Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Mobile, AL

May 14, 1991Escambia County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 14, 1991, 8:04 PM CDT for Escambia County, Alabama. It was in force for 116 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 14, 1991, 8:04 PM CDT (01:04 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 1991, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
116 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Escambia County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 197 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 1991-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 780 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 1991-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
780 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1190 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
6 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 150104
FFWMOB
ALC053-150300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
804 PM CDT TUE MAY 14 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...ESCAMBIA COUNTY
 
AT 800 PM THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER ESCAMBIA COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE WEST.
 
EXTENSIVE STREET FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN BREWTON BY BOTH THE PD
AND SHERIFFS OFFICE WITH HEAVY RAIN STILL FALLING.
 
THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE FOR A FEW MORE HOURS BEFORE
WEAKENING.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS LIKELY TO FLOOD RESIDENCES AND
BUSINESSES IN BREWTON.
 
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY.
 
THE STORMS MAY APPROACH THE ATMORE AREA BEFORE WEAKENING.
 
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 14, 2:16 PM CDT, 5 hours 48 minutes before
FLZ001-002-003-004-142100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
200 PM CDT TUE MAY 14 1991

THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1991 HAVE BEEN THE WETTEST FOR THE
PENSACOLA AREA.  FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MAY 13 WE HAVE RECORDED
41.77 INCHES OF RAINFALL AT THE PENSACOLA REGIONAL AIRPORT.  THIS
IS 20.74 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME PERIOD AND WE STILL
HAVE MORE THAN 2 WEEKS LEFT IN MAY.

THE PREVIOUS RECORDS FOR RAINFALL FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY THROUGH MAY
40.45 INCHES IN 1964
38.40 INCHES IN 1947
37.64 INCHES IN 1936
37.62 INCHES IN 1919

THIS YEARS EXCESSIVE TOTAL RAINFALL WAS TREMENDOUSLY BOOSTED BY
JANUARYS RECORD RAINFALL OF 18.77 INCHES.  FEBRUARY WAS BELOW NORMAL
AND MARCH, APRIL AND MAY WERE ABOVE NORMAL FOR RAINFALL.

DOES THIS MEAN WE CAN EXPECT ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE REST OF
THE YEAR?  OF THE JANUARY THROUGH MAY YEARS MENTIONED ABOVE, ONLY
1936 WAS BELOW NORMAL IN RAINFALL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR.
(JUNE THROUGH DECEMBER)  THE OTHER THREE ENDED UP WETTER THAN NORMAL
AND IN 1947 THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS 90.32 INCHES WHICH IS
THE SECOND fHIGHEST YEARLY RAINFALL TOTAL.  THE GREATEST RAINFALL IN
A YEAR OCCURRED IN 1953 WHEN 90.41 INCHES OF RAINFALL FELL.

DOES THIS FORETELL AN ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON FOR NORTHWEST FLORIDA?
ASK US IN NOVEMBER.
Special weather statement, May 14, 3:39 PM CDT, 4 hours 25 minutes before
FLZ001-002-003-004-142130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
335 PM CDT TUE MAY 14 1991

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS
NORTHWEST FLORIDA IN OKALOOSA, WALTON, HOLMES, WASHINGTON AND
BAY COUNTIES FROM NORTH OF CRESTVIEW TO WEST OF MARIANNA THEN
SOUTH TO NEAR NICEVILLE TO NORTH OF PANAMA CITY.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN WALTON AND OKALOOSA COUNTIES
FROM NEAR DE FUNIAK SPRINGS TO SOUTHEAST OF CRESTVIEW.  LITTLE
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS NOTED.

SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES AND BRIEF
PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAUSING TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW
LYING AREAS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS FO(R THE NEXT COUPLE
OF HOURS.

MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD END SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1991Every flash flood warning in 1991

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.