Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 17, 2003Lamar County, Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 2003, 12:45 PM CDT for Lamar County, Marion County, Alabama. It was in force for 6 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 17, 2003, 12:45 PM CDT (17:45 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2003, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
6 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 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 12:00Z on 2003-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2005 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 12:00Z on 2003-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 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
2005 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
457 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KBMX 171746
FFWBHM
ALC075-093-180000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1245 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 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 700 PM CDT

* AT 1245 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY
  RAIN 9 MILES SOUTH OF HAMILTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS...LIFE THREATENING SITUATION...AND EVERY
PRECAUTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO AVOID LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.
EXTENSIVE FLOODING IS EXPECTED. MOTORISTS SHOULD AVOID WATER COVERED
ROADS...AND FIND ALTERNATIVE ROUTES.

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 3355 8826 3362 8796 3394 8796 3393 8763
          3431 8765 3435 8818

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 10:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar52 min
May 17, 10:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion58 min
May 17, 1:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMX41 min
May 17, 1:53 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa47 min
May 17, 2:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter33 min
May 17, 2:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa31 min
May 17, 2:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene39 min
May 17, 2:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Walker32 min
May 17, 2:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson47 min
May 17, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson42 min
May 17, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa37 min
May 17, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson39 min
May 17, 3:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa25 min
May 17, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount24 min
May 17, 4:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson41 min
May 17, 4:56 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter64 min
May 17, 5:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens63 min
May 17, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene64 min
May 17, 5:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXPickens, Sumter4 hr
May 17, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter59 min
May 17, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair45 min
May 17, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa60 min
May 17, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter36 min
May 17, 6:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Shelby, Talladega39 min
May 17, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega32 min
May 17, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo61 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.