Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Mobile, AL

September 25, 2002Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 25, 2002, 3:53 AM CDT for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 9 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Sep 25, 2002, 3:53 AM CDT (08:53 UTC)
Expired: Sep 25, 2002, 12:45 PM CDT
In force: 9 hr
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Mobile County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:52 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 158 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 371 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 488 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 78 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KMOB 250853
FFWMOB
ALC097-251745-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
353 AM CDT WED SEP 25 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DOWNTOWN MOBILE

* UNTIL 1245 PM CDT

* AT 337 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A WIDESPREAD AREA OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS.
SINCE 2 AM CDT...THE NWS IN MOBILE ALABAMA HAS RECEIVED REPORTS OF 
GENERAL INUNDATION OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS IN SOUTHERN MOBILE 
COUNTY.  OF PARTICULAR MENTION ARE THE TOWNS OF BAYOU LA BATRE AND 
SAINT ELMO.

RADAR INDICATES THAT AREAS OF SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY HAVE HAD IN 
EXCESS OF 5 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE NOONTIME ON TUESDAY.  AS MORE HEAVY 
RAIN DEVELOPS AND MOVES ONSHORE...THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL 
CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST NOON.  SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL 
EITHER APPROACH OR REMAIN ABOVE BANKFULL DUE TO EXPECTED PROLONGED 
MODERATE RAINS.  

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CAN INDUCE RAPID 
RUNOFF AND SUDDEN RISES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...WHICH MAY CAUSE 
FLOODING MUCH SOONER IN SOME LOCATIONS. 

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.

LAT...LON 3039 8841 3035 8812 3066 8805 3068 8802
          3085 8799 3088 8801 3116 8796 3115 8819
          3112 8843

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS74 KMOB 251113
FFSMOB
ALC097-251400-

FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
610 AM CDT WED SEP 25 2002

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 PM CDT FOR 
THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.

LATEST RADAR TRENDS INDICATE AN AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL 
THAT CONTINUES DEVELOPING AND MOVING WESTWARD AT 25 TO 30 MPH OVER 
ALL OF MOBILE COUNTY.

HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO INUNDATE ALREADY FLOODED COASTAL SECTIONS OF 
MOBILE COUNTY...MAINLY SOUTH OF I-10.  UP TO AN INCH AN HOUR 
CONTINUES FALLING IN SOME LOCATIONS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 
BELLEFONTAINE TO SAINT ELMO TO GRAND BAY.  THIS TREND WILL CONTNUE 
THROUGH AT LEAST 9 AM CDT.

MORE INTENSE RAINFALL WILL SPREAD TO INLAND SECTIONS OF MOBILE 
COUNTY AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. 

REMEMBER...A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR 
OCCURRING. RESIDENTS LIVING IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING SHOULD TAKE 
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. IF FLASH FLOODING
IS OBSERVED...MOVE QUICKLY TO HIGHER GROUND AND NEVER DRIVE INTO AN 
AREA WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 KMOB 251713
FFSMOB
ALC097-251745-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1210 PM CDT WED SEP 25 2002


...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MOBILE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...


THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MOBILE COUNTY THAT WAS ISSUED EARLY THIS 
MORNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.   THE HEAVY RAINFALL THAT PRODUCED SOME 
MINOR FLOODING AND A FEW ROAD CLOSURES OVER SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY 
EARLIER THIS MORNING HAS SHIFTED NORTHWARD AND WEAKENED...AND THE 
THREAT OF ADDITIONAL FLOODING OVER MOBILE COUNTY HAS 
DIMINISHED.   

MANY CREEKS AND STREAMS IN MOBILE COUNTY ARE AT HIGH LEVELS...BUT 
ARE GRADUALLY RECEDING.   

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND 
NORTHWEST FLORIDA THROUGH THURSDAY DUE TO THE APPROACH OF TROPICAL 
STORM ISIDORE.   RESIDENTS OF LOW LYING AREAS AND THOSE LIVING NEAR 
CREEKS AND STREAMS SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND NOAA 
WEATHER RADIO IN CASE ADDITIONAL WARNINGS ARE NECESSARY LATER TODAY 
AND TONIGHT.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 25, 12:37 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		3 hr
Sep 25, 3:23 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		3 hr
Sep 25, 5:39 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Baldwin	7 hr
Sep 25, 5:40 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Baldwin	7 hr
Sep 25, 2:24 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		66 min
Sep 25, 3:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB		33 min
Sep 25, 6:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	14 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2002 Every 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.