Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 2002Franklin County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2002, 2:50 AM CDT for Franklin 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
May 3, 2002, 2:50 AM CDT (07:50 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2002, 7:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Franklin County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 2002-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1679 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 2002-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 87 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1679 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1438 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KBMX 030750
FFWBHM
ALC059-031200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
250 AM CDT FRI MAY 3 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 700 AM CDT

* AT 250 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY 
  RAIN ACROSS MOST OF FRANKLIN COUNTY THIS MORNING.  THE RAIN WAS 
  MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.  THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE  
  SAME AREA AND PRODUCING FLOODING.

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 HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS...ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 7:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale45 min
May 2, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert40 min
May 3, 2:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin40 min
May 3, 3:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion42 min
May 3, 3:58 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXLawrence, Marion, Winston3 hr
May 3, 4:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston41 min
May 3, 4:22 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXMorgan3 hr
May 3, 4:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker30 min
May 3, 4:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb, Jackson52 min
May 3, 4:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman36 min
May 3, 5:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee25 min
May 3, 5:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee24 min
May 3, 5:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne24 min
May 3, 5:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee34 min
May 3, 7:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne, Randolph23 min
May 3, 8:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette34 min
May 3, 9:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson49 min
May 3, 11:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston28 min
May 3, 11:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman40 min
May 3, 11:37 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXFranklin, Marion3 hr
May 3, 11:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman32 min
May 3, 12:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount45 min
May 3, 12:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXWinston3 hr
May 3, 12:20 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCullman3 hr
May 3, 12:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah58 min
May 3, 1:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa43 min
May 3, 1:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson51 min
May 3, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby45 min
May 3, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay30 min
May 3, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph41 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002

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.