Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Tallahassee, FL

March 17, 1990Russell County, Alabama; Muscogee County, Georgia

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 17, 1990, 1:53 AM CST for Russell County, Alabama; Muscogee County, Georgia. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 17, 1990, 1:53 AM CST (07:53 UTC)
Expired
Mar 17, 1990, 6:00 AM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Russell County, AL, Muscogee County, GA

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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 211 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 1990-03-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1990-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
586 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
81 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
495 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 KCSG 170755
FFWCSG
ALC113-GAC215-171200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
253 AM EST SAT MAR 17 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBUS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...RUSSELL COUNTY
 
 
IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
 
   ...MUSCOGEE COUNTY
 
AT 245 AM EST COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE AREA OF
MODERATE INTENSITY ACROSS THE COLUMBUS/PHENIX CITY AREA. NEARLY 7
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBUS
GEORGIA SINCE LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. ALL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PEOPLE ARE OUT HERE IN COLUMBUS OPENING 3 SCHOOLS
FOR EVACUEES. THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS
AND POSSIBLY ON THROUGH TODAY.
 
 
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 17, 12:08 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
FLZ003-005-GAZ011-012-170900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1:10 AM EST (12:10 AM CST) SAT MAR 17 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM EST FOR MUCH OF
   NORTHWEST AND NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 100 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF
SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED WEST
OF A LINE FROM NEAR BLAKELY GEORGIA TO PANAMA CITY AND INTO THE GULF FOR
OVER 150 MILES.  THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS WERE OVER NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY.
THE RAIN AREA IS MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

WHILE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DECREASED PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN
ON THE OUTLOOK FOR POTENTIALLY TlHREATENING WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED IF NEEDED.

COLLINS
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 12:45 AM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
FLZ004-170745-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
138 AM EST SAT FEB 1771990

...TORNADO WATCH WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE...INCLUDING GULF COUNTY UNTIL 400 AM EST.

AT 127 AM EST...AN 80 MILE WIDE AREA OF RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
WITH HEAVU RAIN WAS OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...EXTREME SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...
AND THE WEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 20
MILES SOUTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA AND JUST SOUTHEAST OF DOTHAN
ALABAMA.

THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS AREA REACHED FROM 20 MILES EAST OF COLUMBUS
GEORGIA TO PANAMA CITY AND THEN TRAILED SOUTHWEST OUT OVER THE GULF FOR
WELL OVEIR 125 MILES.

THE AREA WAS DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE EAST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 1:11 AM CST, 42 minutes before
FLZ003-005-GAZ011-012-170900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
2:15 AM EST (1:15 AM CST) SAT MAR 17 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM EST FOR MUCH OF
   NORTHWEST AND NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 210 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF
SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED WEST
OF A LINE FROM NEAR ALBANY GEORGIA TO PANAMA CITY AND INTO THE GULF FOR
OVER 150 MILES.  THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE PANAMA CITY AREA
AND SOUTHWEST OF ALBANY GEORGIA.  THE PRECIPITATION IS MOVING EAST AT 5
MPH. HEAVY RAIN AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BEGIN MOVING INTO SOUTHERN
CALHOUN COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.

COLLINS
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 1:37 AM CST, 16 minutes before
FLZ004-170845-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
235 AM EST SAT FEB 1771990

...TORNADO WATCH WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE...INCLUDING GULF COUNTY UNTIL 400 AM EST.

AT 225 AM EST...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE JUST SOUTH
OF YOUNGSTOWN AND JUST NORTHEAST OF PANAMA CITY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN THAT WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST ALABAMA
...EXTREME SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...AND OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE MOSTLY
10 TO 30 MILES EAST OF THE APALACHICOLA RIVER.

THIS AREA REACHED OUT OVER THE GULF FOR 125 MILES. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE GULF WERE ABOUT 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
APALACHICOLA.
THE AREA INCREASED ITS MOVEMENT DURING THE PAST HOUR AND WAS NOW
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tallahassee, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 10:40 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAERussell3 hr
Mar 16, 8:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEMacon, Taylor41 min
Mar 16, 11:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEStewart63 min
Mar 17, 1:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECalhoun, Terrell25 min
Mar 17, 10:00 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAEWebster3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1990Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 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.