Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 26, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 17, 1997Talladega County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 17, 1997, 3:25 PM CDT for Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 1997, 3:25 PM CDT (20:25 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1997, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Talladega County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 61 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1821 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 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
1821 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
957 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-28 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 KBHM 172025
FFWBHM
ALC121-172230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
325 PM CDT THU JUL 17 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...SOUTHERN TALLADEGA COUNTY
 
HEAVY RAINS FROM SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS  HAVE BEGUN TO PRODUCE
FLASH FLOODING IN SYLACAUGA IN SOUTHERN TALLADEGA COUNTY.  EMA IN
TALLADEGA REPORTED FLOODING TO SOME STORES IN SYLACAUGA.  ANY
ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AGGRAVATE THE SITUATION RESULTING IN
ADDITIONAL STREAM FLOODING AND FLOODING OF CREEKS.
 
DURING HEAVY RAINS... KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM STORM DRAINS...
WATER CATCHMENTS... AND WATERWAYS. SHALLOW... GENTLY FLOWING WATER
CAN BECOME A RAGING TORRENT IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

&

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, Jul 17, 10:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 55 minutes before
ALZALL-FLZ001>015-171700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
1030 AM CDT THU JUL 17 1997

THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING
AND A HURRICANE WATCH FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA.

AT 10 AM CDT...TROPICAL STORM DANNY WAS LOCATED ABOUT 165 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS AND MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEASTWARD.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT STORM CONDITIONS INCLUDING
SUSTAINED WINDS WITHIN THE RANGE OF 39 TO 74 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN A
SPECIFIED COASTAL AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT A HURRICANE HAS BECOME A THREAT TO
COASTAL AREAS AND IS USUALLY ISSUED 24 TO 36 HOURS BEFORE EXPECTED
LANDFALL.  EVERYONE COVERED BY A WATCH SHOULD LISTEN FOR MORE
ADVISORIES AND ACT PROMPTLY IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

A HURRICANE WARNING INDICATES HURRICANE WINDS WILL BE 74 MILES AN
HOUR OR GREATER AND HIGH AND ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED IN A SPECIFIC
COASTAL AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.  PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS SHOULD BEGIN
IMMEDIATELY.

THIS IS A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION AND IF YOU ARE
PLANNING ANY TRAVEL ANYWHERE NEAR THE COASTAL SECTIONS...BE SURE TO
LISTEN FOR ANY UPDATED WEATHER INFORMATION.  THE WEATHER OFFICE IN
MOBILE WILL BE ISSUING ROUTINE STATEMENTS ON THIS TROPICAL STORM AND
AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST...MORE FREQUENT STATEMENTS WILL BE
ISSUED.   CLOSE COORDINATION WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE OFFICE HERE
IN BIRMINGHAM AND WITH OTHER WEATHER OFFICES FOR ADDITIONAL TYPES OF
WATCHES OR WARNINGS THAT MAY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER PORTIONS OF ALABAMA
AND PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA DUE TO THIS TROPICAL STORM.
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 10:54 AM CDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
ALZALL-FLZ001>015-171700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
1030 AM CDT THU JUL 17 1997

THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING
AND A HURRICANE WATCH FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA.

AT 10 AM CDT...TROPICAL STORM DANNY WAS LOCATED ABOUT 165 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS AND MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEASTWARD.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT STORM CONDITIONS INCLUDING
SUSTAINED WINDS WITHIN THE RANGE OF 39 TO 74 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN A
SPECIFIED COASTAL AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT A HURRICANE HAS BECOME A THREAT TO
COASTAL AREAS AND IS USUALLY ISSUED 24 TO 36 HOURS BEFORE EXPECTED
LANDFALL.  EVERYONE COVERED BY A WATCH SHOULD LISTEN FOR MORE
ADVISORIES AND ACT PROMPTLY IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

A HURRICANE WARNING INDICATES HURRICANE WINDS WILL BE 74 MILES AN
HOUR OR GREATER AND HIGH AND ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED IN A SPECIFIC
COASTAL AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.  PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS SHOULD BEGIN
IMMEDIATELY.

THIS IS A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION AND IF YOU ARE
PLANNING ANY TRAVEL ANYWHERE NEAR THE COASTAL SECTIONS...BE SURE TO
LISTEN FOR ANY UPDATED WEATHER INFORMATION.  THE WEATHER OFFICE IN
MOBILE WILL BE ISSUING ROUTINE STATEMENTS ON THIS TROPICAL STORM AND
AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST...MORE FREQUENT STATEMENTS WILL BE
ISSUED.   CLOSE COORDINATION WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE OFFICE HERE
IN BIRMINGHAM AND WITH OTHER WEATHER OFFICES FOR ADDITIONAL TYPES OF
WATCHES OR WARNINGS THAT MAY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER PORTIONS OF ALABAMA
AND PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA DUE TO THIS TROPICAL STORM.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 2:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton62 min
Jul 17, 2:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby47 min
Jul 17, 3:29 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXShelby2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.