Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Huntsville, AL

May 3, 2009Madison County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2009, 6:04 PM CDT for Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 78 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 2009, 6:04 PM CDT (23:04 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2009, 7:22 PM CDT
In force
78 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:07 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 6:38 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD6 Sse Huntsville, ALWATER FLOWING OVER DANMANN ROAD IN SOUTHEAST HUNTSVILLE WAS ALSO FLOODING A HOUSE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 163 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 2009-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 365 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2009-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 193 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
365 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
527 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KHUN 032304
FFWHUN
ALC089-040100-
/O.NEW.KHUN.FF.W.0021.090503T2304Z-090504T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
604 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 602 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRING OVER THE HUNTSVILLE AREA AND SURROUNDING  
  COMMUNITIES. THE MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR FLASH FLOODING WILL BE   
  ALONG THE SOUTH PARKWAY AREA AND IN SOUTHEAST HUNTSVILLE AND       
  HAMPTON COVE. RAINFALL OVER AN INCH IS POSSIBLE...AND THERE COULD  
  BE HIGH RAINFALL RATES AS WELL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TRIANA...
  REDSTONE ARSENAL...OWENS CROSSROADS...MOORES MILL...
  MERIDIANVILLE...MADISON...HUNTSVILLE...HARVEST AND GURLEY.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLASH 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.

LAT...LON 3485 8640 3467 8635 3463 8635 3462 8633
      3454 8631 3456 8655 3459 8659 3459 8661
      3456 8663 3457 8667 3459 8668 3459 8671
      3457 8673 3457 8678 3486 8678

$$

JE
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS74 KHUN 032346
FFSHUN

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
646 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

ALC089-040100-
/O.CON.KHUN.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090504T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
646 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTY...

AT 645 PM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLASH 
FLOODING IN SOUTHEAST HUNTSVILLE. RAIN HAS ENDED BUT THERE MAY STILL 
BE LINGERING FLOOD CONCERNS DUE TO THE BRIEF...BUT VERY HEAVY...RAIN.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TRIANA...
REDSTONE ARSENAL...OWENS CROSSROADS...MOORES MILL...MERIDIANVILLE...
MADISON...HUNTSVILLE...HARVEST AND GURLEY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 3485 8640 3467 8635 3463 8635 3462 8633
      3454 8631 3456 8655 3459 8659 3459 8661
      3456 8663 3457 8667 3459 8668 3459 8671
      3457 8673 3457 8678 3486 8678

$$

JE
000 
WGUS74 KHUN 040022
FFSHUN

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
722 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

ALC089-040031-
/O.CAN.KHUN.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090504T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
722 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHERN MADISON
COUNTY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE RAINFALL WAS
ENDING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...AND THE FLOOD THREAT WAS DIMINISHING.
SOME MINOR FLOODING MAY CONTINUE...BUT THE SERIOUS THREAT OF FLOODING
IS ENDING. THUS...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE POSSIBLE...DUE
TO RECENT RAINFALL RUNOFF OF THIS STORM. STANDING WATER ON AREA
HIGHWAYS MAY CAUSE HYDROPLANING...WITH A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL
POSSIBLE.

LAT...LON 3485 8640 3467 8635 3463 8635 3462 8633
      3454 8631 3456 8655 3459 8659 3459 8661
      3456 8663 3457 8667 3459 8668 3459 8671
      3457 8673 3457 8678 3486 8678

$$

JE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 9:22 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningHUNCullman, Lawrence, Madison, Marshall, Morgan3 hr
May 3, 3:27 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNMadison, Marshall, Morgan33 min
May 3, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMadison, Marshall, Morgan25 min
May 3, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WarningHUNJackson, Madison30 min
May 3, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNJackson43 min

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.