Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 30, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 22, 2002Clay County, Randolph County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 22, 2002, 1:56 AM CDT for Clay County, Randolph 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
Sep 22, 2002, 1:56 AM CDT (06:56 UTC)
Expired
Sep 22, 2002, 5:45 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clay County, AL, Randolph County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 2002-09-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1963 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2002-09-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 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
1963 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1044 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
65 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 
WGUS54 KBMX 220656
FFWBHM
ALC027-111-221045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
151 AM CDT SUN SEP 22 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CLAY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 545 AM CDT

* AT 150 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CLAY AND RANDOLPH 
COUNTIES...MAINLY BETWEEN WEDOWEE AND ASHLAND.  THE AREA OF HEAVY 
RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.  RADARS ESTIMATE THAT AS MUCH AS 4 
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THIS AREA SINCE MIDNIGHT. ADDITIONAL 
AMOUNTS OF 2 OR MORE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...MAKING FLASH FLOODING 
LIKELY.

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.
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS74 KBMX 220844
FFSBHM
ALC027-111-221045-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
338 AM CDT SUN SEP 22 2002

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CLAY AND RANDOLPH
COUNTIES UNTIL 545 AM CDT.

AT 338 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING ACROSS THE WARNING AREA... 
MAINLY ACROSS NORTHWEST RANDOLPH COUNTY AND NORTEAST CLAY COUNTY.  
RADARS ESTIMATE THAT SOME SPOTS BETWEEN WEDOWEE AND LINEVILLE MAY 
HAVE RECEIVED 6 INCHES OF RAIN...OR MORE...DURING THE LAST SEVERAL 
HOURS...AND FLOODING IS LIKELY.

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.
000 
WGUS74 KBMX 221020
FFSBHM
ALC027-111-221045-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
516 AM CDT SUN SEP 22 2002

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CLAY AND RANDOLPH
COUNTIES UNTIL 545 AM CDT.

AT 516 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
RAINFALL HAS DECREASED OVER CLAY AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES, HOWEVER, 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED IN SPOTS.  RADARS ESTIMATE THAT 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS NEAR 8 INCHES MAY HAVE OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF 
NORTHWEST RANDOLPH COUNTY AND NORTHEAST CLAY COUNTY OVERNIGHT.  
ALTHOUGH RAIN HAS BEEN GRADUALLY DECREASING...SOME FLOODING LIKELY 
CONTINUES IN THE WARNING AREA.

MOST FLASH FLOODING DEATHS ARE AUTOMOBILE RELATED. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO
ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 22, 3:32 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega4 hr
Sep 22, 4:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega47 min
Sep 22, 5:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa51 min
Sep 22, 6:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXChilton, Coosa4 hr
Sep 22, 6:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBibb, Tuscaloosa4 hr
Sep 22, 7:27 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby, Talladega4 hr
Sep 22, 10:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXChilton, Coosa60 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.