Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 62, NWS Birmingham, AL

August 16, 1998Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Aug 16, 1998, 9:58 AM CDT for Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 117 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 1998, 9:58 AM CDT (14:58 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1998, 11:55 AM CDT
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 150 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1223 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 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
1223 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 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 161458
FFWBHM
ALC083-089-161655-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
958 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA
  NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1155 AM CDT

* AT 955 AM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
  LIMESTONE AND NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY.  MOVEMENT WAS SLOWLY
  NORTHEAST.

* 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
  LIMESTONE AND NORTHERN MADISON COUNTIES DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS.
  WATER WAS REPORTED OVER THE ROADS NEAR TONEY AND ALSO NEAR HAZEL
  GREEN IN NORTHERN MADISON AND ALSO ACROSS ROUTE 251 IN NORTHEAST
  LIMESTONE COUNTY.

  DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD!


 AREA RESIDENTS SHOULD MONITOR FLOOD CONDITIONS... AND BE PREPARED
 TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND... SHOULD FLOOD WATERS THREATEN. IF FLASH
 FLOODING IS OBSERVED... ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND 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, Aug 16, 9:53 AM CDT, 5 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-170245-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
953 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 1998

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA REMAINS MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE. THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LINGER ACROSS EXTREME NORTH ALABAMA PRODUCING
FLOODING OF URBAN AREAS AND CAUSE SMALL STREAMS TO RISE AND CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOOD.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE ADVANCING NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF AND
WILL MOVE INTO SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA BY NOON.

GIVEN THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS...
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM RAINFALL TODAY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON FOR MOST LOCATIONS
ACROSS THE STATE.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL
NOT BE NECESSARY...BUT HEAVY RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE ISOLATED FLOODING CONDITIONS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA... SEE PRODUCT BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... LOOK AT
MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON
THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:53 AM CDT, 5 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-170245-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
953 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 1998

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA REMAINS MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE. THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LINGER ACROSS EXTREME NORTH ALABAMA PRODUCING
FLOODING OF URBAN AREAS AND CAUSE SMALL STREAMS TO RISE AND CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOOD.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE ADVANCING NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF AND
WILL MOVE INTO SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA BY NOON.

GIVEN THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS...
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM RAINFALL TODAY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON FOR MOST LOCATIONS
ACROSS THE STATE.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL
NOT BE NECESSARY...BUT HEAVY RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE ISOLATED FLOODING CONDITIONS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA... SEE PRODUCT BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... LOOK AT
MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON
THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998

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.