointment I could see no tornado; and the wall cloud was losing its shape as it elongated along a north-south axis. Comparing notes the next day with the obs taken by NWS observers at Huntsville Airport, which was about seven miles south of me, I found that they had observed a tornado for eight minutes from this particular base at the very same time that Rainbow Mountain was blocking my view!...

I believe the key to the potency of the Danny outbreak was the development of a narrow dry intrusion, which showed up clearly in Danny's southwest quadrant in the satellite photos. This is something to look for in preparing for a hurricane tornado chase...Most importantly, don't leave your camera at home in favor of an umbrella. That way, if you get lucky, you'll have something of your own to show for it!"

My memories of the day:

As the center of Danny travelled through Mississippi, North Alabama was in a prime location for rotating storms. I was in Huntsville at the time and as I recall there was a lot of light rain and not too much (if any) thunder with these storms. My Dad witnessed the Redstone Arsenal tornado shown above while standing outside of his office in Huntsville's Research Park.

I remember standing outside on that day watching the clouds. I don't know why I didn't go look for the storm. I don't think we had very good access to radar then and my parents would have had a fit if they knew I was out doing that. I did, in fact, tape the coverage on local television stations out of Huntsville and Birmingham.

Here are some videos of the television coverage from that day which I uploaded that capture the event well.

WAAY 31 TV Huntsville Coverage - Gary Dobbs, Part 1

WAAY 31 TV Huntsville Coverage - Gary Dobbs, Part 2

8/16/85 The Weather Channel Coverage - John Hope, et. al.

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Early Morning Lightning in Huntsville, Alabama

2011-08-09T05:37:00.003-05:00

4:52 a.m., 8/9/11, Northeast Huntsville, Alabama
This lightning caused a power outage in the area.

4:51 a.m., 8/9/11, Northeast Huntsville, Alabama

4:20 a.m., 8/9/11, Northeast Huntsville, Alabama

In the top picture, I was at the Shell Gas Station on US 72 East and Moore's Mill Road in Huntsville, Alabama. It was raining, so I parked under the awning. After running in to buy a couple of bags of peanuts (and letting the clerk know what I was doing), I set up my camera on the tripod, facing west. I clicked it and went back in the car to wait 60 seconds for the exposure time to elapse. That kept me safer as it seemed the lightning was getting closer. To capture these images, I usually set my camera's shutter to stay open 60 seconds so that it captures any light that occurs during that time. That way, if there are multiple lightning strikes, I can capture them all and don't have to worry as much about timing. The interesting thing about the top image is that these strikes occurred basically all at once (not multiple strikes over the entire 60 seconds). It occurred right before the shutter closed. I am learning that lightning photography requires some skill, even more patience, and quite a bit of good luck!

...

August 3, 2011 Lightning in Huntsville, Alabama

2011-08-04T05:33:00.004-05:00

The above radar capture was posted by Bill Murray on Alabamawx.com.

The following images were captured on the east side of Chapman Mountain in Northeast Huntsville, Alabama between 11 p.m. and Midnight on August 3, 2011.

...

July 14, 2011 Lightning in Huntsville, Alabama

2011-07-15T05:28:00.000-05:00

These images were captured looking west over the City from Chapman Mountain in Northeast Huntsville.

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Huntsville Lightning 6/17/11

2011-06-17T02:15:00.003-05:00

These images were taken between 12:49 and 1:03 a.m. from High Mountain Road in Northeast Huntsville, Alabama, looking to the west.

...

Cullman Tornado Videos 4/27/11

2011-05-30T14:17:00.011-05:00

Here are links to some of the best videos of the 4/27/11 Cullman County EF4 tornado.

042711 ABC 3340 Coverage of Cullman EF4 Part 1 4/27/11 ABC 33/40 Coverage of Cullman EF4 Part 2

WHNT 19 Coverage of Cullman, AL EF4 Tornado 4/27/11 WAFF 48 Coverage of Cullman, AL EF4 Tornado 4/27/11

TWC Coverage of Cullman EF4 Tornado by Dr Greg Forbes

Up Close Footage Of Cullman County Alabama Tornado

Cullman, AL Tornado 04-27-11

Cullman, AL Tornado 4-27-11.3GP

Car get hit by tornado with Driver in it

Cullman, AL Tornado 4-27-11

View of Tornado as it moves across Lake Catoma in Cullman, AL

EF4 tornado with 4 funnels as it enters city of Cullman, Alabama 4/27/11

Tornado near Cullman Alabama I-65 exit 304 4-27-11

EF4 Tornado in Cullman (Good Hope)

Cullman Smith Lake tornado April 2011

Cullman Tornado 4/27/11

Cullman tornado

Cullman Tornado 2011 From Daystar Church

Cullman alabama fairview tornado 4/27/11

Cullman Tornado 2011

Cullman Tornado 4/27/11 Intersection of Highways 69 & 157

Tornado by Webb Wheel in cullman.

Unbelievable Cullman Tornado I65 and Hwy 278

Cullman Alabama Tornado 4/27/2011

Incredible Tornado! Alabama-April 27 2011 EF-4 *High Definition*

Cullman Tornado April 27 2011 Close up Tommy and Dave's viewCullman,Hulaco,Arab tornado.wmv

Cullman, AL Multiple-Vortex Tornado - April 27, 2011Cullman Alabama Tornado...

Forecasting the 4/27/11 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama

2011-05-09T18:15:00.006-05:00

This is a look back at excerpts from some forecast discussions in the days leading up to the historic outbreak of tornadoes in Alabama on April 27, 2011. Forecast models indicated the possibility of severe weather over a week in advance. Local media and National Weather Service offices in Huntsville and Birmingham did an outstanding job alerting us to the potential severity of the event. Following are some samples of their work...

Tuesday 4/19 AM Weather Xtreme Video, James Spann: "Wednesday the 27th, that could be a pretty active period, maybe, for strong or severe storms. We'll be watching developments toward the middle of next week. Hey, this is April in Alabama, when things like that can happen and often will."

Tuesday 4/19 PM Weather Xtreme Video, James Spann: Toward the middle of next week we could have some issues with severe weather."

Wednesday 4/20 AM Weather Xtreme Video, James Spann: "Very significant severe weather outbreak moves in here...Clearly late Tuesday and Wednesday next week severe weather is on the board here.

Wednesday 4/20 PM Weather Xtreme Video, James Spann: "Clearly a chance of severe weather Tuesday night or Wednesday of next week."

Thursday 4/21/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: THE SECOND SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP FARTHER SOUTH AND BRING INCREASING CHANCES OF SEVERE STORMS TO ALABAMA ON WEDNESDAY.

Friday 4/22 PM Weather Xtreme Video, James Spann: "Look at Wednesday (the 27th)! That's a pretty good looking severe weather setup for April in Alabama. Digging trough to the west, difluent flow aloft, surface low near Memphis - 996 mb. In fact it doesn't get more classic than that. That would suggest a chance of supercell storms Wednesday afternoon with the possibility of tornadoes, and a squall line Wednesday night.

Friday 4/22/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: THE BIG EVENT IS STILL SHAPING UP FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THERE IS FAIRLY GOOD MODEL CONSENSUS WITH REGARD TO TIMING AND POSITION OF SURFACE FEATURES. THERE STILL APPEARS TO BE TWO WAVE OF STORMS THAT WILL AFFECT THE AREA. THE FIRST WAVE MAY BE MORE OF A HEAVY RAIN EVENT...AS FIRST LINE OF STORMS SLOWS WEAKENS AND BECOMES STATIONARY OVER NW ALABAMA ON TUESDAY. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND SHEAR FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE STORMS...BUT BETTER FORCING AND SHEAR WILL HAPPEN ON WEDNESDAY AS UPPER LOW AND SURFACE LOW DEEPENS UPSTREAM OF ALABAMA.

Friday 4/22/11 NWS Birmingham HWO: CONFIDENCE HAS INCREASED FOR WEDNESDAY...WHEN THERE MAY BE A THREAT OF TORNADOES. SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE STORMS.

Friday 4/22/11 NWS Huntsville AFD: BUT THE MAIN STORY WILL STILL BE WITH THE MAIN TROF AXIS AS IT LEADS TO RAPID LEE CYCLOGENESIS OVER THE ARK-OK-TX REGION ON WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BE THE STRONGER OF THE TWO SYSTEMS THIS COMING WEEK AND LIKELY DEVELOP STRONG TO SEVERE CONVECTION ACROSS MS/TN/AL LATE WED MORNING INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THE GFS IS MUCH MORE BULLISH IN THE DEEPENING OF THIS SECOND LOW AND INDICATES A VERY STRONG LL JET DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. THE ECMWF STILL LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE DEVELOPMENT ON WEDNESDAY BUT PAINTS A SLIGHTLY WEAKER LL JET /50KTS AS OPPOSED TO 75+KTS JUST TO OUR N WED AFTERNOON/. SVR WX PARAMETERS SPIKE ARND 18Z WED WITH CAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 1000 J/KG AND A NICELY CURVED HODOGRAPH...BUT A SIGNIFICANT CAP IS IN PLACE WED MORNING AT ARND
750-800MB.

Saturday 4/23/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: AS THE DEEP LAYER JET FIELDS ROUND THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH AND ENTER THE WARM SECTOR...IT IS LOOKING BETTER FOR SUPERCELLS FOLLOWED BY A DECENT BROKEN SQUALL LINE. I TEND TO FOCUS ON SEVERAL ITEMS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED SYNOPTIC TO GET SOME IDEA OF STORM MODE. FIRST IS THE 0 TO 6 KM BULK SHEAR...MAGNITUDE AND ORIENTATION. THE VECTOR ORIENTATION IS AT AN ALMOST PERFECT 45 DEGREE ANGLE WITH THE SURFACE FRONT AND INCREASING TO 55 TO 65 KTS INDICATING SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN 18 AND 21Z WEDNESDAY...BUT IT DOES BACK MORE SOUTHEAST AS IT GETS CLOSER TO SUNSET...SUGGESTING THAT A SQUALL
LINE IS MORE LIKELY WITH TIME OR ALONG THE FRONT. NEXT WOULD BE THE 0 TO 8 OR 10 KM BULK SHEAR...WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF LONGER TRACKED SUPERCELLS.AND IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE 75 KTS FROM 18 TO 00Z. SO THE SHEAR DOESN`T SEEM TO BE MUCH OF AN ISSUE AT THIS POINT.

Sunday 4/24/11 PM Weather Xtreme Video, Brian Peters: "The trough really digs in...as it comes across Arkansas...then it moves to the vicinity of Memphis midday Wednesday...that's going to be our big day...probably tornado watches on Wednesday in the afternoon and evening hours."

Sunday 4/24/11 NWS Huntsville AFD: WE MAY NEED TO RAISE THE POTENTIAL FOR +RA GIVEN AMPLE MOISTURE INFLUX ASSOC WITH THE LLJ. SUPERCELLS MAY BE PSBL AS WELL...SPCLY W OF I-65 ALONG WARM FRONT GIVEN A GOOD COMBO OF ML-CAPE/6KM BULK SHEAR. 0-1KM SRH VALUES INCREASE ABOVE 300 M2/S2 SUGGESTIVE OF A TORNADO THREAT AS WELL LATE TUE NIGHT. WED LOOKS TO BE A HIGH IMPACT WX DAY...PERHAPS CONTAINING AN ONGOING MORNING EVENT...FOLLOWED BY A WDSPRD SQLN WED AFTN/EVNG. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY WED GIVEN A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT...THE NAM SUGGESTS THE WARM FRONT AND OVERNIGHT CONVECTION SHOULD LIFT N OF THE AREA BY 12Z. THIS IS STILL A QUESTION MARK THOUGH. THE GFS PROGS A LARGE MCS MOVG INTO MIDDLE TN AND PSBLY CLIPPING NRN AL AS WELL. SOMETHING TO WATCH CLOSELY IN FUTURE SHIFTS AS IT COULD CERTAINLY INCREASE OUR +RA/FLOOD THREAT. IN ANY EVENT...MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE A LOW CLOUD LAYER BENEATH A STRONG CAPPING INVERSION THRU THE MORNING HRS. THIS SHOULD PROHIBIT PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTIVE REDVLPMT AND ALLOW FOR DECENT HEATING DURG THE AFTN. A 5H JET ACCELERATES TO 90-100KT BY MIDDAY INTO THE AFTN...CREATING VERY STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR. WITH A STRONG SHORTWAVE/-DIV Q PROVIDING AMPLY FORCING ALONG THE COLD FRONT...CONDITIONS APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR A LONG-LIVED SQLN TO DVLP WED AFTN/EVENING. DAMAGING WINDS AND MESO-VORTICES / QLCS TORNADOES WL BE CONSIDERABLE THREATS.

Sunday 4/24/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: WEDNESDAY...WE WILL RAPIDLY CHANGE AS ANOTHER DECENT COLD CORE SPOKE DIGS WAY SOUTH AND QUICKLY NEGATIVE TILTS TO OUR NORTHWEST. AS IT DOES SO...THE HEIGHT FALLS QUICKLY DEEPEN A SURFACE LOW FROM LITTLE ROCK TO DETROIT. HERE IN LIES THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENT INTO EXACTLY HOW LOW WE WILL GO. I`VE SEEN EVERYTHING FROM 996 TO 985...AND ALL NUMBERS IN BETWEEN. THIS WILL MAKE AN OBVIOUS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE WIND FIELDS...IN PARTICULAR...THE LOWEST 1 KM HODOGRAPH TURN. DON`T WANT TO GET INTO THAT MUCH MESOSCALE THIS EARLY...BUT IT IS A LITTLE TROUBLING TO HAVE THAT MUCH VARIATION AS WE ARE GETTING WITHIN THE 3 DAY WINDOW. REGARDLESS...I AM STILL IMPRESSED WITH THE 0 TO 6 KM AND 0 TO 8 KM BULK SHEAR SPEED AND VECTOR ORIENTATION. IT STILL SHOWS ISOLATE LONG-LIVED SUPERCELL FAVORABLY INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY WEST OF I65...BUT DOES HINT AT QUICKLY TRANSITIONING AND BECOMING COLD POOL DOMINATED AS IT ACCELERATES ACROSS THE STATE...IN THE MEAN TIME...THE CAPE PROFILES CONTINUE TO IMPRESS...

Sunday Afternoon 4/24/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: THINGS WILL REALLY GET TO ROCKIN` AND ROLLIN` ON WEDNESDAY, AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYTEM DEVELOPS OVER ARKANSAS AND LIFTS INTO NORTHERN KENTUCKY BY 00Z/THU. STRONG DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT FOR THE MID STATE, INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES. A STRONG FORECAST 850MB JET, OF 60 TO 65 KTS, COUPLED WITH 0-3KM STM RELATIVE HELICITIES NEAR 500 M2/S2 COULD SET THE STAGE FOR THE BEST POSSIBILITY FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR THIS SEASON.

