Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 1993Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 1993, 9:02 PM CDT for Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1993, 9:02 PM CDT (02:02 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1993, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Lawrence County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 1993-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1622 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1993-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 243 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1622 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
664 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.1
Supercell composite
10.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 040201
FFWHSV
ALC079-089-040600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
902 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM CDT
S...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY...MADISON COUNTY
 
THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODING IN WESTERN MADISON COUNTY.
SOME ROADS IN THE CITY OF MADISON HAVE BEEN BLOCKADED. MANY STREAMS
AND CREEKS ARE AT BANKFUL AND SOME OUT OF THEIR BANKS.
 
FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN SOUTHEAST LAWRENCE COUNTY IN THE
SPEAK COMMUNITY. WATER IS RISING INTO SOME BUSINESSES IN THAT
AREA.
 
 
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 WATERS.  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, May 3, 8:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-040200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
801 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 195 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
UNTIL 1100PM CDT...
...TORNADO WARNING FOR MACON COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AT 750 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR AT DANNELLY FIELD MONTGOMERY SHOWED
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM ATLANTA GEORGIA
TO CRESTVIEW FLORIDA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN
CHAMBERS...LEE..AND COVINGTON COUNTIES.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DISINTEGRATING IN THE EAST BUT STRENGTHENING IN
COVINGTON COUNTY.  A SECOND LINE THAT WAS SPREADING SEVERE WEATHER IN
BIRMINGHAM AND TUSCALOOSA IS BUILDING SOUTH. PERSONS IN COVINGTON...
DALLAS AND WILCOX COUNTIES NEED TO BE PARTICULARLY ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THUNDERSTORMS IN THESE AREAS WILL HAVE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN.  AS ALWAYS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING IN THESE STORMS CAN BE
DEADLY IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

SNELL
Local storm report, May 3, 8:24 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
825 PM CST MON MAY 3 1993

820 PM CDT...3/4 TO ONE INCH SIZE HAIL AT HUEYTOWN ALABAMA IN JEFFERSON
             COUNTY.
Local storm report, May 3, 8:25 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
825 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993

820 PM CDT...3/4 TO ONE INCH SIZE HAIL AT HUEYTOWN ALABAMA IN JEFFERSON
             COUNTY.
Local storm report, May 3, 8:25 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
825 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993

820 PM CDT...3/4 TO ONE INCH SIZE HAIL AT HUEYTOWN ALABAMA IN JEFFERSON
             COUNTY.
Local storm report, May 3, 8:58 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
858 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993

850 PM CDT...GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN WYLAM...JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM
             ...IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Local storm report, May 3, 8:58 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
858 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993

850 PM CDT...GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN WYLAM...JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM
             ...IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:13 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson62 min
May 3, 7:18 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCullman27 min
May 3, 8:14 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson61 min
May 3, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan55 min
May 3, 8:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa64 min
May 3, 9:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXMadison4 hr
May 3, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1993Every flash flood warning in 1993

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.