Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990
Flash Flood Warning 59, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 20, 1990, 7:01 PM CDT for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 59 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 1990, 7:01 PM CDT (00:01 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 59 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Tuscaloosa 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
Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 262 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 0 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 131 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 98 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 210003 FFWBHM ALC125-210100- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 701 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...TUSCALOOSA COUNTY AT 652 PM CDT HEAVY DOWNPOURS DURING THE PAST TWO HOURS HAVE PRODUCED SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF SOME CREEKS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF TUSCALOOSA COUNTY AND THE CITY OF TUSCALOOSA. 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, May 20, 1:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-201915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 117 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CDT FOR SECTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA... AT 110 PM CST... RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM ASHLAND IN CLAY COUNTY SOUTHWEST TO LAKE MITCHELL IN COOSA COUNTY ON INTO DALLAS COUNTY NEAR SELMA. THE LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN TALLAPOOSA AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES. THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS CENTRAL AUTAUGA COUNTY...EASTERN DALLAS COUNTY...AND MOVING INTO NORTHWEST ELMORE COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH TALLAPOOSA...ELMORE...LOWNDES.... AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS. PERSONS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA CAN EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL WITH THESE STORMS.
Local storm report, May 20, 1:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTION TO 1140 AM REPORT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1251 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990
1003 AM...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND SEVERAL BUILDINGS DAMAGED IN WESTERN
LAMAR COUNTY.
1035 AM...HIGH WINDS IN CARBON HILL /WALKER COUNTY/. WIDESPREAD POWER
OUTAGES...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND MOBILE HOME DAMAGED.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR WALKER
COUNTY.
1140 AM...WIND GUSTS 30-40 MPH ON I459 JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY IN EFFECT.
1142 AM...POWER LINES DOWN...CARS DAMAGED AND PEA SIZED HAIL AT CIVIC
CENTER IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM.
1148 AM...POWER OUTAGES AT THE BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT VINICITY.
1150 AM...58 MPH WIND GUST AND POWER OUTAGE IN ARGO /ST. CLAIR COUNTY/
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
1218 PM...56 MPH WIND GUST IN GADSDEN /ETOWAH COUNTY/ REPORTED BY
HAM OPERATORS AND EMA DIRECTOR. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
IN EFFECT FOR ETOWAH COUNTY.Special weather statement, May 20, 3:03 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-202100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...ALL WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR ALABAMA HAVE EXPIRED OR ARE CANCELLED AT T.HIS TIME... AT 300 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS DIMINISHED OVER ALABAMA. ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS EXISTED OVER THE STATE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 3:06 PM CDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-202100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...ALL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR ALABAMA HA1VE EXPIRED OR ARE CANCELLED AT THIS TIME... AT 300 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS DIMINISHED OVER ALABAMA. ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS EXISTED OVER THE STATE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
ALZ010-014-202330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 529 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #285 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 525 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ALONG THE DALLAS-PERRY COUNTY BORDER SOUTHEAST OF MARION. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME SMALL HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH MODERATE RAINFALL WAS LOCATED ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SELMA ON THE ALABAMA RIVER. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF MONTGOMERY HAVE DISSIPATED. PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD STAY TUNED FOR LATER DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS WEATHER SITUATION. SNELL
Special weather statement, May 20, 6:43 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
ALZ010-012-014-017-210045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 639 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #285 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA... THUNDERSTORMS HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW AND DISSIPATE IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA ALABAMA. AT 630 PM CDT MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER PRATTVILLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OBSERVED OVER SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND NORTH OF TROY IN NORTHERN PIKE COUNTY. RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS WEATHER SITUATION. SNELL
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 7:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 39 min |
| May 20, 7:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Morgan | 26 min |
| May 20, 7:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 35 min |
| May 20, 8:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 43 min |
| May 21, 7:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale | 36 min |
| May 21, 8:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 54 min |
| May 21, 9:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens | 41 min |
| May 21, 10:59 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens | 46 min |
| May 21, 11:18 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Shelby | 57 min |
| May 21, 11:32 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene | 58 min |
| May 21, 11:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 38 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990
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.