Monday Afternoon 4/25/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: LOOKING AHEAD TO WEDNESDAY...SOME OF THE SYNOPTIC PARAMETERS ARE LOOKING DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS. IF THINGS GO ACCORDING TO THE NUMERICAL OUTPUT...THE CAP SHOULD CONTINUE TO GROW AND DEVELOP DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...WHILE ENERGY BEGINS TO BUILD AS BREAKS OF SUN HEAT THE SURFACE THROUGH MUCH OF THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. CAPE VALUES ARE SIGNIFICANT AS THEY LOOK TO RANGE ANYWHERE FROM 1000 TO 3000 J/KG. THE CAP IS RATHER WEAK AND CONTINUES TO TREND WEAKER WITH TIME SUGGESTING THAT IT WILL EASILY BE BROKEN BETWEEN 1 AND 3 PM. THAT IS ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT THE JET MAX BEGINS TO NUDGE IN FROM THE WEST...OR AS THE 0 TO 6 KM AND THE 0 TO 8 KM BULK SHEAR VECTORS INCREASE TO GREATER THAN 60 KTS...AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THEIR ANGLE OF ATTACK SUGGESTS SUPERCELLS AND LONG-LIVED ONES AT THAT. MY FINAL QUESTIONS SURROUND THIS LOWEST SHEAR LAYER FROM 0 TO 1 KM. SYNOPTICALLY...WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN MODELS AND INDIVIDUAL RUNS ON EXACTLY HOW MUCH VEERING WITH HEIGHT WILL EXIST. THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE MESSY SURFACE PRESSURE FROM THE DOUBLE HELIX LOW AND FROM VARYING DEGREES OF THE STRENGTH OF THE LOW. ADD TO THAT...EVEN MORE UNCERTAINTY OF WHETHER THIS FRONT BEGINS TO GO LINEAR. OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL FORECASTS...WAS THINKING THAT WE START SUPERCELLS THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ONLY TO TRANSITION LINEAR AFTER SUNSET...BUT A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE VECTOR ANGLES SHOWS THAT IT MAY NOT HAPPEN UNTIL FURTHER EAST INTO GA AND NORTH FL. SO...WHILE IT MAY BE A LINE...IT MAY ACTUALLY BE A BROKEN OR MORE CELLULAR LINE AS THE EVENT TRANSLATES EAST OF I65. REGARDLESS...MY BEST FORECAST IS THAT THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES WILL LIKELY BE ALONG AND WEST OF I65 FROM 1 UNTIL 6 PM WEDNESDAY. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO THE WEATHER EVENTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. THISIS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT WARRANTS ATTENTION. DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY...NOW IS THE TIME TO REVIEW SAFETY RULES AND PLANS AS IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Monday 4/25/11 ABC 33/40 Forecast Discussion, James Spann: "SPC, in their day three convective outlook, already has much of North Alabama under a moderate risk. Sure looks like all of the ingredients will be there; a surface low will form north of Memphis, which will give very favorable low level shear, and it looks like the capping inversion should break by mid-afternoon with scattered supercells forming over North and Central Alabama, which will have potential for large hail, damaging wind, and a few tornadoes. Based on the forecast parameters, a few strong, long track tornadoes will be possible Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening, so it will be yet another day on which you will need to be close to a good source of severe weather information. If you read this blog, we don’t worry about you, but be sure and pass the word along."

Tuesday 4/26/11 AM Analysis, Dr. Tim Coleman: "…MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAK LIKELY IN SOUTHEAST OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS…The morning model runs are in now, and it still looks like a significant severe weather outbreak will occur over the SE US today and tomorrow. I will primarily talk about Alabama here, but this is a large-scale event. The models disagree on the timing of this low, one moving it through Memphis early morning then into KY and OH, the other not until afternoon. That will be one key factor tomorrow, because the highest storm-relative helicity values will be closer to the surface low and low-level jet, making storm rotation more vigorous. Taking the average of the two, the largest storm-relative helicity, a very high 400 or more m2/s2, will be centered from northern MS into NW Alabama and middle TN by noon tomorrow. The thing that makes this event more worrisome is that we’re pretty deep into Spring now, with strong sunshine and a warmer Gulf. Dewpoints tomorrow will rise to near 70 degrees, and assuming we get sunshine, temperatures will rise into the 80s. With cold upper-level temperatures, this will cause very unstable air. CAPE will range from 2,000 to 4,000 J/kg over most of Alabama by early afternoon. With that combination of wind shear and instability, severe storms will develop, and in the areas of strongest shear, the storms will rotate vigorously and produce tornadoes. Pinpointing the exact areas that will be the most vulnerable is still tough at this time, since it will depend some on where clouds linger longer in the morning, where today’s storms leave boundaries, etc. But, the stage will be set most favorably for tornadoes over the northwest half of Alabama this time (it was the south half on April 15). We are talking about areas northwest of a line from Demopolis to Clanton to Anniston to Gadsden."

Tuesday 4/26/11 ABC 33/40 Forecast Discussion, James Spann: "All of the synoptic elements for a major outbreak are in place. A deep (sub-1000 mb) low west of Memphis, steep lapse rates, strong veering of the wind with altitude in respect to projected storm motion, strong wind fields at the surface and aloft, dry air in the mid levels, and a very deep, long wave upper trough that is somewhat negatively tilted enhancing diffluence aloft over Alabama. Projected soundings show the classic “loaded gun” look, meaning that a cap should keep storms at bay through the morning hours, but when that cap breaks early in the afternoon, storms will quickly become severe with all modes of severe weather possible. This means potential for large hail, damaging winds, and a few violent, long track tornadoes. This is dangerous weather setup. Of course, long time readers know that mesoscale features play a huge roll in the ultimate severity of a severe weather day, and we really won’t know about those until early tomorrow. TIMING: This is an event where it doesn’t make much sense to ask when storms will arrive in your county or home town; nobody knows since the initial storms will be cellular in nature. Just understand a severe storm is basically possible anytime from now through 3:00 a.m. Thursday. The storms tonight will mostly pose a threat of high winds and large hail, although an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.Tomorrow, the main risk comes from about 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight. Again, we can’t rule out morning storms, but the most intense and dangerous thunderstorms will come during the afternoon and nighttime hours. The severe storms should merge into a long squall line late tomorrow night, with the main threat becoming damaging straight line winds after 10:00 p.m. or so."

Tuesday 4/26/11 SPC Day Two Outlook: HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL DATA IS STRONGLY SUGGESTIVE THAT A SIGNIFICANT CLUSTER OF STORMS COULD BE IN PROGRESS WEDNESDAY MORNING EAST OF THE MIDDLE AND LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. IF THIS VERIFIES...IT IS UNCERTAIN WHAT INFLUENCE IT WILL HAVE ON SUBSEQUENT BOUNDARY LAYER DESTABILIZATION ACROSS THE OHIO/TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION. THIS UNCERTAINTY PRECLUDES AN OUTLOOK UPGRADE TO HIGH RISK PROBABILITIES AT THE PRESENT TIME. HOWEVER...MOST OTHER INDICATIONS ARE STRONGLY SUGGESTIVE THAT A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COMMENCING TONIGHT ACROSS PARTS OF THE OZARK PLATEAU/LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL CONTINUE AND EXPAND NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD TOWARD THE APPALACHIANS DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL INCLUDE THE POTENTIAL FOR LONG-LIVED SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF STRONG TORNADOES...AND ORGANIZED STORM CLUSTERS CAPABLE OF STRONG DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

Tuesday Afternoon 4/26/11 NWS Birmingham AFD: AND NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT. A SIMILAR SETUP WILL EXIST FROM WHAT WE SAW BACK ON APRIL 15TH...AS SEVERAL WAVES OF ENERGY WILL BE MOVING INTO OUR AREA FROM THE ARKLAMISS WITH A 65KT 850MB JET DEVELOPING. WE WILL HAVE TO CLOSELY WATCH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...AS THIS WILL HAVE A LARGE IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE DAY. IF THE LINE HOLDS TOGETHER...SEVERE PARAMETERS WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED ONCE THE LINE PASSES. OUR CONFIDENCE IN THAT SOLUTION IS VERY LOW HOWEVER...AND WE ARE EXPECTING THE LINE TO BE GREATLY WEAKENED BY THE TIME IT REACHES OUR AREA...AND WILL ALLOW FOR A RAPID DESTABILIZATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AFTER MIDDAY TOMORROW. AFTER TALKING WITH SPC...THE
UNCERTAINTY IN THE STRENGTH AND LOCATION OF ONGOING CONVECTION TOMORROW MORNING IS THE ONLY FACTOR THAT IS PREVENTING THE ISSUANCE
OF A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE STORMS AT THIS TIME. LOOKING AT THE LATEST FORECAST SOUNDINGS...NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED IN RELATION TO PARAMETERS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. ONE WORD COMES TO MIND AFTER LOOKING AT SEVERAL SOUNDINGS. DANGEROUS. A WEAK CAP SHOULD BE IN PLACE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...THEN RAPIDLY ERODE DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLYAFTERNOON. AMPLE TURNING OF THE WINDS WITH HEIGHT...DRY AIR ALOFT...AND STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL BE PREVALENT ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE MOST UNSTABLE AREAS WILL BE GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...BUT I MUST STRESS THAT ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL BE UNDER THE GUN. MOST SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS ARE OFF THE CHARTS TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE CRAVEN/BROOKS SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PARAMETER...WHICH INCORPORATES 100MB MLCAPE AS WELL AS THE 0-6KM SHEAR...IS BETWEEN 60000 TO 80000. USUALLY YOU WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE EVENTS OCCUR WHEN THE VALUE IS ABOVE 20000. THAT ON TOP OF ALMOST 3000J/KG OF SBCAPE IS A VERY DANGEROUS MIXTURE. 0-6KM SHEAR OF 60-80KTS...WITH VECTORS SUGGESTING SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT REMAINS IN PLACE AHEAD OF THE FRONT. ALONG THE FRONT...SHEAR VECTORS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS UNTIL LATE IN THE EVENING AS THE FRONT APPROACHES EASTERN ALABAMA. THE SHEAR VECTORS THEN BECOME SLIGHTLY MORE PARALLEL TO THE FLOW...INDICATING A MORE LINEAR DEVELOPMENT...BUT TORNADOES ALONG THE LINE WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE. ONCE AGAIN...THE DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS TONIGHT WILL HAVE A MODEST IMPACT ON THE MESOSCALE MORROW...AND HOW THE EVENT PLAYS ITSELF OUT. I MUST ALSO STRESS THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR SEVERE WEATHER PLAN TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE AND PROPERTY...TOMORROW WILL BE TOO LATE!

...

Central Alabama Chase Account - 4/15/2011

2011-04-18T19:21:00.020-05:00

Chase Map

INTRODUCTION

Friday April 15, 2011 will go down as one of the most productive and intense Alabama storm chases that I have experienced. As of 4/21/11, 23 tornadoes have been confirmed by the NWS Birmingham and 11 have been confirmed by the NWS Mobile for a total of 34 in the State of Alabama. There may be a few more confirmed when surveys are completed. The highlights of the trip included seeing a very photogenic "textbook" mesocylone with a wall cloud east of Uniontown, Alabama, witnessing and reporting a rain-wrapped tornado in southern Tuscaloosa, quarter-sized hail and trees down in Bibb County, and witnessing a wall cloud and possible funnel at dusk on the Chilton-Autauga County line.

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

SPC SREF Significant Tornado Parameter 36 hours

This event first appeared to be potentially significant with the model runs from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I listen to James Spann’s Weather Xtreme video regularly, usually while I get ready for work in the morning or sometimes I pick it up on my phone. He does a very good job describing the model output. In addition, I looked at all of the model output for the usual severe weather parameters (instability, shear, composite indices, etc.) numerous times Wednesday and Thursday. I like to use Earl Barker’s model page, the College of Dupage model page, and the SREF data from the Storm prediction center site. Everything seemed to be in place for a major severe weather event. The only ingredient that seemed questionable was instability. The models were pretty consistent. However, the area of highest instability seemed to stay roughly south of Interstate 20 and it seemed to be maximized over the Alabama-Mississippi state line.

With all of the parameters seemingly coming together, Wednesday I asked for and was approved to take leave on Friday. I did later get a scare when some circumstances changed and I almost did not get to be off work. Through some help from a co-worker, the good graces of my boss, and a little prayer, I was finally able to obtain approval to be on leave.

Thursday night my partner, John Brown and I had a phone briefing around 9:30. We decided meet in Birmingham and head west, perhaps to Meridian , Mississippi to set up. I met John late Friday morning and our initial decision was to drive to Tuscaloosa and then decide whether we wanted to go west or south from there

DALLAS MESOCYCLONE

Dallas/Perry County Mesocyclone Time Lapse

While heading west out of Birmingham we decided to turn south at the West Blocton (Alabama Highway 5) exit and attempt to intercept some cells that were moving out of Mississippi. We decided that we had plenty of time to get in a safe position to intercept one or two of those cells. We took Highway 5 all the way down to the US 80 corridor, west of Selma . That was a great choice for several reasons. First, the land was flat and there weren’t many trees, which is a rare viewing opportunity in Alabama . In addition we were able to watch a textbook mesocyclone produce a wall cloud. The video and pictures from that particular storm may be of use for future storm spotting training purposes. While we did not see a tornado with that storm, the structure itself made that a good decision. Around that time, tornadoes were being reported in Mississippi by Greg Nordstrom’s Mississippi State chase team and others. We would have liked to have gone west and intercepted those cells, but we would have had to have left earlier. We were also a bit concerned about committing too far west and missing anything in Alabama .

TUSCALOOSA TORNADO

Tuscaloosa Tornado Video by John Brown

Next we decided to go north. John debated about west at Marion , towards Greensboro . I was concerned that we didn’t have enough time to get in position to see that storm safely. We decided to go north toward Centreville, and then northwest towards Tuscaloosa . We knew we had plenty of time to intercept a cell that had a history of tornado reports and damage reports. We stopped for a long time in Duncanville , southeast of Tuscaloosa . For a while it looked as if the tornadic circulation was headed directly at us but then it appeared to be make a bit of a turn to the left, or north of our location. We finally decided to go north, slowly, on US 82, as we were hearing reports of a tornado to our west on Alabama Highway 69. As we drove in to southern Tuscaloosa, we saw transformers exploding within approximately a half-mile, to our north and some obvious indications of a rain-wrapped tornado directly in front of us. I reported that tornado on the ABC 33/40 Skywatcher instant message chat and Meteorologist Jason Simpson immediately used that report on the air. In fact, we were on the outer circulation of the tornadic rotation. At one point we stopped, as the winds suddenly increased. We were concerned that the tornado may have been growing and “back-building” toward us. We stayed in a safe position, relative to the storm, but as we drove north we saw tree debris along US 82, just south of Skyland Boulevard. As we turned right (east) on Skyland, we saw where the tornado crossed, blowing out some signs and more tree debris. This storm took a northeast path from there and we were no longer able to keep up with it.

BIBB COUNTY LIGHTNING, HAIL, AND TORNADO DAMAGE

Next we decided to go back toward West Blocton and possibly intercept a cell that was taking aim on the area just south of West Blocton. That storm was producing a reported tornado near Demopolis. As we traveled down Alabama 5, south of West Blocton, we were too late to witness the tornado. However we did experience quarter-sized hail, witnessed a 200-300 yard path with trees and power lines down, and had a lightning bolt explode a tree within feet of John’s truck as we were traveling down the highway. I reported the trees down and that report was immediately relayed my meteorologist Jason Simpson at ABC 33/40. While we were there, we met storm chaser Brett Adair who showed me video of a tornado he captured earlier in the afternoon.

