Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 6, 2003Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 6, 2003, 1:40 AM CDT for 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
May 6, 2003, 1:40 AM CDT (06:40 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2003, 4:45 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Marion County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 2003-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1677 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 216 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1677 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1103 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
216 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
297 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.7
Supercell composite
21.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KBMX 060642
FFWBHM
ALC093-060945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
140 AM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MARION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 445 AM CDT

* AT 133 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS HAVE INDICATED
  RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS MARION COUNTY SINCE
  11 PM.  THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP
  OVER MARION COUNTY...INCREASING THE THREAT OF 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 3423 8813 3396 8787 3407 8768 3429 8769

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS74 KBMX 060841
FFSBHM
ALC093-060900-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
341 AM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MARION COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED...
AT 341 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT
RAINFALL HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS MARION COUNTY.

LAT...LON 3423 8813 3396 8787 3407 8768 3429 8769

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 7:09 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWalker36 min
May 5, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, St. Clair36 min
May 5, 7:24 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson51 min
May 5, 7:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson50 min
May 5, 8:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun27 min
May 5, 8:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion39 min
May 5, 8:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCleburne24 min
May 5, 8:16 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson29 min
May 5, 8:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCleburne35 min
May 5, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair63 min
May 5, 8:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson4 hr
May 5, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar27 min
May 5, 10:39 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount, Calhoun, St. Clair4 hr
May 5, 11:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion58 min
May 6, 12:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion, Winston65 min
May 6, 9:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee66 min
May 6, 11:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount30 min
May 6, 11:11 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCherokee3 hr
May 6, 11:12 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount18 min
May 6, 11:38 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXEtowah37 min
May 6, 12:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCherokee40 min
May 6, 1:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega48 min
May 6, 3:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph23 min
May 6, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa61 min
May 6, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa34 min

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.