Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 2002Franklin County, Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2002, 11:37 AM CDT for Franklin County, Marion 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
May 3, 2002, 11:37 AM CDT (16:37 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2002, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, AL, Marion County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 159 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1849 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 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
1849 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
529 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
210 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
9.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KBMX 031637
FFWBHM
ALC059-093-031930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1135 AM CDT FRI MAY 3 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 1133 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY
RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF MARION AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES.  ADDITIONAL 
THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN MISSISSIPPI WILL MOVE INTO 
THESE COUNTIES DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON...PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY 
RAINFALL.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL 
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER 
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

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, 2:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXFranklin4 hr
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, 11:58 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.