Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 2, 1997Colbert County, Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 2, 1997, 7:29 PM CST for Colbert County, Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 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
Mar 2, 1997, 7:29 PM CST (01:29 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 1997, 10:30 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 173 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 1997-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 18 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 1997-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 323 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
18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-90 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
323 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
420 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 030145 COR
FFWHSV
ALC033-059-077-079-083-030430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
729 PM CST SUN MAR 2 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONSS...

IN NORTH ALABAMA

   ...COLBERT COUNTY...FRANKLIN COUNTY...LAUDERDALE COUNTY
   ...LAWRENCE COUNTY...LIMESTONE COUNTY

AT 725 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HUNTSVILLE INDICATED A LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN STRETCHING FROM EASTERN
LAUDERDALE COUNTY SOUTHWARD INTO WESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY NEAR MOUNT
HOPE.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MILES AN
HOUR...AND IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY RAIN...MAY CONTAIN DANGEROUS CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.

SOME STREET FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA WITH
THIS LINE OF STORMS.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING MODERATE TO
HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK OUT OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AN
INTO THESE ALREADY SATURATED AREAS...CAUSING FLOODING CONDITIONS TO
WORSEN.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:29 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXLauderdale, Limestone3 hr
Mar 2, 11:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale45 min
Mar 2, 11:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion40 min
Mar 2, 11:38 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale67 min
Mar 2, 11:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar50 min
Mar 3, 12:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion55 min
Mar 3, 12:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette61 min
Mar 3, 12:45 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence60 min
Mar 3, 12:45 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFranklin60 min
Mar 3, 12:46 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston59 min
Mar 3, 12:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion18 min
Mar 3, 1:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker58 min
Mar 3, 1:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone69 min
Mar 3, 1:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Morgan64 min
Mar 3, 2:03 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLimestone57 min
Mar 3, 2:11 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMadison, Morgan64 min
Mar 3, 2:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall64 min
Mar 3, 2:46 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount44 min
Mar 3, 2:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah46 min
Mar 3, 3:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Elmore40 min
Mar 3, 4:10 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Tallapoosa65 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.