CHILTON-AUTAUGA WALL/FUNNEL

From there we drove south and intercepted a storm near the Chilton-Autauga county line on US Highway 82 just after sunset. We found only one small area with any viewing potential. Everything else was obscured by trees and hills. We found a spot on a ridge with a view to the northwest. John and I saw a wall cloud and a possible funnel. This storm had previously produced a report of a tornado. ABC 33/40 meteorologists James Spann and Jason Simpson used John’s live stream in their coverage of this warning. This was going to be our last storm of the day, but then we decided to drive to Prattville to get in position for another tornado-warned supercell.

PRATTVILLE TORNADO WARNING/CG LIGHTNING

We took Highway 22 from Maplesville over to Clanton and then we turned south on I-65. This storm was producing an amazing amount of lightning to the west. By the time it got to our location, we were not able see any indication of a wall cloud, funnel, or tornado. I am still looking at footage to determine if we may have captured some good lightning images.

THE RIDE HOME

After that, it was a long drive back to Birmingham and then Huntsville . John and I were a bit giddy by this point and we laughed as we listened to ourselves react to the close lightning strike. I listened to my footage all the way from Birmingham to Huntsville . After I arrived home, John texted me the bad news that fatalities were reported in Autauga County , in a tornado that moved through there after we left. I stayed up until after 3 a.m. editing footage.

That was definitely an adventure to remember.

...

ABC 33/40 Coverage...

4/11/11 Severe Weather

2011-04-12T06:05:00.012-05:00

This severe thunderstorm was observed at the Huntsville (AL) International Airport, 2.3 miles south of I-565 on County Line Road. I reported an estimated wind gust of 60 mph to the NWS Huntsville at 6:30 p.m. Take a look at the video. It was hard to estimate wind speed without many trees nearby. The wind created a loud roaring sound that lasted for about 10 minutes. Storm reports from the NWS Huntsville.

6:34 Columbus Nexrad - My location was at the green triangle southeast of Athens and southwest of Huntsville.

6:34 Columbus Nexrad velocity image.

Short, edited version of my video from the storm.

...

4/4/11 Severe Weather

2011-04-08T23:31:00.006-05:00

Palm Sunday Tornadoes - 1994

2011-03-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

Palm Sunday Tornadoes Video Part 1

Palm Sunday Tornadoes Video Part 2

Palm Sunday Tornadoes Video Part 3

More videos posted by James Spann.

3/27/94 Tornado tracks in Alabama and Georgia, NOAA

6 AM CST surface plots, 3/27/94, NOAA

11:37 AM CST East Alabama WSR-88D

Goshen UMC Memorial Photos by Michelle Mikilik for Alabamawx.com - 9/23/09

Palm Sunday 1994 Story by Randy Coleman appearing on Alabamawx.com - 3/27/08

Palm Sunday Tornado Special - 3 Videos on Alabamawx.com - 3/27/09

Remembering Palm Sunday 1994 - Bill Murray, ABC 33/40 Weather Blog - 2/4/06

Natural Disaster Survey Report - NOAA

Map of Tornado Tracks - Tornado History Project

NWS Birmingham Event Page - Weather data and storm data

...

3/15/38 Central Alabama Tornadoes

2011-03-14T22:09:00.009-05:00

http://bangladeshtornadoes.org/

Tuscaloosa News 3/16/38

Montgomery Advertiser 3/16/38

2:35 p.m. Marengo F2. Two people died and 25 were injured in the Baptist Hill community east of Demopolis. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, "The dead were Mary Avery, a negro woman who was buried in the wreckage of her home," and "J. Dunn Lawrence, of Guntersville, who touched a high tension wire broken by the wind." 40 small homes were destroyed and 200 people were left homeless. The tornado was on the ground for five miles and was 300 yards wide. "The air was filled with lumber, furniture, and corrugated metal."

4:20 p.m. Jefferson F2. One person died and eight were injured in this tornado that moved from Mulga to the east for 10 miles. Dozens of small buildings were blown down in this mining camp town. Over 10 people were left homeless. 34 died in a mine tragedy 5 months to the day before the tornado. Ben Foster, 22, of Tarrant City, was killed as he came in contact with a power line.

4:45 p.m. Walker F2. Eleven people were injured in this tornado that began at Nauvoo and moved north two miles. Two homes and a church were destroyed. Eight of the injuries occurred in one home.

...

3/12/86 Alabama Tornadoes

2011-03-11T23:25:00.001-06:00

March 13, 1986 Birmingham News

Five tornadoes occurred in North Alabama during the afternoon hours of March 12, 1986, killing two people and injuring five.

2:15 Pickens County F3. This was the worst tornado of the day. Anna Hale, 59, and her father, Guy Roland, 82, were killed when their home in the Big Creek community collapsed. They were reported dead on the scene with head and chest injuries. At least 5 homes were destroyed and 40 others were damaged. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 16 miles from northwest of Aliceville to west of Reform. The damage path was 700 feet wide at its widest point. Pickens county was under a tornado warning issued by the NWS in Birmingham from 1:25 until 3:30.

2:58 Lamar County F3. This tornado was on the ground for approximately 6 miles from southeast of Millport to north-nothwest of kennedy. A school was damaged, a car was blown off the road, a railroad car was overturned, and a lumber yard was destroyed. Lamar County was under a tornado warning from 2:30-3:30.

3:25 Marion County F3. This tornado was on the ground for 2.5 miles in the town of Winfield. Several trees were blown down and one home was destroyed. Several other structures were damaged. Marion County was under a tornado warning from 3:08-4:15.

3:35 Marion County F2. On the ground for 7.5 miles, this tornado travelled from near Winfield to 7.6 miles nortwest of Brilliant. Several trees were blown down and minor to moderate structural damage occurred. Marion County remained under a tornado warning as mentioned above.

8:20 Cullman-Marshall County F2. Five people were injured in this tornado that was on the ground for 7 miles near Arab. Among the injured was a woman and her daughters who were injured when their car was flipped several times. Six mobile homes and five site-built homes were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Cullman County was under a tornado warning from 7:40-8:30.

Sources:
Birmingham News
Tornado History Project
NWS Alabama Tornado Database
IEM Warning Archives

...

3/9/92 and 3/10/92 Alabama Tornadoes

2011-03-08T06:22:00.003-06:00

Hale County F3, 3/10/92

Huntsville Times, 3/10/92

Alabama experienced two tornadoes, one of which was a killer, in the overnight hours on March 9-10, 1992. A woman was killed in a mobile home and an infant was killed in permanent home in Hale County when an F3 tornado moved through the area at 2:05 a.m. on March 10. Seven people were injured in the tornado. The storm moved from 5 miles southeast of Forkland to 5 miles east of Greensboro. Many homes were destroyed.

Earlier, an F1 tornado destroyed two businesses (gasoline station and restaurant) and damaged four others, in addition to damaging 10 homes in Muscle Shoals in Colbert County around 10 p.m. Jerral Miller with the NWS Huntsville said that a tornado warning was issued moments before a storm spotter reported the tornado. One person was injured in this tornado.

Sources:
Huntsville Times
NWS Alabama Tornado Database
Tornado History Project

...

3/6/67 Central Alabama Tornado Outbreak

2011-03-06T15:04:00.005-06:00

March 7, 1967 Birmingham Post Herald

Between 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on March 6, 1967, seven tornadoes touched down in Alabama, killing two people and injuring 30.

The strongest tornado of the day was an F4 in Walker and Jefferson counties. Communities affected included Sumiton, Rocky Hollow, Dilworth, Empire, and Warrior. Two fatalities occurred and 25 were injured in this powerful tornado. According to the NWS Birmingham, 32 homes and approximately 50 barns or outbuildings were destroyed. This tornado was on the ground for 30 miles and the path was as wide as 440 feet. The two fatalities were Mrs. Marie Phillips, 27, of Empire and Dennis Wright, 16, of Rocky Hollow. J.B. Elliott of the NWS Birmingham said at the time, "When a new low pressure system started forming at the surface, we were reasonably certain that it would be an ideal situation for a significant tornado to form about 100 miles ahead of a cold front and sweep eastward across the state."

In addition to the F4 in Walker and Jefferson counties, F2 tornadoes occurred in Perry, St. Clair, and Calhoun counties. F1 tornadoes occurred in Pickens, Walker, and Chilton counties.

Sources:

Tornado History Project

NWS Alabama Tornado Database

Alabamawx.com - Bill Murray

...

Thursday 2/24/11 Storms

2011-02-26T19:07:00.006-06:00

So far there have been 14 tornadoes confirmed from Thursday 2/24/11. Kentucky had 4, Arkansas had 3, Tennessee had 3, Alabama had 2, Louisiana had 1, and Mississippi had 1. Five of these tornadoes were rated EF2. There were 258 high wind reports, according to the SPC.

There was no severe weather in my part of Huntsville, Alabama, but I did capture a bit of video as the storm rolled through.

Both tornadoes in Alabama were rated EF0, one in Marion County and one in Cullman County. Here is the data provided by the NWS Huntsville and NWS Birmingham,

Cullman:

Location: 5 NNW WEST POINT
Local Date: 02/24/2011
Local Time: 11:10 PM CST
County: CULLMAN
State: AL
Source: NWS STORM SURVEY

AN EF-0 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 75 MPH AND A PATH WIDTH OF 20 YARDS TRACKED ABOUT ONE QUARTER MILE ON A FARM JUST EAST OF BATTLEGROUND. THE TORNADO FIRST SNAPPED AND TWISTED FOUR TALL HARDWOOD TREES BEFORE ADVANCING NORTHEAST AND DESTROYING A LARGE BUT UNOCCUPIED CHICKEN BARN. METAL AND WOOD DEBRIS WAS SHREDDED AND TWISTED AMONGST NEARBY TREES AND DAMAGED THE ADJACENT HOME AND A MOBILE HOME.

Marion:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
754 PM CST FRI FEB 25 2011

…NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THURSDAY NIGHT INCLUDING AN
EF-0 TORNADO IN HACKLEBURG…

ON THE EVENING OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, A SQUALL LINE PASSED
THROUGH CENTRAL ALABAMA CAUSING NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STRAIGHT LINE
WIND DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE AREA. AS PART OF THIS SQUALL LINE, THERE
WAS ONE AREA THAT RECEIVED DAMAGE THAT WOULD BE INDICATIVE OF A
BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN.

IN RESPONSE TO THIS DAMAGE, A SURVEY TEAM OF NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS COMPLETED AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AREA JUST
OUTSIDE OF HACKLEBURG IN MARION COUNTY. THESE ARE THEIR FINDINGS:

…MARION COUNTY TORNADO…

EVENT DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0 TORNADO
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 75-80
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 34.2858/-87.8578 AT 1018 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 34.2878/-87.8482 AT 1018 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.5
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100

AS PART OF A SQUALL LINE, THE TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN JUST TO
THE NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF HACKLEBURG. TRAVELING ON THE GROUND
FOR ONLY 1/2 MILE, THE TORNADO DID CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO A NUMBER
OF CHICKEN BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS IN THE AREA, EXTENSIVELY LIFTING
TIN ROOFS AND OVERHANGS.

WARNINGS: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING #009 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 935 PM
UNTIL 1015 PM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING #011 WAS IN EFFECT FROM
1010 PM UNTIL 1100 PM. TORNADO WARNING #004 WAS IN EFFECT FROM
957 PM UNTIL 1030 PM.

WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #017 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 830 PM, FEBRUARY 24TH
UNTIL UNTIL 2 AM, FEBRUARY 25TH.

FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF SEVERE REPORTS ACROSS THE REST OF
CENTRAL ALABAMA, PLEASE SEE THE LOCAL STORM REPORTS.

Photos From the 2/9/11 Snow

2011-02-25T16:13:00.007-06:00

Snowfall Totals Across Alabama 2/9/2011

2011-02-11T06:45:00.000-06:00

This is the NWS Huntsville's county by county list of snowfall accumulations from February 9, 2011.

COLBERT COUNTY...
6.2 S TUSCUMBIA COCORAHS 2.0
SHEFFIELD 1.3 ENE COCORAHS 2.0
MUSCLE SHOALS COOP 1.4
1.3 SSW MUSCLE SHOALS COCORAHS 1.0
2.6 SSW FLORENCE COCORAHS 1.3

FRANKLIN COUNTY...
PHIL CAMPBELL 3 SW SPOTTER 3.8
RUSSELLVILLE COOP 2.0

LAUDERDALE COUNTY...
CLOVERDALE 6.6 WSW COCORAHS 2.0
FLORENCE 2.6 SSW COCORAHS 1.3
KILLEN 4.6 E COCORAHS 1.3
ANDERSON COOP 1.1
KILLEN 8.1 N COCORAHS 1.0
FLORENCE 2.2 N COCORAHS 1.0
ST FLORIAN 2.9 NNE COCORAHS 1.0
FLORENCE 4.7 NNW COCORAHS 1.0

LAWRENCE COUNTY...
MOULTON 6 E PUBLIC 3.2
HILLSBORO 7.04 SSW COCORAHS 3.0
10 W MOULTON SPOTTER 2.4
MOULTON EMA 2.0
MOULTON COOP 1.6

LIMESTONE COUNTY....
5 W DECATUR PUBLIC 3.0
MADISON 3.2 NW COCORAHS 2.0
CAPSHAW 3.0 NW COCORAHS 1.0
ATHENS 3.2 SE COCORAHS 1.2
ATHENS 2.9 E COCORAHS 1.1

MORGAN COUNTY...
PRICEVILLE 2.2 WSW COCORAHS 2.0
PRICEVILLE 1.8 WSW COCORAHS 2.1
SOMERVILLE 2.0 SE COCORAHS 2.0
FALKVILLE 5.1 E COCORAHS 1.5
DECATUR COOP 1.4

MADISON COUNTY...
MADISON 0.2 N COCORAHS 2.5
MOORES MILL 2.6 SSE COCORAHS 2.3
OWENS CROSSROADS COOP 2.0
MOORES MILL 3.9 SE COCORAHS 2.0
OWENS CROSSROADS COOP 2.0
MADISON 3.2 NW COCORAHS 2.0
MADISON 2 N COOP 2.0
HARVEST 2 S COCORAHS 1.8
TONEY 4.0 SE COCORAHS 1.7
HUNTSVILLE 7.0 SE COCORAHS 1.5
HUNTSVILLE 7.9 SSE COCORAHS 1.5
BROWNSBORO 1.9 NNE COCORAHS 1.5
HUNTSVILLE 7.2 SSE COCORAHS 1.5
HARVEST 5.3 SSE COCORAHS 1.5
MADISON 1.4 NNE COCORAHS 1.5
HUNTSVILLE 7.2 SE COCORAHS 1.5
HAMPTON COVE 4.4 W COCORAHS 1.5
HAMPTON COVE 1.0 NW COCORAHS 1.1
GURLEY 2.7 S COCORAHS 1.0
HUNTSVILLE 4.4 ENE COCORAHS 1.0

MARSHALL COUNTY...
UNION GROVE 7.2 WNW COCORAHS 2.0
ALBERTVILLE 4.8 WNW COCORAHS 1.5
GUNTERSVILLE (RADIO) COCORAHS 1.0
ALBERTVILLE 5.5 N COCORAHS 1.0

DEKALB COUNTY...
VALLEY HEAD COCORAHS 2.6
FORT PAYNE COOP 1.0
IDER COCORAHS 0.7

JACKSON COUNTY...
WOODVILLE 1.7 NE COCORAHS 1.5
HOLLYTREE COOP 1.3
HOLLYTREE 0.6 NNE COCORAHS 1.2
SCOTTSBORO 4.6 NW COCORAHS 1.0

---

This link is a list of snow accumulation reports received by the NWS Birmingham.

