Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989
Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 4, 1989, 3:26 PM CST for Jefferson County, Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 4, 1989, 3:26 PM CST (21:26 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 4, 1989, 5:30 PM CST
- In force
- 2 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Jefferson County, AL, 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 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 69 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -194 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 548 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 233 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 256 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBHM 042127
FFWBHM
ALC073-117-042330-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
326 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...SOUTHERN JEFFERSON...NORTHERN SHELBY
HEAVY RAIN OF UP TO TWO INCHES HAVE CAUSED RAPID RISES ON THE RIVERS
AND STREAMS OVER SOUTHERN JEFFERSON AND NORTHERN SHELBY COUNTIES.
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS ARE EXPECTED. SHADES CREEK WAS ALREADY AT
BANKFULL OVER EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY.
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.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, Mar 4, 10:56 AM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1053 AM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SUMTER COUNTY 10 MILES EAST OF LIVINGSTON AT 1047 AM. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STRONG STORM WILL MOVE INTO GREENE COUNTY SHORTLY. PERSONS IN GREENE COUNTY...POSSIBLY WESTERN HALE COUNTY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AS THIS STORM MOVES INTO YOUR AREA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL ...HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. PERSONS IN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT..WITH THE FAST MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM IT COULD BE IN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY WITHIN A HALF HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 12:57 PM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1255 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 .........SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA........... RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA IN THE COUNTIES OF HALE...TUSCALOOSA...BIBB...PERRY...CHILTON...SHELBY AND JEFFERSON. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR TUSCALOOSA IN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY AND OVER WEST JEFFERSON COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...ESPECIALLY COUNTIES ABOVE SHOULD BE ALERT ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS... HAIL...HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORM. THESE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE NORTH-CENTRAL COUNTIES OF WALKER... CULLMAN...BLOUNT AND ST. CLAIR SHORTLY. PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT.
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 215 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 .........HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA.......... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH ALABAMA... RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA IN THE COUNTIES OF PICKENS...SUMTER...GREENE...HALE...TUSCALOOSA...BIBB ...PERRY...CHILTON...SHELBY...JEFFERSON...BLOUNT...TALLADEGA...ST. CLAIR AND ETOWAH. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SHELBY... JEFFERSON...GREENE...BIBB COUNTIES MOVING INTO ST. CLAIR AND TALLADEGA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...ESPECIALLY COUNTIES ABOVE SHOULD BE ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL... HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORM. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NORTH ALABAMA ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI TO SYLACAUGA TO LA GRANGE GEORGIA. THE HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALABAMA. SOME STREET FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN THE BIRMINGHAM AND HOOVER AREAS...MOSQT LIKELY OTHER AREAS OF WEST JEFFERSON COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES HAVE FALLEN ACROSS THE WATCH AREA SINCE IT STARTED RAINING. ADDITIONAL RAINS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 3:22 PM CST, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 315 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 .........HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA.......... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH ALABAMA... RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN TALLADEGA AND CLAY COUNTIES MOVING INTO CALHOUN AND CLEBURNE...POSSIBLE NORTHWEST CLAIR AND ETOWAH. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SHELBY... RANDOLPH. OTHER HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN TUSCALOOSA... ...BIBB AND CHILTON COUNTIES MOVING INTO SHELBY AND JEFFERSON. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...ESPECIALLY COUNTIES ABOVE SHOULD BE ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL... HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORM. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NORTH ALABAMA...ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI...TO SYLACAUGA TO LA GRANGE GEORGIA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALABAMA. SOME SMALL STREAM FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED. STREET FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY...MOST LIKELY OTHER AREAS ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES HAVE FALLEN ACROSS THE WATCH AREA AND ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 4:57 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 2 hr |
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.