Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 33, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 22, 2002Bibb County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 22, 2002, 6:56 AM CDT for Bibb County, Tuscaloosa 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, 6:56 AM CDT (11:56 UTC)
Expired
Sep 22, 2002, 10:45 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bibb County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:56 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 51 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 221156
FFWBHM
ALC007-125-221545-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BIBB COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1045 AM CDT

* AT 651 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY 
RAIN OVER MOST OF TUSCALOOSA AND BIBB COUNTIES...AND ADDITIONAL RAIN 
WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST. RAIN IS FALLING 
AT A RATE OF 2 INCHES PER HOUR...OR MORE...AND THE RAIN WILL 
CONTINUE OVER THE WARNING AREA FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...CAUSING 
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.
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS74 KBMX 221322
FFSBHM
ALC007-125-221545-

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

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR BIBB AND TUSCALOOSA
COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 AM CDT.

AT 820 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING ACROSS THE MOST OF TUSCALOOSA 
COUNTY...AND ALL OF BIBB COUNTY.  THIS HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE MOVE 
FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH 10 AM.  PARTS OF THE 
WARNING AREA HAVE RECEIVED UP TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE MIDNIGHT... 
AND AND ADDITIONAL 2 INCHES...OR MORE...OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE. 
CONSIDERABLE FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED. 

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 221545
FFSBHM
ALC007-125-221600-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1045 AM CDT SUN SEP 22 2002

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR BIBB AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES HAS BEEN
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

AT 1042 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT RAINFALL
HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS BIBB AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES. REPORTS ACROSS 
THE AREA ALSO SHOW THAT THE FLOODING THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THUS 
THE WARNING AS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

DURING HEAVY RAINS...KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM STORM DRAINS...
DITCHES...CREEKS AND STREAMS. SHALLOW...GENTLY FLOWING WATER CAN
BECOME A RAGING TORRENT IN A MATTER OF MINUTES WHEN HEAVY RAINS
OCCUR. KEEP IN MIND THAT...THIS DEEP...FAST MOVING WATER WILL
CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE RAINS HAVE STOPPED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 22, 1:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXClay, Randolph4 hr
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, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.