---

This is J.B. Elliott's list of official and unofficial snowfall accumulations from February 9. I took J.B.'s list and sorted it from highest to lowest. His original post can be found here.

5 Hamilton 200 yards north of US 278
4.5 Jasper next to Corridor “X”
4.5 between Pinson and Tarrant
4 north of Samantha, Tuscaloosa County
4 Millport, SW Lamar County
3+ North Warrior along the Jefferson/Blount County line
3/4 NE Trussville (Molly’s front yard)
3.5 inches Sumiton
3.5 Center Point
3.2 six miles east of Moulton
3 SW of Phil Campbell
3 Smith Lake, Cullman County side
3 NE edge of Jasper
3 five miles west of Decatur
3 Bradford-Pinson area
2+ Calera
2.5 Mt. Cheaha
2.5 Moundville (I know where that is!)
2.5 Clay, Deerfoot
2 to 3 Brooke Highland, North Shelby
2 SW of Phil Campbell, Franklin County
2 six miles west of Moulton in the Mt. Hope community
2 Rogersville
2 Mount Olive
2 Moulton with numerous wrecks reported
2 Morgan City
2 Greystone Cove, North Shelby (from James Spann)
2 east of Moulton
2 Cullman EMA Office
2 Coaling, Tuscaloosa County
2 Clay/Pinson (Womack Road)
2 Alabaster near Meadow View School
1.5 Lookout Mountain near Collinsville (see note below)
1.5 Harvest (remember, we get more than one report from some places)
1.3 another part of NE Trussville
1.2 Fort Payne
1 Sylacauga
1 Madison
1 Killen, Lauderdale County
1 Harvest, Madison County
1 Guntersville and countywide in Marshall County
1 Downtown Cullman
1 Birmingham Airport
1 Athens and countywide in Limestone County
1 along the Jefferson/Shelby line

...

2/3/10 - Another North Alabama Snow!

2011-02-06T18:05:00.009-06:00

Snow accumulations Thursday evening were greatest north of Birmingham and south of Huntsville, especially in northern Jefferson County, western and northern Blount County, and Cullman County. Some people reported up to three inches of snowfall. Visibility in downtown Cullman was low late Thursday afternoon as bands of heavy snow fell across the city.

...

Live on WeatherBrains tonight!

2011-01-31T20:04:00.002-06:00

I am honored to be a guest panelist on tonight's special 5th anniversary episode of WeatherBrains.

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Third Biggest Snow on Record in Huntsville, Alabama

2011-01-31T17:38:00.017-06:00

On January 9-10, 2011, Huntsville, Alabama officially recorded 8.9" of snow, which is the third highest storm total snowfall on record. The highest was Jan. 1, 1964 with 17.1" and second was January 7-8, 1988 at 9.6". Perhaps most amazing was that between 11 p.m. and 12 midnight, 4" of snow fell in a thundersnow storm. I measured 8.75" at my home. I took too many photos to include them all on this blog post, so here is a link to the complete set on my Bamawx Facebook page. I will also link to a few videos in this post, including one of the thundersnow.

...

Winter Storm 2011 Coverage

2011-01-09T13:50:00.005-06:00

I will be posting most of my updates on my Facebook "Fan" page. Come join us there! I will also post updates on Twitter at Bamawx. Later, I will stream video which you will see below:

Thoughts on Alabama Winter Storm Potential

2011-01-08T22:53:00.003-06:00

I have finally decided to put up a map of my accumulation predictions for the snow predicted tomorrow into Monday. I think the greatest likelihood of heavy snow accumulation is across the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama. Some isolated spots may see as much as 10".

Ice is the main threat in Central Alabama. The area outlined in dark blue has a risk of significant icing but the greatest risk is in the light blue polygon. Earlier this evening I put together a few model maps into video form, below. It will be interesting to see what happens. 64/67 Alabama counties are under a Winter Storm Watch and much of the state is now under a Winter Storm Warning.

Map Discussion:

1/7/88 North Alabama Winter Storm

2011-01-08T14:22:00.006-06:00

On January 6, 1988 a low pressure system developed over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and moved across the northern Gulf over the next few days. Moisture spread over a shallow cold air mass bringing an historic winter storm to North Alabama. Huntsville's total of 9.6" inches of snow was the second-highest snowfall on record. Here are a few photos, videos, and links for this event.

My front yard after 10 inches of snow on January 6th and 7th, 1988

Six more photos I took on January 7, 1988.

Accumulation map from the NWS Huntsville

Page about the event from the NWS Huntsville.

Video from WAFF 48 in Huntsville, Alabama

Video from The Weather Channel, Part 1

Video from The Weather Channel, Part 2

Alabama's Historic White Christmas!

2010-12-26T11:37:00.010-06:00

Huntsville, Alabama

Madison, Alabama

Mooresville, Alabama

I-565

Just north of the Tennessee River

Backwaters of the Tennessee River

Near the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

Decatur, AL

Hartselle, Alabama

North of West Point, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Vinemont, Alabama

Monte Sano, Huntsville, Alabama

From the NWS Huntsville:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...AMENDED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1102 PM CST SUN DEC 26 2010

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SNOWFALL TOTALS RECEIVED TODAY FROM
OBSERVERS FOR THE CHRISTMAS WEEKEND SNOW EVENT. MINOR ADDITIONAL
ACCUMULATIONS MAY HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE DAY BUT SHOULD NOT
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE FINAL TOTALS LISTED BELOW.

CITY..................SOURCE........AMOUNT

ALABAMA---------
HUNTSVILLE AIRPORT    COOP           4.8
MERIDIANVILLE         SPOTTER        4.5
IDER                  COOP           4.0
PHIL CAMPBELL         SPOTTER        4.0
VALLEY HEAD           COOP           4.0
ATHENS                COCORAHS       3.8
HOLLY TREE            COOP           3.8
BOAZ                  COOP           3.5
HARVEST               COCORAHS       3.5
OWENS CROSSROADS      COOP           3.5
PAINT ROCK            COCORAHS       3.5
WEST POINT            COOP           3.5
MOULTON               COOP           3.1
HUNTSVILLE NWS OFFICE NWS STAFF      3.0
SCOTTSBORO            COOP           3.0
ANDERSON              COOP           2.5
PRICEVILLE            COOP           2.3
ROGERSVILLE           MEDIA          2.0
KILLEN                SPOTTER        1.0

TENNESSEE-------
SEWANEE               POLICE         7.0*
WINCHESTER            COOP           4.2*
HUNTLAND              COOP           3.5
LOIS                  POLICE         3.0
COLDWATER             COOP           2.1
BOONSHILL             POLICE         1.5

*UPDATED TOTALS RECEIVED AFTER THE PREVIOUS ISSUANCE OF THE
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT.


THE FOLLOWING REPORTS WERE RECEIVED DURING CHRISTMAS DAY. THESE
TOTALS MAY NOT BE REPRESENTATIVE OF FINAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS
BECAUSE SNOWFALL WAS ONGOING AT THE TIME OF THE REPORT. NO
FURTHER UPDATES WERE RECEIVED FOR THESE LOCATIONS.

CITY..................SOURCE........AMOUNT

ALABAMA---------
HUNTSVILLE-MONTE SANO SPOTTER        6.0
SKYLINE               SPOTTER        5.5
PEEKS CORNER          EMA            4.0
VINEMONT              SPOTTER        4.0
MOULTON 6W            PUBLIC         3.5
MADISON               NWS STAFF      3.5
FRENCH MILL           SPOTTER        3.0
LITTLEVILLE           PUBLIC         3.0
RED BAY               HAM RADIO      3.0
STEVENSON             SPOTTER        3.0
HAMPTON COVE          COCORAHS       2.9
FYFFE                 PUBLIC         2.5
HARTSELLE             POLICE         2.5
NEW MARKET 6SW        NWS STAFF      2.5
HOLLY POND            PUBLIC         2.0

TENNESSEE-------
COWAN                 POLICE         6.5


$$

CCC/KDW

...

White Christmas in Alabama?

2010-12-23T06:42:00.001-06:00

It is really funny how we get all worked up at the prospect of getting a dusting of snow on Christmas here in Alabama. It seems to be on everyone's mind and in conversations from the water cooler at work all the way to the last minute shoppers at the mall. It's possibly more discussed around here than when the Storm Prediction Center issues a High Risk for severe weather. I guess we Alabamians can be excused, though. Official records in Birmingham, which date back to the late 1800's, reveal that there has never been a true White Christmas (defined by 1" of snow on the ground on Christmas morning). The most snow I remember seeing on Christmas in my lifetime was a dusting on cars and rooftops in Huntsville many years ago.

The system approaching does not appear to be a classic snow-maker for Alabama. Snow in Alabama usually comes in one of three general ways:

1. A cold front moves through and a few flurries or snow showers occur in the cold air after frontal passage in the backwash from the low pressure to our north. This usually results in no accumulation or at most 2" in higher elevations.

2. An upper level low pressure system moves in from the northwest into an existing very cold air mass in place over the state. Usually this results in snow showers that can be briefly heavy. The snow is usually dry and accumulations are usually light (dusting to 1"). Occasionally these systems can tap into enough moisture to surprise a small geographic area with higher accumulations 2-6", but that is very rare.

3. A deep cold air mass is in place over the South while at the same time a low pressure system develops in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico. The cold air has to be deep and well-supported from the north. The low has to be positioned just right, track through the Northern Gulf, and strengthen rapidly. When this scenario phases up just right, Alabama can experience some major snowfall totals. This is the most "ideal" yet rarest scenario for snow in the South. Two examples include Huntsville receiving 21" of snow in 1963 (leading the nation on New Year's Day) and the Blizzard of 1993, which was the textbook example of this scenario. There have been numerous times when I have witnessed 6 or more inches of snow at various places in Alabama and most of them occurred in this kind of set-up. These storms are most likely in January, February, or early March.

Saturday (Christmas Day) will probably most resemble scenario number one. Confidence is high that snowflakes will be in the air in North Alabama on Christmas Day as temperatures will be cold enough to support snow thousands of feet up into the atmosphere and at the surface. Confidence is low that there will be enough moisture to support much, if any accumulation south of the Tennessee River.

No one really knows what will happen, but it is fun to look at the models, sprinkle in a little common sense that comes from many years of watching Alabama weather, and take an educated guess at what might happen. So, a little over 48 hours out, I am predicting a slight chance of very light accumulations roughly north of a line from Hamilton to Anniston. The best chance of light accumulation will be in Northeast Alabama. A dusting is most likely there, but a few of the higher elevations have a slight chance of getting 2 inches.

Bottom line: Snow will fall in North Alabama on Christmas Day, but it will not be significant enough to cause many serious problems. A few communities may be lucky enough to see snow on the ground and may get about as close to a White Christmas as most Alabamians have been in our lifetimes.

...

Dreaming of a White Christmas?

2010-12-22T06:04:00.000-06:00

GFS

NAM

Snow cover loop (NAM)

A rare "White Christmas" is not out of the question for North Alabama. Stay tuned.

...

Snow in NE Alabama / SE Tennessee - 12/12/10

2010-12-14T20:29:00.018-06:00

Videos:

...

Cold Morning

2010-12-14T06:08:00.001-06:00

Alabama experienced the coldest air of the season this morning. The map above shows numerous unofficial reports of temperatures between 6 and 9 degrees in Limestone, Madison, and Jackson counties. These were found on the MesoWest site. The coldest low temperature I found was 6.3, reported at the USDA site between Hytop and Skyline in northern Jackson County.

Alabama low temperatures ranged from 6 at Hytop to 24 in Mobile. J.B. Elliott posted his usual excellent list on Alabamawx.com.

...

Light Snow in Central/South Alabama?

2010-12-07T14:32:00.003-06:00

As illustrated in the above Short Range Ensemble map from the Storm Prediction Center, any precipitation that falls Wednesday in Central or South Alabama is likely to be snow. The blue areas on the map denote a 90 per cent chance that any precipitation that falls will be in the form of snow. That is NOT to say there will be a 90 per cent chance of snow!

As a vigorous shortwave moves toward the Gulf Coast tonight it may be able to squeeze out just enough moisture cause a few snow flurries or light snow showers. The lower levels will be so dry, however, that much of the snow flurry activity could evaporate before reaching the surface.

The best chance of seeing any of this light snow activity will be in southwestern and south central parts of the state in communities such as Demopolis, Thomasville, Selma, Greenville, and Montgomery.

No measurable accumulation is expected.

...

Latest Tornado Count From the NWS

2010-12-03T06:28:00.001-06:00

Image from NWS Jackson, MS. 9:45 p.m. base reflectivity (left) and storm relative velocity (right) over Atalla County, MS while storm was producing EF3 damage.

On Monday November 29 and Tuesday November 30, 2010, the Deep South was raked with numerous tornadoes. Survey crews from National Weather Service offices have been out all week surveying the damage. Although most survey activity is complete, there may be a few more tornadoes confirmed before all is said and done.

As of Friday morning December 3, 15 tornadoes have been confirmed in Mississippi and 5 have been confirmed in Alabama. Here is a list of those confirmed thus far.

Alabama:

1:41-1:43 a.m., Millport, Lamar County, EF 1

4:15-4:16 a.m., Scott Station, Perry County, EF1

7:09-7:11 a.m., Blountsville, Blount County, EF1

9:57-10:06 a.m., Prattville, Autauga County, EF1

10:20-10:45 a.m., Dexter/Santuck, Elmore County EF0

Fortunately there were no injuries or fatalities associated with any of these tornadoes. Read more detailed descriptions of survey data at this link from the NWS Birmingham.

Mississippi:

7:27-7:25 p.m., Issaquena/Sharkey Counties, EF0

7:46-8:00 p.m., Yazoo County, EF2

8:04-8:06 p.m., Warren County, EF0

8:07-8:10 p.m., Yazoo County, EF2

8:30-8:30 p.m., Claiborne County, EF0

9:09-9:18 p.m., Hinds County, EF0

9:25-9:26 p.m., Claiborne County, EF1

9:38-9:50 p.m., Leake/Attala Counties, EF3 (6 injured)

11:08-11:09 p.m., Oktibbeha County, EF2 (15 injured)

11:26-11:29 p.m., Clay County, EF1

11:52-11:52 p.m., Monroe County, EF2 (11 injured) - NWS Memphis

2:43-2:58 a.m., Smith County, EF2

2:59 a.m., Amite County, MS, EF0 - NWS New Orleans

5:50-5:58 p.m., Jones County, EF0

7:40 a.m., Hancock County, Waterspout - NWS New Orleans

More can be read about the Mississippi tornadoes here and here.

Article by Johnny Kelley

...

Sunset Pictures This Week

2010-12-02T19:46:00.004-06:00

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 11/27/10

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 11/27/10

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 11/27/10

Morgan County, south of Falkville, AL 12/2/10

Morgan County, south of Falkville, AL 12/2/10

...

11/29/10 Mississippi Tornadoes

2010-11-30T18:55:00.003-06:00

Mississippi tornado damage video and storm survey data from the NWS Jackson...

Radar images and warning audio...

WAPT 16 Jackson Video

WAPT Video from Attala County

More video from the Salas community in Attala Co., MS from WAPT Jackson

Storm survey reports from the NWS Jackson today...

