Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 21, 2003Lamar County, Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Feb 21, 2003, 9:28 PM CST for Lamar 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 21, 2003, 9:28 PM CST (03:28 UTC)
Expired
Feb 22, 2003, 12:30 AM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Lamar County, AL, Marion County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 139 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 2003-02-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-02-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 151 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
779 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
186 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 220328
FFWBHM
ALC075-093-220630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
928 PM CST FRI FEB 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MARION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA
  LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1230 AM CST

* WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS HAVE INDICATED VERY HEAVYFALL 
RAINFALL ACROSS MOST OF LAMAR AND SOUTHERN MARION COUNTIES SINCE 6 
PM...WITH RAINFALL ESTIMATES OF 1.5 TO 2 INCHES FROM VERNON...TO 
SULLIGENT...TO BRILLIANT.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 
INCHES ARE LIKELY ACROSS THESE COUNTIES...RESULTING IN FLASH 
FLOODING.

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.

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.

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.

CALL 1-800-856-0758 TO REPORT FLOODING CONDITIONS.

LAT...LON 3375 8824 3358 8806 3362 8810 3428 8778

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS74 KBMX 220456
FFSBHM
ALC075-093-220630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1054 PM CST FRI FEB 21 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LAMAR AND MARION COUNTIES
UNTIL 1230 AM CST.

AT 1054 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING ACROSS THE WARNING AREA.  
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO ONE INCH ARE LIKELY THROUGH 
MIDNIGHT.

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.

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 3425 8775 3384 8803 3388 8820 3429 8809

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 21, 11:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery41 min
Feb 21, 11:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Pickens48 min
Feb 22, 12:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette40 min
Feb 22, 12:26 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXLamar, Marion, Pickens4 hr
Feb 22, 12:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa44 min
Feb 22, 12:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga34 min
Feb 22, 12:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore26 min
Feb 22, 12:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph41 min
Feb 22, 1:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion36 min
Feb 22, 1:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion12 min
Feb 22, 2:33 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChilton27 min
Feb 22, 2:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa, Walker36 min
Feb 22, 2:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa34 min
Feb 22, 2:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson50 min
Feb 22, 2:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery31 min
Feb 22, 3:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby25 min
Feb 22, 3:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair24 min
Feb 22, 3:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount35 min
Feb 22, 3:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Etowah26 min
Feb 22, 4:30 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.