Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Mobile, AL

July 20, 1997Baldwin County, Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 20, 1997, 10:55 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 12 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 20, 1997, 10:55 PM CDT (03:55 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1997, 11:00 AM CDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Mobile County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 25 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:56 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 172 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1132 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 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
1132 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1093 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-14 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 210355
FFWMOB
ALC003-097-211600-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1055 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...BALDWIN COUNTY...MOBILE COUNTY
 
AT 11 PM CDT...FLOODING CONTINUES TO OCCUR ALONG SMALL LOCAL RIVERS AND
CREEKS IN EAST MOBILE AND WEST BALDWIN COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
 
AMONG THESE...SERIOUS FLOODING IS OCCURRING ON THE FISH RIVER IN BALDWIN
COUNTY ALABAMA WHERE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES.  THE
FLOODING IS BEING SPURRED BY RUNOFF OF EXCESS RAINS OVER THE LAST TWO TO
THREE DAYS.  COUNTY ROAD 32 IS CLOSED...AND LAST REPORTS INDICATE THAT
WATER HAS BEGUN TO RECEDE A BIT. IF YOU LIVE ALONG THE TRIBUTARIES THAT
FLOW INTO FISH RIVER IN WEST BALDWIN COUNTY...PLEASE REPORT THE FLOODING
TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR RELAY TO THE NWS OFFICE IN MOBILE,AL.
 
OTHER KNOWN SMALL RIVERS THAT CONTINUE TO FLOOD IN MOBILE COUNTY INCLUDE
THE FOWL RIVER...THE DOG RIVER AND THE CHICKASABOGUE.  DETAILS ARE
SKETCHY AT THIS TIME TO THE EXTENT OF THE FLOODING ALONG THESE RIVERS.
 
ADDITIONAL RAINS OVERNIGHT AND INTO MIDDAY MONDAY COULD TOTAL TWO TO
THREE INCHES OVER SOME LOCATIONS...ALTHOUGH THESE AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TBECOME MORE ISOLATED IN NATURE AS DANNY CONTINUES TO SLOWLY WEAKEN AND
WOBBLE ERRATICALLY.
 
 
 
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 Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 7:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBChoctaw3 hr
Jul 21, 9:12 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBChoctaw6 hr
Jul 21, 11:12 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile7 hr
Jul 21, 11:15 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile13 hr
Jul 21, 2:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMOBChoctaw12 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.