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
550 AM CST TUE NOV 30 2010

...NWS STORM SURVEY CREWS WILL EXAMINE DAMAGE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS 
TODAY...

PROBABLE TORNADOES HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN SEVERAL 
LOCATIONS ACROSS CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI OVERNIGHT.  LOCATIONS THAT HAVE 
BEEN IMPACTED WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THIS POINT INCLUDE...

YAZOO CITY...
ATTALA AND LEAKE COUNTIES SOUTH OF KOSCIUSKO...
WARREN COUNTY NORTHEAST OF VICKSBURG...
STARKVILLE...
SMITH COUNTY NEAR AND WEST OF RALEIGH...

THE NWS WILL BE DISPATCHING THREE STORM SURVEY TEAMS TO EXAMINE 
AS MUCH DAMAGE AS POSSIBLE TODAY. HOWEVER...SURVEYING THE DAMAGE 
REPORTED TO THIS POINT WILL LIKELY TAKE AT LEAST TWO DAYS...AND IT 
IS LIKELY THAT ADDITIONAL STORMS PRODUCED DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE 
TORNADOES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN REPORTED. WE WILL PROVIDE UPDATES 
REGARDING THE PROGRESS OF OUR SURVEY TEAMS...AND WILL ISSUE FINDINGS 
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

---

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1230 PM CST TUE NOV 30 2010

...TORNADOES CONFIRMED IN SMITH AND OKTIBBEHA COUNTIES BY NWS SURVEY 
TEAMS...

COUNTY/COUNTIES:   SMITH
BEGINNING POINT:  2.5 MILES E TRAXLER AT 243 AM CST
ENDING POINT:  6 MILES NE RALEIGH AT 258 AM CST
RATING: EF2, MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 125 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 11 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 0.3 MILE
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0

SUMMARY OF DAMAGE:  AT ITS WIDEST POINT THE TORNADO PRODUCED 
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO A BRICK HOME...REMOVING HALF OF THE ROOF AND 
SEVERELY DAMAGING THE REMAINING HALF. THE WALLS OF THE HOME FELL IN 
THE SECTION OF THE HOUSE WHERE THE ROOF WAS REMOVED. SEVERAL OTHER 
HOUSES RECEIVED MINOR TO MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE. NUMEROUS SHEDS AND 
SMALL BARNS WERE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED. TIN ROOFING AND SIDING WAS 
REMOVED FROM A STORAGE SHED...SOME OF WHICH BECAME PROJECTILES THAT 
WERE FORCED THROUGH THE WALLS OF A WOOD FRAME HOUSE. A MOBILE HOME 
WAS BLOWN FROM ITS FOUNDATION. WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED. 

COUNTY/COUNTIES:   OKTIBBEHA
BEGINNING POINT: 1.5 MILES SW STARKVILLE AT 1108 PM CST 
ENDING POINT: STARKVILLE AT 1109 PM CST 
RATING: EF2, MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 115 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 1.5 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 200 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: SOME MINOR INJURIES

SUMMARY OF DAMAGE:  INITIAL DAMAGE WAS ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE TO A 
CHURCH ALONG LYNN LANE. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST THROUGH AN AREA 
OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS, CAUSING MINOR TO MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE TO A 
NUMBER OF BUILDINGS, AS WELL AS DOWNING SEVERAL TREES.  THE TORNADO 
THEN MOVED INTO THE PINES TRAILER PARK, WHERE IT DESTROYED A NUMBER 
OF MOBILE HOMES.  TWO LARGE MOBILE HOMES WERE ROLLED AND DESTROYED, 
AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE MOVED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE AND 
DESTROYED.  NUMEROUS LARGE PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED NEAR THE BASE, 
WITH SEVERAL LANDING ON MOBILE HOMES CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE.  NUMEROUS 
UTILITY LINES WERE SNAPPED AND DOWNED, AND A COUPLE OF POLES WERE  
DOWNED.  THIS WAS THE LOCATION OF MAXIMUM DAMAGE.  THE TORNADO THEN 
MOVED  NORTHEAST ACROSS LOUISVILLE ROAD, CAUSING ROOF DAMAGE TO 
SEVERAL HOMES AND CONTINUING TO SNAP TREES.  IT MOVED THROUGH 
ANOTHER TRAILER PARK, BLOWING OUT THE SKIRTING ON SEVERAL MOBILE 
HOMES AND CAUSING MINOR ROOF AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A COUPLE.  AS 
THE TORNADO PASSED THROUGH THE EAST SIDE OF THE STARKVILLE HIGH 
SCHOOL COMPLEX, IT TWISTED SOME LIGHT STANDARDS ON THE ATHLETIC 
FIELDS AND CAUSED SOME MINOR FENCE DAMAGE.  IT THEN CROSSED YELLOW 
JACKET DRIVE, BLOWING OUT A PORCH ON A RESTAURANT AND CAUSING SOME 
MINOR ROOF DAMAGE.  AS IT CROSSED HIGHWAY 12, IT BLEW DOWN A COUPLE 
OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS, BLEW OUT A BUSINESS SIGN, AND DAMAGED ANOTHER 
PORCH ON A RESTAURANT.  THE TORNADO SNAPPED A FEW TREES AND CAUSED 
SOME SHINGLE DAMAGE TO A COUPLE OF HOMES ON SOUTH MONTGOMERY STREET, 
AND THEN APPEARS TO HAVE DISSIPATED.  THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2 
BASED ON THE SMALL AREA OF THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE IN THE PINES 
TRAILER PARK; THE REMAINDER OF THE DAMAGE WAS GENERALLY EF1 IN 
NATURE.

---

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 
515 PM CST TUE NOV 30 2010 

...TORNADOES CONFIRMED IN ATTALA AND LEAKE COUNTIES BY NWS SURVEY  
TEAM... 

COUNTY/COUNTIES:  LEAKE/ATTALA 
BEGINNING POINT:  3.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF THOMASTOWN AT 938 PM CST 
ENDING POINT:  3 MILES EAST MCADAMS AT 950 PM CST 
RATING: EF3, MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 140 MPH 
PATH LENGTH: 10 MILES 
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 400 YARDS 
FATALITIES: 0 
INJURIES: 6  

SUMMARY OF DAMAGE: THE INITIAL DAMAGE WHERE THE TORNADO DEVELOPED  
WAS LIMITED TO SOME MINOR TREE DAMAGE ALONG BUDDY ODOM ROAD. THE  
TORNADO TRACKED NORTH NORTHEAST AND RAPIDLY BECAME STRONG, WITH EF2  
AND LOW END EF3 DAMAGE OCCURRING ALONG THE REST OF THE PATH. THE  
TORNADO AFFECTED SHILOH AND BUDDY ODOM ROADS AS WELL AS STATE  
HIGHWAY 429 IN LEAKE COUNTY; AND COUNTY ROADS 4022, 4033, 4126,  
4045, 4171, 4142 AND STATE HIGHWAY 14 IN ATTALA COUNTY. SEVERAL  
MOBILE HOMES, INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO DOUBLE WIDES, WERE COMPLETELY  
DESTROYED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS ALONG THE PATH, WITH DEBRIS CARRIED  
WELL AWAY FROM THE REMAINS. IMPRESSIVE TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED AT  
NUMEROUS LOCATIONS ALONG THE PATH, INCLUDING A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS  
WHERE SOME DEBARKING/DENUDING WAS NOTED. VEHICLES WERE ROLLED OR  
TOSSED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS. A FRAME HOME WAS PUSHED OFF ITS  
FOUNDATION AND A NUMBER OF FRAME HOMES SUFFERED MODERATE TO MAJOR  
ROOF DAMAGE. NUMEROUS POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED ALONG THE PATH. THE  
WIDEST POINT OF THE DAMAGE PATH WAS AROUND A QUARTER MILE, AND WAS  
NEAR HIGHWAY 14 IN ATTALA COUNTY.   

...

Severe Weather Monday Night / Tuesday?

2010-11-28T19:50:00.009-06:00

Significant Tornado Parameter >=1 at 3 a.m. Tuesday per the SREF

0-3 KM Helicity (shear) >=300m

CAPE 500 J/kg at 3 a.m. Tuesday

SPC Day Two Outlook

It looks like the models are showing a very small window during the early morning hours Tuesday when instability and shear may phase up and provide an opportunity for a slight risk of a tornado in Alabama. Instability will be very limited and it is still questionable if all ingredients will be in place at the same time. It is a situation that needs to be watched closely.

A few notes from official sources...

SPC Day Two Outlook:

THE ARRIVAL OF STRONGER FORCING FOR
ASCENT/HEIGHT FALLS AHEAD OF THE DIGGING SHORTWAVE TROUGH TOWARD
CENTRAL TX SUGGESTS STORMS SHOULD RAMP UP AGAIN LATE IN THE
EVENING/OVERNIGHT OVER THE LOWER MS VALLEY.  THE INLAND INTRUSION OF
THE MOIST WARM SECTOR WILL AID IN SUFFICIENT DESTABILIZATION FOR
SURFACE BASED STORMS INTO THE SRN HALF OF MS AND SWRN AL OVERNIGHT.
FURTHER INCREASE IN MIDLEVEL WINDS ATOP THE LLJ WILL SUPPORT STRONG
DEEP LAYER SHEAR AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL HODOGRAPH CURVATURE FOR A
LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TORNADO THREAT...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE
SIGNIFICANT.  A THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

NWS Birmingham Hazardous Weather Outlook:

THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING THE THREAT OF
TORNADOES...ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA ON TUESDAY...ASSOCIATED WITH THE
PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT. BECAUSE OF THE SMALL WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY...AND UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE TIMING OF THE
FRONT...THERE IS STILL A LOW DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE WITH THIS SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

NWS Birmingham Forecast Discussion:

ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW AND WINDOW IS SMALL...WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A
SMALL WINDOW FOR SVR POSSIBLY EVEN TORNADIC ACTIVITY...MOST LIKELY
SE PORTIONS OF CWA IF ANY...DEPENDING ON TIMING OF FRONT.

NWS Huntsville Forecast Discussion:

THE END RESULT FOR US IS A SYSTEM
THAT WILL BE A LITTLE LESS POTENT IN TERMS OF INSTABILITY. HOWEVER...
HELICITY VALUES REMAIN IMPRESSIVE. OVERALL...BELIEVE THE SEVERE
THREAT WITH THE STORMS ALONG THE FRONT ARE RATHER LOW. HOWEVER...WITH
A 50-60 KT LOW LEVEL JET JUST OFF THE SURFACE...ANY MIXING DOWN OF
THOSE WINDS COULD CAUSE BRIEF DAMAGING WIND EVENTS.

...

Looking Back at the 11/24/01 Tornado Outbreak

2010-11-28T18:31:00.005-06:00

Looking back 9 years ago...

NWS Birmingham stated, "From approximately 10:00 AM CST until 10:00 PM CST on 24 November 2001, 24 tornadoes touched down across North and Central Alabama [NWS Birmingham CWA (BHM)]. These 24 tornadoes tracked across 25 individual counties, which equated to exactly half of the counties served by the National Weather Service Birmingham Forecast Office. An additional 10 tornadoes touched down in Southwest Alabama [NWS Mobile CWA (MOB)]. In Southeast Alabama [NWS Tallahassee CWA (TLH)], two tornadoes occurred, but they were during the early morning hours of the 25th. Several additional tornadoes struck adjacent states before and after the Alabama tornadoes."

Here are a few videos from local media about the event.

Argo, AL Tornado Video...

Coverage by The Weather Channel

ABC 33/40 Coverage Part 1

ABC 33/40 Coverage Part 2

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Iron Bowl Weather History

2010-11-22T12:13:00.024-06:00

The annual "Iron Bowl" game between the University of Alabama and Auburn University football teams is widely known as one of the most intense, heated, and passionate rivalries in all of sports. The teams play again this Friday in Tuscaloosa. The forecast for game time is tricky as a cold front is expected to pass through at some time that day bringing heavy rain and then a sharp change to cold weather. This year will certainly not be the first year to feature interesting weather in the Iron Bowl. Here's a look at a few of the most interesting Iron Bowl weather events.

December 3, 1983, Legion Field, Birmingham - Auburn 23 Alabama 20

Original image posted by Dr. Tim Coleman on Alabamawx.com

The 1983 iron Bowl started under sunny skies but storms were in the forecast. With just a couple of minutes left in the third quarter, dark clouds appeared in the western sky as the wind picked up, blowing the ball off the tee as Auburn's Al Del Greco prepared to kick off after a 71 yard Bo Jackson touchdown run. About that time, the NWS Birmingham issued a tornado warning for Jefferson County and Birmingham. Pepper Simpson, the well-known Legion Field public address announcer informed the crowd that a tornado warning was in effect. No one inside Legion Field moved an inch as torrential downpours and extremely gusty winds pelted the players, coaches, and fans. Here are a few quotes from fans who attended the game as posted on Tidesports.com.

"I was in the Alabama Million Dollar Band that year. Dr. Ferguson and the Auburn band director agreed that at the start of the third quarter both bands should leave the stadium for their safety."

"I was sitting towards the top of the south end zone. I can distinctly remember the announcement coming over the public address system that a tornado warning had been issued. At that moment, the rain was coming down in buckets and the wind was blowing so hard that it ripped the umbrella out of my hand. The game never stopped and hardly anyone left the stadium looking for cover."

"My dad and I were in the north end zone where Bo Jackson scored. We stayed in our seats throughout. "

"The sky opened up and the winds gusted to 45-55 mph. As the rain picked up the umbrellas came up but the wind turned them inside out." As the tornado warning was read over the PA system nobody made a dash for safety because the score was tight and no one wanted to miss a single play."

I was at that game and it was chilling to hear the tornado warning announced. Frankly, there was nothing fans could have done in the event of an actual tornado.

Meteorologist James Spann worked for Channel 13 in Birmingham at the time. In a post on Alabamawx.com he related his memories of the game, "Severe thunderstorms formed rapidly by mid-afternoon...the WSR-57 radar showed a classic hook echo signature on a storm headed right toward Birmingham...there is no doubt this was the biggest storm to ever hit during an Iron Bowl."

No tornadoes touched down in Jefferson County but seven touched down in the state, including an F3 tornado which killed two in Oxford, Alabama. It was spawned by the same thunderstorm that earlier moved across Legion Field.

December 2, 1967, Legion Field, Birmingham - Alabama 7 Auburn 3 - "Run in the Mud"

Daniel Moore

"I think those were the worst conditions I've ever seen a football game played in," was how legendary Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant described the weather in the 1967 Iron Bowl. Time out was called several times during the game because of raincoats blowing from the stands onto the field. During a thunderstorm, Alabama quarterback Kenny Stabler sloshed 47 yards in the mud to give Alabama a 7-3 lead, which is how it ended.

After the play, John Forney, Alabama's radio voice described the play, "He got on the area of the field where there was some grass, got some footing, and outraced Buddy McClinton...and you would just not expect to see a play like that on a field in the condition Legion Field is in." Sportswriter Jimmy Bryan of the Birmingham News described the Auburn players as, "muddy bloody boys-men who wept openly and unashamed." Thousands of fans remained in the stands through torrential rain, lightning, and high wind.

