Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 21, 1989Shelby County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jun 21, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 21, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT (05:23 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1989, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Shelby 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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 64 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1989-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 643 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1989-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 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
643 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1272 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 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 KBHM 210527
FFWBHM
ALC117-210730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1223 AM CDT WED JUN 21 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
          ...SHELBY
 
HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE TO SPREAD SLOWLY NORTHEAST OVER SHELBY COUNTY AND
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF MORE THAN TWO INCHES AREA POSSIBLE BY
2AM WITH EXTENSIVE FLOODING OF LOW AREAS .
 
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATE#RS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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, Jun 20, 7:16 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
715 PM CDT TUE JUN 20 1989

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN WERE OCCURRING OVER SECTIONS OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.

AT 715 PM CDT THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE SCATTERED ALONG A LINE FROM
CHILTON COUNTY TO THE SYLACAUGA/CHILDERSBURG AREA TO NEAR PELL CITY
...THEN ON UP TO BETWEEN ANNISTON AND GADSDEN. OTHER STORMS WERE
OCCURRING NEAR ONEONTA IN BLOUNT COUNTY AND JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM.

SINCE THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE REMAINING NEARLY STATIONARY...THE HEAVY
DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS.

WIND GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH...DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND
POSSIBLY SOME HAIL MAY OCC^UR WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. THE STORMS SHOULD
BEGIN TO DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET.
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 7:16 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
715 PM CDT TUE JUN 20 1989

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST CENTRAL AND MUCH OF SOUTH ALABAMA FOR
TONIGHT...

WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY AT 710PM CDT SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN LINED UP FROM MAPLESVILLE TO JUST WEST OF SYLACAUGA
NORTHWARD. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A NARROW BAND FROM UNION SPRINGS
TO OPP AND FLORALA ALABAMA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DRIFTING EAST
NORTHEAST.

ALONG WITH THE HEAVY RAIN THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY HAVE GUSTY SURFACE
WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND HAIL.  REMEMBER THE GROUND IS ALREADY
SOAKED IN MANY AREAS AND DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS
FLASH FLOODINS OF LOW SPOTS...\STREETS...AND UNDERPASSES IS VERY LIKELY.
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 8:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
839 PM CDT TUE JUN 20 1989

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WERE
OCCURRING ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA.

AT 839 PM CDT THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR MAPLESVILLE ALONG
THE CHILTON/AUTAUGA COUNTY LINE AND TO THE WEST OF ANNISTON NEAR PELL
CITY.

SINCE THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST NORTHEAST...THE
HEAVY DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING
AREAS.

BESIDES THE HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING...THE STORMS MAY ALSO BE
ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THE STORMS WILL LIKELY
MAINTAIN THIER STRENGTH FOR THE HEXT HOUR OR TWO BEFORE DIMINISHING.
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 9:16 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
915 PM CDT TUE JUN 20 1989

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS SECTIONS OF JEFFERSON AND SHELBY
COUNTIES.

AT 915 PM CDT THE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG THE JEFFERSON/SHELBY
COUNTY LINE. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR SUCH AREAS AS CAHABA HEIGHTS
...INVERNESS...LEEDS AND PELHAM. OTHER STORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER
ST CLAIR COUNTY.

SINCE THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE E5AST NORTHEAST...THE
HEAVY DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING
AREAS.

THE STORMS WERE ALSO PRODUCING CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES.
GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 11:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair2 hr
Jun 21, 2:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert67 min
Jun 21, 3:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry42 min
Jun 21, 4:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Perry42 min
Jun 21, 4:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison55 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.