Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Huntsville, AL

May 2, 2009Lauderdale County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 2, 2009, 8:07 AM CDT for Lauderdale 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 counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 2, 2009, 8:07 AM CDT (13:07 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2009, 11:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Lauderdale County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:07 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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 208 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 2009-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 830 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2009-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 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
830 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
507 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 2, 6:20 AM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 6:20 AM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 2, 4:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
400 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-021800-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
400 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY AND
PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
TRANSLATING INTO POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY ON ROADWAYS
AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING THREAT...A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS MAY APPROACH SEVERE THRESHOLDS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
STRONG WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT IS
EXPECTED TO DIMINISH SOME WITH THE ONSET OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD ON
SUNDAY AS ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE
OUTLOOK AREA FROM THE WEST. THE STRONGER STORMS ONCE AGAIN WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
RESULTING IN POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING. IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING
THREAT...SOME STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF REACHING SEVERE THRESHOLDS
WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. AN ISOLATED
TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER
IS EXPECTED TO LAST FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY
BEFORE A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA
LATER MONDAY MORNING. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT IS THEN EXPECTED TO
END MONDAY NIGHT.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS ANOTHER SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCES BEGIN TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY
BE REQUESTED LATER TODAY TO ASSIST IN SEVERE WEATHER/FLASH FLOODING
OPERATIONS. IN ADDITION...FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO
MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER REPORTS AND UPDATES.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 2, 7:16 AM CDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
716 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009

TNZ096-097-021315-
FRANKLIN-LINCOLN-
716 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FRANKLIN AND LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL
815 AM CDT...

AT 714 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR COWAN AND WINCHESTER...MOVING EAST AT 35
MPH.

WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  COWAN...WOODS RESERVOIR.
  ALTO...SHERWOOD.
  SEWANEE...ST. ANDREWS.

REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE
STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman29 min
May 1, 7:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence13 min
May 1, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence, Morgan38 min
May 1, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMorgan31 min
May 1, 9:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan3 hr
May 1, 10:50 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNColbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan3 hr
May 1, 11:38 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNJackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan3 hr
May 2, 12:38 AM CDTFlash Flood WatchHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more10 hr
May 2, 9:21 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningHUNMadison70 hr
May 2, 9:40 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningHUNJackson, Madison, Marshall5 days
May 2, 10:12 AM CDTFlood WatchHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more39 hr
May 2, 10:40 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson2 hr
May 2, 10:52 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningHUNLawrence47 hr
May 2, 11:22 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNLauderdale4 hr
May 2, 2:38 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNFranklin37 min
May 2, 3:17 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan3 hr
May 2, 4:48 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNMadison, Morgan27 min
May 2, 5:32 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNMadison52 min
May 2, 6:14 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNLauderdale6 hr
May 1, 7:16 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNFranklin, Lincoln, Moore3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2009Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.