Other games have been noted for cold weather. According to the NWS Birmingham, the coldest iron Bowl since the series resumed in 1948 was the November 26, 1977 game in which Alabama defeated Auburn 48-21 in Birmingham's Legion Field. The high that day was 39 and the low was 26, for an average temperature that day of 32.5 degrees. This year the NWS Birmingham has posted "Iron Bowl Climate Highlights" featuring the five warmest, coolest, and wettest iron Bowls.

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Severe Weather This Week

2010-10-30T17:09:00.005-05:00

"Octobomb" Low. Severe Weather Occurred From Minnesota to Alabama, 3:32 p.m. CT 10/26/10

It has been a wild weather week in Alabama. After several weeks without rain, several inches fell across the state this week. In addition, tornadoes and severe weather hit the state. The NWS has confirmed at least five tornadoes. Three tornadoes were confirmed on October 25/26 by the NWS Huntsville and two were confirmed by the NWS Birmingham. Three other tornadoes were confirmed for the early morning hours of 10/25 by the NWS Huntsville. Counties affected by tornadoes were Winston (EF1), Jefferson (EF1), Dekalb (EF1, EF0, EF2), Jackson (EF1 and EF2), Marshall (EF0).

Here are a few articles...

WAFF 48 Huntsville

Montgomery Advertiser

Sand Mountain Reporter

Times-Journal

Gadsden Times

Huntsville Times

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Last Night's Rain and Storms

2010-10-25T06:52:00.003-05:00

Radar estimates that some portions of Franklin County received over 3" of rain. Several other spots received well over one inch. Just about everyone received significant rain.

Numerous CoCoRaHS reporters received over one inch so far.

There were numerous reports of hail across the state, some as large as baseballs near Dora in Walker County and also in Linden in Marengo County. An unconfirmed tornado was reported in Baldwin County last night.

As I write this, the NWS Mobile just indicated a report of a tornado in the city of Mobile this morning.

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Yesterday's Rain

2010-10-13T06:41:00.003-05:00

Radar estimates show rainfall amounts varied from 1" in isolated portions of West and Central Alabama to nothing in portions of Northeast Alabama.

As expected, most of Alabama saw at least a little rain yesterday. There were a few areas which received no rainfall and a few which received isolated heavier amounts. There were also a few reports of small hail in Central Alabama and a few reports of winds in the 50-60 mph range that blew down trees in a few isolated areas. There was also a report of lightning injuring children. A few official rainfall totals from the National Weather Service include:

Huntsville .18"
Muscle Shoals .02"
Anniston .01"
Birmingham .05"
Montgomery .50"
Tuscaloosa .12"
Mobile .00"

CoCoRaHS reporters observed some of the isolated heavier amounts. Those include:

Helena 1.78"
Pelham 1.08"
Ozark 1.02"
Clanton .78"
Killen .78"
Capshaw .74"

Tim Coleman of UAH posted a cool radar loop on Alabamawx.com. This shows an outflow boundary feature.
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Rain and Storms Coming?

2010-10-11T17:53:00.002-05:00

It has now been thirteen days since much of Alabama has seen rainfall. This was the third time this year that we had a stretch of 13 or 14 days without rain. That will change on Tuesday evening as an upper level low approaches the area. Unfortunately, the air is so dry here in Alabama that the system will not have much moisture with which to work. For that reason rainfall totals will probably be less than a half inch. Some areas may see little or no rain.

Tomorrow's Convective Outlook from the SPC

The SPC is suggesting there will be a slight risk of severe weather tomorrow in Mississippi. I took a look at the models and the parameters really do not look that impressive, but a few strong to severe storms are possible west of Alabama.

The temperature this afternoon is near 90 in many areas but after tomorrow's system rolls through, cooler air will settle in again. We have been on a temperature roller coaster the last few weeks. The dry air in place really facilitates wild swings in temperature. Tim Coleman of UAH has an interesting post on our wild temperature swings and how they compare historically in this post on Alabamawx.com.

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First Freeze of the Fall in Alabama

2010-10-04T18:38:00.003-05:00

J.B. Elliott of Alabamawx.com is the best at compiling lists of extreme temperatures on unusually warm or cool days in Alabama. This morning Alabama experienced the coldest temperatures in many months. J.B.'s entite post (entertaining as always) is here.

Here are the coldest lows J.B. reported this morning:

32 SW Lamar County, west of Millport
33 Russellville Airport
34 Hamilton
36 Guin Skycam, Addison
37 Cottondale, Valley Head Water Board, Vigo
38 Concord, Fayette, Scottsboro Airport, Cullman Airport, Pinson, Russellville Skycam
39 Jasper, Dora, Centreville, Decatur, Huntsville, Ft. Payne Airport

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Weather Changes, Finally!

2010-09-28T06:08:00.002-05:00

Thanks to an upper level low and a trough, North and Central Alabama are experiencing fog and cool temperatures this morning following three days of much needed rainfall. Rainfall totals over the past three days have been in the 1-3 inch range in portions of the state.

I saw two rainbows yesterday (one just after 7 a.m. and one just after 6 p.m.) but wasn't really in a good position for a photo. My rainbow photos never seem to do justice to what I am actually seeing.

A sampling of temperatures this morning includes:

MUSCLE SHOALS  CLEAR     51     
HUNTSVILLE     FOG       52   
DECATUR        CLEAR     50         
HALEYVILLE     FAIR      46           
GADSDEN        CLOUDY    48

From this morning's NWS Huntsville Forecast Discussion:

MONDAY/S "DAYTIME" HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 65F DEGREES AT HUNTSVILLE 
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE HIGH TEMP WAS BELOW 70F 
SINCE APRIL 27...EXACTLY 5 MONTHS.

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Storms Tonight in Madison County

2010-08-21T22:28:00.002-05:00

These lightning images were taken at Chapman School in NE Huntsville this evening.

Thunderstorm wind damage occurred in Meridianville and Hazel Green, AL:

Time: 2010-08-22 01:25 UTC
Event: 0 TSTM WND DMG
Source: emergency mngr
Remark: tree down on a power line on cornfield lane west of meridianville. time estimated by radar.

Time: 2010-08-22 01:25 UTC
Event: 0 TSTM WND DMG
Source: emergency mngr
Remark: trees down in the walnut grove area east of hazel green. a car ran into one of the downed trees.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect...

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
819 PM CDT SAT AUG 21 2010

ALC071-089-TNC103-220130-
/O.CON.KHUN.SV.W.0152.000000T0000Z-100822T0130Z/
MADISON AL-JACKSON AL-LINCOLN TN-
819 PM CDT SAT AUG 21 2010

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN...NORTHWESTERN JACKSON AND NORTHERN MADISON
COUNTIES...

AT 818 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LINCOLN...OR ABOUT 9
MILES SOUTH OF FAYETTEVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
FLINTVILLE...HAZEL GREEN...GLADSTONE...MERIDIANVILLE...ELORA...
PLEVNA...NORMAL...LARKIN...DEPOSIT...NEW MARKET AND MOORES MILL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN SOUTHERN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE...NORTH OF PULASKI...AND IN THE RED OAK COMMUNITY
IN NORTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY. SEEK SHELTER NOW INSIDE A STURDY
STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

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July 19 Huntsville Sunset

2010-07-19T22:13:00.000-05:00

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Alabama Skies Today

2010-07-18T16:46:00.002-05:00

Time lapse looking NE of Huntsville, AL from Oak Park, 2:50-4:01 p.m.

7/18/10 Huntsville, AL Evening Skies

NWS HUN Survey

2010-07-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1050 AM CDT WED JUL 14 2010...

STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS CAUSE DAMAGE IN MORGAN COUNTY TUESDAY...

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS RACED ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA TUESDAY /JULY 13/...BETWEEN 11 AM AND 2 PM. SEVERAL REPORTS OF THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED ACROSS MORGAN COUNTY...BETWEEN DANVILLE AND HARTSELLE SHORTLY AFTER NOON. A METAL ROOF WAS PEELED OFF ONE HOME...AND A TREE FELL ON TOP OF ANOTHER HOME. FORTUNATELY...THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. BASED ON SURVEYING THE DAMAGE AND REVIEWING THE RADAR DATA...THE NWS IN HUNTSVILLE HAS CONFIRMED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS.

$$DJN

Morgan County Storms

2010-07-13T17:48:00.004-05:00

I saw a couple of storms today in Decatur, Alabama. I was working, so in order to see them, I had to time my morning break and half-hour lunch break perfectly. An isolated storm moved just north of my location just after 11:30 a.m. while I was on my morning break. Here are two photos of that storm. It was not severe and no warning was in effect.

11:32 a.m.

11:36 a.m.

I timed my lunch perfectly. I was about to walk out the door at 12:14 when my NOAA Weather Radio alarm went off to broadcast a severe thunderstorm warning for Morgan County. I left the office at 12:15 and positioned myself at the southern tip of Decatur on US 31. That was probably the part of the storm with the highest winds. I estimate that the peak winds I witnessed were approximately 50 mph. Initially the winds were out of the southwest as the storm began but they gradually became more westerly and then northwesterly. After the highest winds and heaviest rains subsided there was a brief period of frequent cloud to ground lightning. Several strikes were close with one of the strikes being 50-100 yards behind me in a field. Since I was in my car to stay safe from the lightning and to stay dry, I was unable to get any really good photos of the lightning that were close. I may have captured one strike on video after the storm had passed off to the east. If I can capture that one I will post it later. My friend Jennifer New captured some radar images for me. It was a great way for a weather geek to enjoy a 30 minute lunch!

12:21

12:24 p.m. Hytop Nexrad

12:26 p.m.

12:27 p.m.

12:28 p.m.

12:29 p.m. Hytop Nexrad Velocity

12:29 Hytop Nexrad

12:30 p.m.

13:33 Hytop Nexrad

Short video of part of the storm...

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Severe Thunderstorm in Lawrence Co., AL

2010-07-13T12:04:00.001-05:00

These images were taken from the UAH Armor Radar at approximately 12 noon.

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Slight Risk For Severe Weather in North Alabama...

2010-07-13T06:56:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from SPC Outlook...

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1257 AM CDT TUE JUL 13 2010

VALID 131200Z - 141200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE TN VALLEY INTO THE SRN
APPALACHIANS REGION...

...TN VALLEY/SRN APPALACHIANS REGION...
30-40 KT WLY MID LEVEL FLOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE TN
VALLEY TO SRN APPALACHIANS REGION TO VA/CAROLINAS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EARLY EVENING. DESPITE WEAK MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES...SURFACE HEATING
WITHIN A RATHER MOIST AIR MASS RESIDING ACROSS THE TN VALLEY AND IN
LEE OF THE SRN/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS IS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT MODERATE
INSTABILITY BY AFTERNOON. TSTMS PRODUCING MAINLY STRONG WIND GUSTS
SHOULD POSE THE GREATEST THREAT ALONG THE CORRIDOR OF STRONGER
MIDLEVEL WLY MIDLEVEL FLOW.

..PETERS/GRAMS.. 07/13/2010

Alabama Weather I Observed in June 2010

2010-06-29T19:02:00.005-05:00

It has been a month since I posted here, so it is high time I share a few highlights from the previous month.

5/30/10 & 5/31/10 Memorial Day Weekend Skies in North Alabama:

6/02/10 NE Huntsville, AL Thunderstorm Time Lapse:

6/4/10 Oil spill Reaches Alabama Beaches

A man was struck by lightning 6/4/10 near Ripley in Limestone Co, AL. He was injured and will live. A reminder to seek shelter.

6/9/10 - My report to the NWS Huntsville: RT @stormreports: Madison County, AL - 60 mph wind gust estimated by spotter near chapman middle school in northeast huntsville

6/09/10 - Huntsville, AL Severe Thunderstorm Video:

6/13/10 NE Huntsville Sky Time Lapse:

6/14/10 - At 11 a.m. it was 97F on my car thermometer in Decatur, AL. Heat index 105F at 11 a.m. at Huntsville International Airport.

6/16/10 - Skies just NE of Huntsville, AL at 5:33 p.m.:

6/16/10 Huntsville, AL Sky Time Lapse:

6/17/10 Outflow Boundary on Radar:

6/17/10 - Decatur, AL Convection Time Lapse:

6/19/10 - Amazing shelf cloud just rolled through Madison, AL. Flooding on I-565 west of Madison:

6/19/10 - Madison, AL Shelf Cloud Time Lapse:

Walker-Jefferson Co., AL Storm - 5/28/10

2010-05-29T13:18:00.007-05:00

These images were captured near the intersection of Alabama Highway 269 and Walker County Road 61 on the Walker-Jefferson line, south of Gorgas and east of Oakman. These images were made looking west toward a severe thunderstorm that was near Oakman....

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5/28/2010 - Convection in Morgan County, AL

2010-05-29T10:36:00.001-05:00

Time lapse of storms that later became severe. These storms developed in Madison County and I followed them through Morgan, Cullman, and Walker, all the way into Jefferson County.

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Storms in North Alabama

2010-05-28T14:28:00.001-05:00

2:40 Weather Underground image for Madison/Jackson counties.

UAH Armor Radar at 2:30

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Storms in Decatur & Huntsville - 5/20/10

2010-05-21T07:39:00.001-05:00

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WeatherBrains Tonight

2010-05-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

I am excited to mention that I will be a guest panelist on the WeatherBrains podcast tonight! I have mentioned WeathBrains several times in the past on this blog. It's a great weekly show for anyone who considers themselves a weather enthusiast.

This evening's podcast will also be carried live (for the second time ever) via Ustream at 8:30 CDT.

I hope you can listen.

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May 10, 2010 Oklahoma Chase

2010-05-16T16:21:00.001-05:00

This is the continuation of our chase story that began in a previous post.

We left Tulsa, where we got tangled up in a bunch of detours in downtown. We decided to head west on Highway 51. We wanted to get a bit closer to where storms were probably going to be initiating. After talking with Brett Adair and Greg Nordstrom , we decided to stay off the interstates and turnpikes as much as possible. They pointed out the possibility of those roads being blocked during tornado warnings.

After passing through Stillwater, we arrived at the junction of I-35 and Highway 51. After taking a quick break, we kept a close watch on the radar. The first Oklahoma supercell of the day exploded rapidly to our north in Alfalfa County and a tornado warning was issued at 4:22. We didn't really have time to pursue that one, plus we knew storms would break out further south along the dryline.

Around 4:25 we noticed another storm, just to our northwest and south of the Alfalfa storm was beginning to ramp up. I suggested to John that we should go for it. He wasn't as inclined at first. It appeared to me that it would suck energy away from the Alfalfa storm and cells to the south were slow to develop. My thinking was that we could pursue it and still have time to intercept one later to the south after they started to develop.

John drove us north, through Perry, OK. We stopped just before we got to Hwy 15. John actually made the very wise decision to pull us back south a few hundred yards. My suggestion was further north. Here we saw a wall cloud that produced a few funnels. The inflow was very strong. Gravel was being slung at the truck. John said his truck was shaking. I had a very hard time walking against the wind to get back to the truck. The wall cloud actually passed immediately north of us. We could look up and see it. It was like looking up at a top. It was wider at the top and almost came down to a point in the middle. In the chaos and the severe winds, I didn't capture much good video of the wall cloud as it went over us. It was rotating rapidly. I actually had my glasses blow off, my tripods were blown over, and got pelted by dirt and gravel. Those were the among the strongest inflow winds I have ever experienced. Rick Lipscomb helped with radar guidance and captured some GR2 shots for us.

