Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 26, 2004Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 26, 2004, 4:30 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 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: Jul 26, 2004, 4:30 PM CDT (21:30 UTC)
Expired: Jul 26, 2004, 6:30 PM CDT
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Jefferson County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:32 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 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 34 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: 1183 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 694 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 65 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 262132
FFWBHM
ALC073-262330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
430 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 428 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
FLASH FLOODING FROM A LONE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND 
SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY INCLUDING THE CITIES OF  
LEEDS...SOUTHWEST BIRMINGHAM...AND SYLACAUGA. THE STORM PRODUCING 
FLASH FLOODING WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

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 3339 8689 3343 8677 3354 8654 3368 8663
      3346 8698

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS74 KBMX 262231
FFSBHM
ALC073-262330-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
530 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2004

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL
630 PM CDT.

AT 530 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING ACROSS THE WARNING AREA.

THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS NOW DISSIPATED OVER THE REGION ALTHOUGH RUNOFF 
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 630 PM RESULTING IN CONTINUED 
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODING HAVE BEEN 
RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL 
AMOUNTS OF UP TO ONE INCH CAN BE EXPECTED.   

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 3346 8695 3334 8692 3338 8681 3347 8669
      3358 8657 3368 8668

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 25, 8:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Elmore	19 min
Jul 26, 3:42 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Elmore	93 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2004 Every flash flood warning in 2004

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.