Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 53, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 19, 2003Autauga County, Dallas County, Lowndes County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 19, 2003, 9:40 PM CDT for Autauga County, Dallas County, Lowndes 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 19, 2003, 9:40 PM CDT (02:40 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2003, 12:45 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Autauga County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Lowndes County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:40 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 88 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: 68 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 301 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 200244
FFWBHM
ALC001-047-085-200545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
940 PM CDT MON MAY 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  AUTAUGA COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  DALLAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
  LOWNDES COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1245 AM CDT

* AT 940 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM NEAR JONES...TO R.F. HENRY LOCK AND DAM...TO 
NEAR TYLER...TO NEAR WHITE HALL. THE AREA OF SHOWERS WAS MOVING VERY 
LITTLE. UP TO 3.25 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS PARTS OF 
NORTHWEST LOWNDES...WESTERN AUTAUGA...AND EASTERN DALLAS COUNTIES IN 
THE PAST TWO HOURS. AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN ARE 
POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

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 3242 8723 3212 8680 3240 8667 3265 8691

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS74 KBMX 200355
FFSBHM
ALC001-047-085-200545-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1052 PM CDT MON MAY 19 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LOWNDES...DALLAS AND
AUTAUGA COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 AM CDT.

AT 1052 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. THE 
HEAVIEST RAIN WAS FALLING ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 41 IN EASTERN DALLAS 
COUNTY...EXTENDING NORTHWARD INTO SELMA. MORE RAIN WAS FALLING 
ACROSS NORTHERN DALLAS AND WESTERN AUTAUGA COUNTIES. ADDITIONAL RAIN 
AMOUNTS OF UP TO AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN DALLAS AND 
WESTERN AUTAUGA COUNTIES. 

RADAR ESTIMATES AND GROUND OBSERVATIONS INDICATE 4 TO 5 INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE AREA IN THE PAST 3 HOURS. RUNOFF FROM 
THESE VERY HEAVY HEAVY SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 1245 AM.   

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.

LAT...LON 3265 8692 3233 8667 3216 8707 3250 8715

$$

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2003 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.