After getting the equipment in the truck, we decided to follow the storm east on Hwy 15 through Red Rock. In the video you can see that there were several other chasers on this road. We saw some debris and a tornado was reported to the NWS Norman just before 5 p.m., about a mile to our north. We finally stopped just before the highway ended at Sooner Lake. There we witnessed an amazing inflow cloud. It looked like a cylinder of clouds feeding into the supercell. Some of that was captured on video but the video doesn't really do it justice. Again, even where we were, the inflow winds were very strong. Then we saw what looked like a possible tornado in the vicinity of Sooner Lake, to our east. What appeared to be a debris cloud formed near the surface and gradually filled in upward toward the base of the cloud. If you look closely at the photos, it appeared to have multiple streaks that might have been separate areas of vorticity. Sadly, I captured very little video of that, but there are a few good pictures.

After our adventures in Noble County, we decided to go south as mentioned before. By this time, storms had erupted to our south and the Oklahoma City metro area was getting slammed by several tornadoes. John said that the only way we could get in position for another possible intercept was to go back through Tulsa. Due to traffic, detours, and slow toll booths, it was obvious that this would make it difficult, at best, to get into position. We went through a couple of toll booths. Those workers were slow as Christmas! We also went through an "unmanned" toll booth on an entrance ramp that demanded exact change. We scoured John's truck for what seemed to be an eternity before we decided to go on through without paying. There was no other option! Maybe he hasn't gotten a ticket in the mail yet! John did some excellent driving. We got caught in a traffic jam in Tulsa, and somehow he was able to get off the Turnpike and maneuver his way through some city streets to get us out of town. At that point I thought we were almost done. Brett Adair and Jennifer New were keeping John and I aware, via phone, of the amazing storms to our south.

With Jennifer's help with road and storm position information, we decided to keep going south on the Muskogee Turnpike towards I-4o. It was a bit dramatic, to say the least. There was a strong area of rotation and we didn't have much time to spare to get in position safely. We went for it and thanks to Jennifer's level headed guidance and John's good driving (he had already been driving about 14 out of the previous 18 hours) we got into position for our second intercept.

We stopped in the parking lot of Charlie's Chicken, on Exit 287, at the intersection of I-40 and Hwy 100 in Webber's Falls, OK. There we saw two separate wall clouds and an amazing display of cloud to ground lightning. All of that is on the video. After the weather show, we met the very nice owners of the restaurant, Butch and Sharon Cox. They offered us a wonderful free meal of fried chicken fingers, cole slaw, and mashed potatoes and gravy. They had closed the store. They were super nice. I told them that we Alabamians pride ourselves on hospitality, but that I have never seen it better than they showed.

John and I had considered driving all the way back, but by this point we knew it wasn't an option. We stopped at the Interstate Hotel. John fell asleep while uploading a video. I posted some pictures on Facebook and had a hard time coming down off an adrenaline rush. Finally, at 12:55 a.m., I crashed.

A great day. I want to go back!

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A few videos from the day by others:

Multiple vortex video

Wakita Tornado

Mustang El Reno Tornado

Video by Tony Laubach

El Reno - Yukon Tornado

Tornado near Wakita, OK

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Oklahoma Chase Videos, 5/10/10

2010-05-13T00:02:00.002-05:00

5/10/10 Noble Co., OK Wall Cloud Time Lapse
This video was made some time between 4:30 and 5 p.m. CDT just north of Perry and west of Red Rock, Oklahoma.

5/10/10 Amazing Inflow Winds Near Red Rock, OK
John Brown and I followed this storm from west to east and by the time we passed Red Rock (Noble County), OK, we came upon some very strong inflow winds. The same storm had earlier blasted us with estimated infow of over 60 mph.

5/10/10 Webber's Falls, Oklahoma Supercell
This video was made near the intersection of the Highway 150 and Interstate 40 in Webber's Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. The video is edited to make the lightning strikes closer together than they appeared in real time, but not by much! This is the same cell that earlier produced tornadoes along the I-40 corridor back towards Oklahoma City.

Finally, here is a link to some of my favorite photos of these two storms.

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5/10/10 Ongoing Chase Notes

2010-05-10T13:42:00.001-05:00

SPC Day Two Outlook had parts of KS and OK under a moderate risk.

Left Huntsville at 11:10. It was 57F.

Met John Brown at Cullman at 12:10. Headed west on Hwy 278.

Multimedia forecast from Norman, OK NWS........ http://bit.ly/4xDFz9 #fb

At 1 John and I agreed that if The SPC Day One outlook is reduced to slight (which we didn't really expect), we are turning around and going home.

One second late, my Twitter feed said, "SPC issues HIGH Risk for Monday... details momentarily..." ...REGIONAL TORNADO OUTBREAK AND LONG-TRACK STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES BECOMING LIKELY IN ERN OK AND SE KS...

Messaged with Greg Nordstrom. Will try to meet up with him and others with him in the afternoon.

Entered Mississippi at 2 a.m. Lots of rain to our west.

Talked to Brett Adair at 3 a.m. He gave us some good driving tips for Oklahoma. Ran into some rain at this time, about 60 miles outside of Memphis.

John got us all the way to 150 miles from Little Rock. I'm about to take the wheel now at 4:40 and give him a break. I wish I had slept better. I'm good to go for now, though. Making good time.

Approaching Little Rock on the way OK as the sun rises. Lots of rain in AR. MM188 on I40 at 6am. #arwx #alwx #fb http://myloc.me/6U6bL

Lots of lightning, rain 20 miles east of Little Rock. 6:13 am. #arwx #fb http://tweetphoto.com/21865269

135 mi from OK near Conway, AR. At 6:55. Rain continues. Heavy at times. http://myloc.me/6UdfE

Just passed a place called Toad Suck Park..... http://myloc.me/6Uea3

@simpson3340 With John Brown. He suggested. Glad I decided to do it. So far. Long haul. 2nd thoughts about driving up here for the AR game.

Jason pointed out that we are headed toward where he saw his first tornado in Dustin, OK in 2001.

@simpson3340 Cool. I hope to do the same. I dreamed we saw some.

7:15 Spoke with Jennifer... She reminded me to stay safe but to get her a tornado. May capture me some radar images.

7:45 Texted Rick... He should be able to capture some cool GR3 images for me...or radar support.

8:00 Msg'ed Carrie... She may chase, but if not may capture radar.

Spoke with Greg Nordtrom... He gave me a run down of his current thinking. He says he will have a much better handle in a few hours. Really need to get some breaks in the clouds. Lots of potential. Their ETA for OKC would be around 12:30. He will do some serious mesoanalysis. Will call back later. May be able to get with him and his team, LDCT.

Sounding link from Greg Nordstrom.

From Brett Adair...

9:35 a.m. Broadcasting live severe weather coverage from Oklahoma... (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/KGU) #okwx #fb

9:45 Welcome to Oklahoma... Driving duties given back to John Brown... Quick blog update, look at data, and hopefully a nap coming up.

10 a.m. Current thinking: Stop in Tulsa area, analyze, and get in position....

10:30-12 - Attempted to rest here at the intersection of I40 and the Muskogee Turnpike. Got very little rest. New Day one is out. Very little change. Seeing some clearing to the west on visible sat. Looks like we may head to Tulsa shortly. John indicated that Tulsa has roads fanning out in several directions. I agree. New mesoscale discussion out from SPC. Surface winds are very gusty. Surface dewpoints are now over 60 in South OK. Narrow toung of instabilty will pass through this part of OK later this afternoon. Right now it looks live we could be in for a very volatile situation. Still cool here at the moment, just before 12 Noon.

12:05 p.m. John and I are heading up the Muskogee Turnpike toward Tulsa.... http://bit.ly/ksv6P

1:06 Tornado watch may be issued w/n the hour for North Central OK and S Central KS. http://bit.ly/cmHwKD

1:10 RT @Skilling: 90s just SW, 100+ mph w jet stream wind overhead, 70+ mph S winds just abv the surface, upper 60s dwpt Stunning supercell envi

1:23 Spoke with Greg Nordstrom. They are coming north out of Oklahoma City and are probably going to stop at Guthrie. He mentioned that they may go north from there, depending on how things develop. We are heading in that general direction... West on Hwy 51 out of Tulsa. We discussed the advantages of staying off the turnpikes (lack of exits and possibility that they will be shut down....

1:37 RT @severestudios: New Tornado Watch for KS, OK until 10pm CDT. This is a PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) http://bit.ly/se1ut #fb http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/watch/ww0147.html PDS!!!

...

PDS Watch in Oklahoma

2010-05-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED    TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 147    NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK    125 PM CDT MON MAY 10 2010        THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A    TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF                SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS           CENTRAL AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA        EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 125 PM UNTIL    1000 PM CDT.        ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...        DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...    THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE    POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.        THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 95 STATUTE    MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF    FORT SILL OKLAHOMA TO 25 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF WICHITA KANSAS.     FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH    OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).        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 146...        DISCUSSION...AN DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT IS DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF    SOUTHERN KS AND WESTERN/CENTRAL OK THIS AFTERNOON AS AIRMASS RAPIDLY    DESTABILIZES AND UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES.  THUNDERSTORMS ARE    EXPECTED TO INITIALLY DEVELOP ALONG THE SURFACE DRYLINE OVER WESTERN    OK...THEN PROGRESSING EASTWARD THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND    EVENING.  TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY WITH THE    THREAT OF STRONG AND LONG-TRACK TORNADOES.  VERY LARGE HAIL IS ALSO    LIKELY IN THE STRONGER CELLS.        AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL    SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 4 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE    WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO    500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25045.            ...HART

High Risk Continues

2010-05-10T11:33:00.003-05:00

   VALID 101630Z - 111200Z

...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH
CENTRAL/SOUTHEAST KS...AND CENTRAL/NORTHEAST OK THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS SURROUNDING THE HIGH RISK IN
KS...OK...SW MO...AND NW AR...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM CENTRAL/NW TX TO THE
CENTRAL PLAINS AND MID MS VALLEY THROUGH TONIGHT...

...A FEW STRONG AND POTENTIALLY LONG-TRACK TORNADOES...ALONG WITH
VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS
AFTERNOON/EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL/NE OK AND EXTREME S CENTRAL/SE
KS...

A POWERFUL AND PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS TRACKING RAPIDLY
EASTWARD ACROSS CO/NM THIS MORNING...AND WILL EMERGE INTO THE HIGH
PLAINS BY LATE AFTERNOON.  AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH...A BROAD AREA OF
STRONG SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS IS TRANSPORTING GULF MOISTURE
QUICKLY NORTHWARD WITH MID 60S SURFACE DEWPOINTS NOW AS FAR NORTH AS
SOUTHERN OK.  LOW CLOUDS ARE ALSO ERODING ACROSS OK WHICH WILL
RESULT IN A VERY POTENT SEVERE WEATHER SETUP LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
VIRTUALLY ALL MODEL GUIDANCE IS CONSISTENT IN FORECASTING THE
POTENTIAL FOR A REGIONAL TORNADO AND SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OVER
PORTIONS OF KS/OK.

...SOUTHWEST KS...
INITIAL DEVELOPMENT WILL LIKELY OCCUR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE
DRYLINE OVER SOUTHWEST KS.  LOW CLOUDS ARE ERODING FROM THE WEST IN
THIS AREA...LEADING TO A NARROW AXIS OF MODERATE INSTABILITY.  LARGE
SCALE FORCING FOR UPWARD MOTION WILL ARRIVE IN THIS AREA
FIRST...WHERE THE CAPPING INVERSION SHOULD BE WEAK.  WIND PROFILES
SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL
AND TORNADOES.  LONGEVITY OF THIS ACTIVITY IS UNCERTAIN AND DEPENDS
ON SPEED OF DESTABILIZATION FARTHER EAST INTO CENTRAL KS.

...SOUTHERN KS/NORTHERN AND CENTRAL OK...
THE PRIMARY CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT TODAY IS LIKELY TO BEGIN AROUND
21Z IN NORTH CENTRAL OR POTENTIALLY NORTHWEST OK ALONG THE DRYLINE.
THIS WILL ALSO BE NEAR THE TRIPLE POINT INTERSECTION OF THE DRYLINE
AND RETREATING WARM FRONT.  STORMS IN THIS AREA WILL BE IN AN
ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY VERY FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER /EFFECTIVE
SHEAR OF 50-75 KNOTS/ AND LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR /EFFECTIVE SRH OF
250-350 M2/S2/...ALONG WITH AMPLE MOISTURE /DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER
60S/ AND CAPE /RELATIVELY UNCAPPED MLCAPE OVER 3000 J/KG/.  STORMS
SHOULD BECOME RAPIDLY SUPERCELLULAR AND RACE EAST-NORTHEASTWARD
ACROSS SOUTHERN KS AND NORTHERN OK THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.  PARAMETERS INDICATE A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR INTENSE
SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF STRONG AND EVEN LONG-TRACK TORNADOES.  VERY
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ALSO APPEAR LIKELY WITH THE STRONGEST
CELLS.

THE EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT SOUTHWARD ALONG THE DRYLINE REMAINS A
QUESTION.  SOME OF THE 12Z MODEL RUNS ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN
SOUTHWARD DEVELOPMENT...SUGGESTING WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF SEVERE
STORMS COULD BE AS FAR SOUTH AS I-40.  HOWEVER...HIGHEST CONFIDENCE
REMAINS OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE HIGH RISK AREA.  ANY STORM
THAT FORMS ALONG THE DRYLINE IN OK TODAY WILL POSE A THREAT OF
STRONG TORNADOES AND VERY LARGE HAIL.

SURFACE DRYLINE EXTENDS SOUTHWARD INTO CENTRAL TX...AND MAY PROVIDE
THE FOCUS FOR ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING.  LACK OF SUFFICIENT LARGE SCALE FORCING AND A RATHER STRONG
CAPPING INVERSION SUGGEST THAT AREAL COVERAGE OF STORMS WILL BE
QUITE SPARSE.

..HART/SMITH.. 05/10/2010

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This Week's Active Weather

2010-05-02T06:51:00.001-05:00

Here are a few recent pictures I have taken while watching the weather.

4/24/2010 at 4:22 p.m., South of Fayette, AL on Hwy 171.

4/24/2010 at 9:07 p.m. Fultondale, AL, looking north.
There was a significant outbreak of tornadoes in Alabama on April 24.

4/24/2010 Lightning captured from video.

4/27/10 at 4:28 p.m., Tennessee River at Decatur, AL
Strong cool air showers moved across North Alabama on April 27.

5/1/2010 at 5:02 p.m. in Pulaski, Giles Co., TN.

5/1/2010 at 5:14 p.m. in Pulaski, Giles Co., TN
There were a lot of tornado warnings on May 1. This storm was tornado-warned.

Finally, a time lapse video from Pulaski...

April 24, 2010 Alabama Tornadoes

2010-04-28T17:06:00.002-05:00

Storm surveys have been conducted this week in Alabama by the National Weather Service Offices in Huntsville and Birmingham in the wake of a series of significant tornadoes that raked north and central parts of the state Saturday night. Surveys were conducted Sunday, but due to the extensive nature of the damage, additional surveys have been conducted as the week has progressed. As of now, the following tornadoes have been confirmed:

From the NWS Huntsville:

1. Cullman County Tornado - EF2 - 115 mph - 6 mile long path - 300 yards wide - 7:13 p.m. Tornado touched down on US 31 and County Road 301 just south of Cullman and moved through the Phelan and Welti communities. Roofs of two businesses were destroyed. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Tin roofs from chicken houses were thrown over a mile. No injuries were reported. Approximately 6:51 p.m.

