Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Birmingham, AL

January 24, 20025 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jan 24, 2002, 5:40 AM CST for 5 counties in 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
Jan 24, 2002, 5:40 AM CST (11:40 UTC)
Expired
Jan 24, 2002, 8:30 AM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 2002-01-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 2002-01-24The 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1234 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
199 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 241140
FFWBHM
ALC033-059-077-079-083-241430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
540 AM CST THU JAN 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
  COLBERT COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA
  LAUDERDALE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA
  LAWRENCE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 830 AM CST

* AT 527 AM CST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
  THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...FROM NEAR LEXINGTON JUST
  NORTH OF RED BAY...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

DUE TO SATURATED GROUND FROM PRIOR RAINFALL...UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN 
ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE 
FLOODING IN THE WARNED COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS 
IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT 
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS 
THE ROADWAY. 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
Jan 24, 8:45 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXLimestone2 hr
Jan 24, 2:46 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale4 hr
Jan 24, 3:59 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXFranklin, Lawrence, Limestone3 hr

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.