Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 37, NWS Birmingham, AL

October 26, 1997Calhoun County, Etowah County, St. Clair County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Oct 26, 1997, 4:04 AM CST for Calhoun County, Etowah County, St. Clair County, Alabama. It was in force for 4 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
Oct 26, 1997, 4:04 AM CST (10:04 UTC)
Expired
Oct 26, 1997, 8:05 AM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Calhoun County, AL, Etowah County, AL, St. Clair County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 100 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 00:00Z on 1997-10-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 925 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 00:00Z on 1997-10-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 245 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
925 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
511 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
245 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
269 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
7.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 261105
FFWBHM
ALC015-055-115-261405-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
504 AM CST SUN OCT 26 1997


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 805 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...CALHOUN COUNTY...

IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

   ...ETOWAH COUNTY...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...ST. CLAIR COUNTY...

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODING WERE REPORTED FROM LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS.  FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ATTALA AND RAINBOW CITY.
SOME ROADS HAVE STANDING WATER ON THEM AND SOME ROADS MAY NEED TO BE
CLOSED.  RAINFALL TOTALS DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS ARE APPROACHING 3 TO
4 INCHES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA AND MORE RAIN IS EXPECTED THE
NEXT FEW HOURS.

MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES... DIPS... OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROAD^WAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM... EVEN A SMALL
ONE... ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. DO
NOT DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 25, 7:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence57 min
Oct 25, 7:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone57 min
Oct 25, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMorgan61 min
Oct 25, 8:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison55 min
Oct 25, 8:52 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery48 min
Oct 25, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock36 min
Oct 25, 11:28 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison47 min
Oct 26, 12:38 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson32 min
Oct 26, 1:42 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson33 min
Oct 26, 1:49 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair66 min
Oct 26, 1:08 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Etowah47 min
Oct 26, 3:09 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCherokee46 min
Oct 26, 3:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery63 min
Oct 26, 3:50 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXElmore45 min
Oct 26, 3:52 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery33 min
Oct 26, 4:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXCherokee5 hr
Oct 26, 4:28 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMacon52 min
Oct 26, 4:28 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMacon47 min
Oct 26, 4:45 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes50 min
Oct 26, 4:47 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXRussell48 min
Oct 26, 4:57 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery48 min
Oct 26, 5:01 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLee49 min

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.