Storm survey by the NWS Huntsville, including radar images and damage photos.

Radar image as the storm approached Dodge City posted by Bill Murray at Alabamawx.com.

Blog post by Dale Bader of WAAY 31.

Cullman Times article.

Cullman Times article. Note the comments about siren failure.

CBS 42 article and video.

WHNT 19 article.

2. Albertville - Gelraldine - Marshall/Dekalb counties - EF3 - 140 mph - 18.5 mile long path - 3/4 mile wide. In excess of 33 people were injured. Numerous buildings were damaged in Albertville, including the high school, large retail buildings, First Baptist Church, and numerous residences. Approximately 10:14 p.m.

NWS Huntsville storm survey including damage photos and radar images.

Blog post by Dan Satterfield of WHNT 19.

"Albertville Was Luckier Than Most" By Dan Satterfield of WHNT 19.

Radar image as the tornado was over Geraldine, posted by Bill Murray of Alabamawx.com.

Radar image after the storm passed Geraldine posted by Bill Murray at Alabamawx.com.

Video of damage at Albertville.

Damage pictures by Michelle Miklik on Alabamawx.com.

Scottsboro Daily Sentinal article.

Gadsden Times article.

Another Gadsden Times article.

WAAY 31 article, video.

Huntsville Times article.

Photos from the Huntsville Times.

3. Mentone - Dekalb County - EF3 - 140 mph - 2.0 mile long path - 1/4 mile wide. Several mobile homes were completely destroyed southeast of Mentone. Several injuries were reported but no exact number has been determined as of this time. Approximately 11:15 p.m.

Survey by NWS Huntsville, including damage pictures and radar images.

Damage pictures from Alabamawx.com.

4. Mount Vernon (near Collinsville) - Dekalb County - EF4 - 170 mph - 7.3 mile long path, 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide. This storm impacted the Mount Vernon and Dog Town communities in extreme SE Dekalb. The McNutt Memorial United Methodist Church and a house next to it were completely destroyed. There was structural damage to residences along County Rd. 79 and mobile homes on County Rd. 60 were destroyed. Several injuries were reported but an exact number is unknown at this time. Approxinately 11:48 p.m.

NWS Huntsville storm survey, including radar images and damage pictures.

Pictures by Robyn Henry of the damage at Mount Vernon.

Radar image at the time of the warning, posted by Bill Murray on Alabamawx.com.

Mount Vernon damage pictures from Alabamawx.com.

From the NWS Birmingham:

5. Walker/Jefferson/Blount Counties - EF3 - 140 mph - 29.5 mile long path, 400 yards wide - 10:04 p.m. - 10:55 p.m. 70-80 homes and businesses were damaged and one was destroyed. No people were injured or killed as a result of the storm, but a 50 year old woman died on her way to a storm shelter when she slipped and fell.

Video of lightning associated with the tornadic storm.

Damage Photos from Cordova by Sandra Short.

Radar image I saved as tornado was near Sumiton.

Radar image as the tornado was near Cordova posted by Bill Murray on Alabamawx.com.

Radar image as the tornado was over Sumiton posted by Bill Murray on Alabamawx.com.

Radar image of the storm as it crossed I-65 posted by Bill Murray on Alabamawx.com.

6. Marion County - EF0 - 80 mph, 7.22 mile long path - 200 yards wide - 4:27-4:38 p.m. Three homes, a vehicle, and out buildings were damaged. 40-60 hardwood trees were uprooted. Tornado was on the ground from just SE of Gu-Win and travelled NE. There were no injuries or fatalities.

Tuscaloosa News article summarizing the tornadoes in Alabama.

7. Blount/Marshall Counties - EF1 - 100 mph - 2.18 mile long path - 200 yards wide - 9:59-10:09 p.m. A tornado formed 4 miles NE of Brooksville and moved NE. A few homes were damaged and a barn was destroyed. Several hundred trees were snapped and uprooted. There were no injuries or fatalities.

8. Fayette County - EF1 - 100 mph - 6.6 mile long path - 200 yards wide - 8:06-8:17 p.m. A tornado travelled from 2 miles south of the intersection of Highway 43 and County Road 26 to just south of Berry. Four homes received minor damage and several hundred trees were snapped or uprooted.

9. Fayette/Walker Counties - EF1 - 100 mph - 4.6 mile long path - 400 yards wide - 8:21-8:35 p.m. Tornado formed northeast of Berry in southeast Fayette and travelled into Walker, dissipating five miles west of Oakman. A 100 foot radio tower was blown down and several hundred tress were snapped or uprooted.

10. Hale County - EF0 - 80 mph - 5.84 mile long path - 100 yards wide - 11:50 a.m.-12:03 p.m. Tornado formed 5 miles northeast of Greensboro and travelled northeast, dissipating near Hogglesville. Three homes experienced minor damage and one barn was destroyed. 30-40 trees were uprooted.

...

4/24/10 Yazoo, Mississippi EF4

2010-04-28T06:43:00.011-05:00

I will add a few links periodically on this tornado in upcoming days. First I want to add a couple of very interesting chase accounts.

Eye of the Storm Blog by Greg Nordstrom

Forecastr Blog by Michael Carter

These are both excellent reads on the evolution of the storm that became the "Yazoo Tornado". They are definitely must reading for anyone interested in meteorology, severe weather, storm spotting, and storm chasing. Very educational.

April 23-24, 2010 Tornado Outbreak - NWS Jackson, Mississippi

Video of the tornado from tornadovideos.net.

Amazing video of a band on the run getting hit by a tornado. WLBT 3 Jackson.

Another great home video of the Yazoo tornado.

....

...

A Thought on Saturday's Tornado Outbreak

2010-04-28T06:40:00.002-05:00

I am super-happy and thank God that despite all of the strong to violent tornadoes (EF3's and even an EF4), that no one died directly because of the weather in Alabama Saturday. This is especially remarkable considering that it was a night time event!

The Storm Prediction Center, The NWS in Huntsville and Birmingham, local media, emergency management, and storm spotters all deserve to be congratulated on jobs well-done.

The real key to it all, though, is the fact that people evidently heeded the warnings and generally did an excellent job of taking safety precautions.

And based on a few stories I have read, I have to give credit to God for some miraculous supernatural protection in some cases. Prayers were answered.

...

Testing Severe Studios Feed 4/28/10

2010-04-26T17:07:00.000-05:00

A Day to be Weather-Aware in Alabama

2010-04-24T01:57:00.005-05:00

Looking at data from the SREF, or Short Range Ensemble Forecast from the SPC (Storm Prediction Center), it appears that the main window for severe weather in Alabama will be from 10 a.m. through 10 p.m., Saturday April 27, 2010. However, a few storms could be severe before or after that time. Also, there may be a lull in the action some of that time.

Parameters seem to be coming together favorably for the possibility of large tornadoes between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in West, North, and Central Alabama.

Having said the above, the best thing to do with this powerful and complex developing weather system is watch the weather closely as it develops throughout the day.

All outdoor events should be canceled.
All Alabamians should be close to a good source of weather information, including local media and NOAA Weather Radio. Please do not depend on sirens.
Every family should have a plan in the event a warning is issued for your area.
Every warning should be taken with a heightened level of seriousness.
If you see a storm in your area, assume that it could produce a tornado and take cover immediately.
Avoid mobile homes and driving cars as much as possible in areas with storms. Most people die in mobile homes and cars during tornadoes.
Basements and storm shelters provide the best protection. Otherwise, seek shelter on the lowest level of a building, near the middle, preferably a small room such as a closet, and stay away from windows.
Take personal responsibility for the safety of you and your family.
Stay calm, but remain alert to weather all day and night.
Let's make it a goal that regardless of the weather, residents of Alabama experience no serious injuries or death on Saturday.

...

HIGH RISK - Alabama and Mississippi

2010-04-24T01:24:00.003-05:00

SPC Convective Outlook, Day One (Saturday 4/24/10)

Tornado Risk

Hail Risk

Severe Wind Risk

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1257 AM CDT SAT APR 24 2010

VALID 241200Z - 251200Z

...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS PORTIONS SERN AR...NERN
LA...MS...CENTRAL/NRN AL...

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ELSEWHERE FROM PORTIONS E TX TO
CENTRAL/NRN LA...AL...WRN GA...TN...SRN/CENTRAL KY...EXTREME SERN
MO...CENTRAL/SRN/ERN AR....

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS SURROUNDING MDT RISK...FROM
GULF COAST OF SE TX TO FL PANHANDLE...TO PORTIONS WV/OH...TO
PORTIONS LOWER MO VALLEY REGION...TO E TX....

OUTBREAK OF NUMEROUS SVR TSTMS IS EXPECTED TODAY...GREATEST
CONCENTRATION/INTENSITY OF WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE STG-VIOLENT TORNADO
THREAT AFFECTING MID-SOUTH...MS DELTA REGION...AND TN VALLEY.

...SYNOPSIS...
SPLIT-FLOW PATTERN IN MID-UPPER LEVELS FEATURES CYCLONE INITIALLY
LOCATED OVER CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS...FCST TO MOVE EWD ACROSS KS TO WRN
MO BY 25/00Z AND WEAKEN ALONG WITH ITS SFC MANIFESTATION.
MEANWHILE...STG SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND SPEED MAX ALOFT -- WHICH
COMPRISED MOST OF INITIAL UPPER CYCLONE OVER SWRN CONUS DURING
PREVIOUS FEW DAYS -- IS FCST TO EJECT NEWD FROM CENTRAL TX TO ERN
MO/SRN IL AREA BY 25/00Z...TAKING OVER AGAIN AS PRIMARY 500 MB LOW.
BY THAT TIME...CORRESPONDING SFC CYCLONE WILL FORM ALONG OCCLUSION
TRIPLE POINT E OF ORIGINAL...AND CLOSE TO NEWER MID-UPPER CYCLONE
CENTER.  THIS PROCESS WILL RESULT IN REINFORCEMENT/ACCELERATION OF
INITIALLY STALLED FRONTAL SEGMENT NOW OVER SWRN/CENTRAL TX NNEWD
OVER ERN OK.  FRONT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS MUCH OF LA...WRN MS AND WRN
PORTIONS TN/KY BY 25/00Z...TO FL PANHANDLE...AL...MIDDLE-ERN TN AND
ERN KY BY END OF PERIOD....WHEN MID-UPPER CYCLONE SHOULD BE OVER NRN
PORTIONS IL/INDIANA...AND SRN LM AREA.

...LOWER MS VALLEY...MID-SOUTH AND TN VALLEY REGIONS...
TSTMS SHOULD BE INCREASING IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY AROUND BEGINNING OF
PERIOD OVER E TX...LA AND ARKLATEX REGION.  FOREGOING AIR MASS --
ALREADY MOISTENED/DESTABILIZED FAVORABLY BY PRIOR/OVERNIGHT THETAE
ADVECTION...WILL FURTHER DESTABILIZE AMIDST SFC DIABATIC HEATING.
AMOUNT OF HEATING IS SOMEWHAT IN QUESTION BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL FOR
CLOUD/ANVIL DEBRIS SPREADING DOWNSTREAM IN MID-UPPER LEVELS FROM
EARLY CONVECTION...PERHAPS INCLUDING TEMPORAL EXTENSION OF ACTIVITY
NOW OVER S TX.  STILL...AWAY FROM EXISTING CONVECTION...EVERY
REASONABLE SCENARIO INDICATES THAT MLCINH GENERALLY WILL WEAKEN WITH
NWD EXTENT FROM GULF COAST...SUPPORTING EARLY AND RAPID DEVELOPMENT
AND INTENSIFICATION OF TSTMS FROM MID-MORNING THROUGH
MID-AFTERNOON...AND SUSTAINED THREAT SHIFTING EWD AND NEWD ACROSS
OUTLOOK AREA INTO EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS.

INTENSE VERTICAL WIND PROFILES WILL SPREAD ACROSS BROAD WARM/MOIST
SECTOR TODAY...MUCH OF WHICH ALREADY IS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF
LA...MS AND COASTAL AL.  THIS AIR MASS WILL SPREAD INLAND TOWARD TN
VALLEY AS CONVECTION/PRECIP NOW OVER TN/AL/GA SHIFTS NEWD.  SFC DEW
POINTS WILL BE 70S INVOF GULF COAST...TRANSITIONING TO UPPER 60S AS
FAR N AS TN AND LOW-MID 60S TO OH VALLEY. WEAKENING LAPSE RATES
ALOFT AND BUOYANCY WITH NWD EXTENT...FROM TN VALLEY TO OH VALLEY AND
GREAT LAKES...RENDER PROGRESSIVELY MORE CONDITIONAL NATURE TO SVR
THREAT...THOUGH KINEMATIC PROFILES WILL BECOME FAVORABLE OVER VERY
LARGE AREA S OF GREAT LAKES BY EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS.

MULTIPLE CONVECTIVE EPISODES AND STORM MODES ARE EXPECTED IN THIS
SITUATION...AGGREGATE OF WHICH SHOULD YIELD DENSE CONCENTRATION OF
SVR EVENTS BY END OF PERIOD ACROSS MDT/HIGH CATEGORICAL RISK AREAS.
THOUGH DISCRETE/CYCLIC TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE MOST POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS THREAT...ESPECIALLY OVER HIGH RISK AREA...CLUSTERED AND
QUASI-LINEAR CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS WITH EMBEDDED BOW/LEWP FORMATIONS
AND SUPERCELLS ALSO APPEAR PROBABLE.  STRENGTHENING DEEP-LAYER WINDS
AND RELATED FAST STORM MOTIONS PORTEND LONG TRACKS FOR SUPERCELLS
AND FOR SOME OF THEIR TORNADOES...AS WELL AS FOR SWATHS OF DAMAGING
WIND WITH ANY BOW/LEWP FEATURES.  THIS SUPPORTS RATHER ROBUST
PROBABILITIES FOR ALL SEVERE MODES.

PARAMETER SPACES IN FCST SOUNDINGS OVER HIGH RISK AREA -- SHIFTING
NEWD FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH AFTERNOON -- INCLUDE 50-60 KT LLJ
SUPPORTING VERY LARGE HODOGRAPHS WITH 0-1 AND 0-1 KM SRH 300-600
J/KG.  ALSO EXPECT 50-60 KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR MAGNITUDES BENEATH
110-140 KT 250 MB JET MAX AND 60-90 KT 500 MB WINDS...POTENTIALLY
JUXTAPOSED WITH MLCAPE 1500-2500 J/KG.

SUPERCELL/TORNADO THREAT MAY CARRY INTO EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS OVER
CENTRAL/SRN APPALACHIANS REGION AND WRN GA BEFORE DIMINISHING.

...IA...MO VALLEY REGION...
SCATTERED STG-SVR TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS AREA
INVOF LARGE CYCLONE ALOFT...AS STEEP MID-UPPER LEVEL LAPSE RATES
COLLOCATED WITH BROAD AREA OF LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND
DIABATIC/DIURNAL DESTABILIZATION  OF BOUNDARY LAYER.  MAIN CONCERN
WILL BE SVR HAIL...THOUGH POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING GUSTS EXISTS.  SVR
POTENTIAL SHOULD WANE SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER SUNSET.

..EDWARDS/GARNER.. 04/24/2010

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