Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Mobile, AL

May 17, 2004Baldwin County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 2004, 3:22 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Alabama. It was in force for 83 min. 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, 2004, 3:22 PM CDT (20:22 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 2004, 4:45 PM CDT
In force: 83 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Baldwin County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:22 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

Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL (KVPS), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 140 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: 403 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -65 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 946 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 56 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 KMOB 172025
FFWMOB
ALC003-172145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
322 PM CDT MON MAY 17 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BALDWIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 445 PM CDT

* AT 317 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHEASTERN BALDWIN       
  COUNTY. THE STORM WAS ABOUT 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF BAY 
  MINETTE. THE STORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  VAUGHN...TENSAW...STOCKTON...REDTOWN...RABUN...PHILLIPSVILLE...
  PERDIDO...LOTTIE...LITTLE RIVER...LATHAM...I65 AND AL 287...I65 AND
  AL 225...I65 AND AL 59...DYAS AND BLACKSHER.

  RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 3.6 INCHES HAVE ALREADY FALLEN SINCE 230  
  PM CDT. ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF THE      
  WARNED AREA BEFORE THE STORM DISSIPATES.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
MOBILE.

LAT...LON 3095 8793 3087 8764 3124 8762 3131 8780
          3111 8786

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS74 KMOB 172055
FFSMOB
ALC003-172145-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
351 PM CDT MON MAY 17 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CDT FOR 
THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...BALDWIN COUNTY.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNED AREA THAT ARE SUBJECT TO FLOOD PROBLEMS 
INCLUDE...I65 AND AL 287 AND I65 AND AL 59.

AT 351 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH 
HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE WARNED AREA OF NORTHERN 
BALDWIN COUNTY. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1 
TO 2 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAIN PER HOUR OVER AN ALREADY SATURATED 
GROUND.  SOME LOCATIONS HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED AS MUCH 4.5 TO 5 
INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE PAST HOUR.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OF
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES...AND OTHER LOW
LYING FLOOD PRONE AREAS. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTED SEVERAL ROADS INUNDATED AND IMPASSABLE.

REMEMBER...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR
OCCURRING. RESIDENTS LIVING IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING SHOULD TAKE
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. IF FLASH FLOODING
IS OBSERVED...MOVE QUICKLY TO HIGHER GROUND AND NEVER DRIVE INTO AN
AREA WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

REPORT FLOODING TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 3:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Washington	52 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.