Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Mobile, AL

August 14, 1987Baldwin County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at Aug 14, 1987, 4:03 AM CDT for Baldwin County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 14, 1987, 4:03 AM CDT (09:03 UTC)
Expired
Aug 14, 1987, 7:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Baldwin County, AL

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Boothville, LA (KBVE), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 217 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1987-08-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2472 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1987-08-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2472 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
680 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 140904
FFWMOB
ALC003-141200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
403 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...EXTREME SOUTHERN BALDWIN

AT 400 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT MOBILE
INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL INCREASING IN COVERAGE OVER EXTREME
SOUTHERN BALDWIN COUNTY.  ESTIMATES FROM RADAR AND SATELLITE
INDICATE THAT BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN NEAR
GULF SHORES AND ON THE FORT MORGAN PENINSULA IN THE LAST TWO HOURS.
GULF SHORES POLICE DEPARTMENT ALREADY REPORTS SIGNIFICANTw WATER ACROSS
THE FORT MORGAN ROAD AND OTHER ROADS AROUND GULF SHORES.  ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAINS ARE MOVING INTO THE AREA.
DO NOT DRIVE INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 14, 12:48 AM CDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1235 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE
FOR TONIGHT...
A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO THE WEST PART OF THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND A LARGE CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS
MOVING INTO BAY COUNTY AROUND PANAMA CITY.

AT 1230 AM CDT...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM MILTON ACROSS
PENSACOLA AND INTO THE COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF PERDIDO BAY...AND A
LARGE CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO THE COAST AROUND
PANAMA CITY.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE SCATTERED OVER
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL
WATERS.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND SOME BRIEF FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW AREAS WHICH ARE ALREADY
INUNDATED WITH PREVIOUS RAINS.
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 1:41 AM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
135 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE
FOR TONIGHT...
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE WEST END OF THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE.

AT 130 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTER-
ED OVER THE SOUTH HALF OF ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES AND THE
IMMEDIATE COASTAL WATERS. THE MAIN CONCENTRATION WAS ALONG THE COAST
FROM PERDIDO BAY TO NEAR NAVARRE.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND PATCHES OF RAIN
WERE SCATTERED OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...AND
THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS.
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND SOME BRIEF FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW AREAS WHICH ARE ALREADY
INUNDATED FROM PREVIOUS RAINS.
PERSONS SHOULD AVOID FLOOD PRONE AREAS AND KEEP ABREAST OF WEATHER.
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 2:44 AM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
235 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE
FOR TONIGHT...
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG THE COAST OF THE WEST FLORIDA PAN-
HANDLE.

AT 230 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER
THE COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND COASTAL ALABAMA
FROM FORT MORGAN ACROSS THE PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION TO NEAR FORT
WALTON. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE AROUND THE PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR
STATION AND OVER THE IMMEDIATE COASTLINE AND COASTAL WATERS FROM
PERDIDO BAY TO NAVARRE.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND PATCHES OF RAIN
WERE SCATTERED OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...AND
THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND SOME FLOODING OFQ STREETS AND LOW AREAS WHICH ARE ALREADY SOAKED.
Special weather statement, Aug 14, 3:37 AM CDT, 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
335 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST FLORIDA TONIGHT...
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG THE COAST OF THE WEST FLORIDA PAN-
HANDLE.

AT 330 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER
THE COASTAL SECTIONS AND COASTAL WATERS FROM THE EAST SHORE OF MOBILE
BAY ACROSS THE PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION TO WEST OF FORT WALTON.
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM FOLEY AND GULF SHORES ALABAMA TO
AROUND THE PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION AND THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL WATER.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...WERE SCATTERED ALONG THE
COASTAL SECTIONS AND WATERS FROM PASCAGOULA TO APALACHICOLA.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
CAUSING FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW AREAS. PERSONS SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR RAPID RISING WATEQRS WHILE THE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND
MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 7:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBConecuh, Escambia95 min
Aug 13, 8:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBConecuh, Escambia65 min
Aug 14, 9:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBMobile3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1987Every flash flood warning in 1987

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.