Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 69, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 8, 2009Madison County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 8, 2009, 3:58 PM CDT for Madison 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
Sep 8, 2009, 3:58 PM CDT (20:58 UTC)
Expired
Sep 8, 2009, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:03 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 152 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2009-09-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1139 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2009-09-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 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
1139 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
871 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

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 Sep 8, 2:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 8, 2:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
238 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

.SHORT TERM...THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...
AFTN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY STILL DEPICTS A CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE
OHIO VALLEY...WITH SEVERAL SPOKES OF ENERGY CIRCULATING AROUND ITS
CENTER. ONE SUCH SPOKE IS ARGUABLY PUSHING INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY
ATTM...PROMPTING CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS
ACROSS TN/MS/AL. MUCH OF THE ISLTD-SCTD SHRA/TSRA HAVE FORMED IN A
WEAK CONVERGENCE ZONE OVER NWRN AL...WHILE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY
ACROSS NERN AL HAS BEEN TERRAIN-FORCED TO SOME EXTENT. MINIMAL CLOUD
COVER EARLIER TODAY RESULTED IN STRONG HEATING...SO TEMPERATURES IN
SEVERAL LOCATIONS ARE APPROACHING THE 90F MARK...AND LIKE YESTERDAY
SEVERAL STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE ELEVATED CORES.

SHORT TERM FORECAST REMAINS FOCUSED ON PRECIP CHANCES...AND WHAT IF
ANY ADDITIONAL FORCING MECHANISMS MAY COME INTO PLAY. THE UPPER LOW
IS PROGGED TO WOBBLE AROUND THE OHIO VALLEY/MID-ATLANTIC REGION THRU
THE REST OF THE PD. 12Z MODELS DO NOT BRING MANY EMBEDDED WAVES THRU
THE CENTRAL TENN VALLEY...PREFERRING TO KEEP MOST OF THEM NORTH AND
EAST OF THE AREA. WILL NOT BE SURPRISED IF THAT CHANGES OVER THE
NEXT FEW MDL RUNS...REQUIRING AT LEAST SOME MODEST ADJUSTMENT TO THE
POPS. BUT FOR THE TIME BEING...FEEL THE MAINLY-DIURNAL ISLTD POP
FCST IS STILL THE BEST ONE...ESPECIALLY IF THE WEAK CONVERGENCE AXIS
CURRENTLY DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA DOES NOT REMAIN IN PLACE /AS THE
12KM NAM INDICATES/. SINCE TEMPERATURES TODAY SKYROCKETED EARLY AND
HAVE HOVERED ABOVE GUIDANCE...WILL ADD A DEGREE OR TWO TO MOS FOR
HIGHS TMRW AND THURSDAY. A MOS BLEND HAS WORKED WELL FOR LOWS AND
WILL CONTINUE WITH THAT TREND.

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
EXTENDED CONTINUES TO LOOK HIGHLY AMPLIFIED AND RATHER UNSETTLED.
THE 12Z GFS CAME IN WITH A COMPLETELY NEW SOLUTION THAT DOES NOT
RESEMBLE THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN OR ANY OTHER MED-RANGE GUIDANCE...SO
IT IS DISCOUNTED ATTM. THE 12Z ECMWF AND 12Z GEFS MEAN ARE MORE
CONSISTENT WITH PAST FCSTS...WHERE THE UPPER LOW OVER THE NERN CONUS
IS KICKED OUT TO SEA...ONLY TO BE REPLACED BY A LARGE/EXPANSIVE LOW
OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE 12Z ECMWF IS MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN PAST
RUNS WITH A SHORTWAVE EJECTING OUT OF THE BASE OF THE MEAN TROUGH.
THIS WOULD SUPPORT HIGHER POPS FOR THE SATURDAY-TUESDAY TIME FRAME
AND WILL CONTINUE THAT MINDSET WITH THIS FCST. IF TRENDS HOLD...FEEL
THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN...BUT WOULD PREFER TO SEE
BETTER MODEL CONSISTENCY BEFORE INCREASING POPS MARKEDLY IN THE
FCST. THE 00Z GFSX MOS HAD BETTER INPUT FROM ITS PARENT MODEL...AND
ITS TEMPERATURE VALUES LOOK QUITE REASONABLE IN LIGHT OF THE MORE
UNSETTLED PATTERN.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
HUNTSVILLE    64  89  64  88  65 /  10  20  10  20  10
SHOALS        63  89  62  88  64 /  10  20  10  20  10
VINEMONT      65  88  65  87  65 /  10  20  10  20  10
FAYETTEVILLE  62  88  62  87  63 /  10  20  10  20  10
ALBERTVILLE   64  88  64  87  65 /  10  20  10  20  10
FORT PAYNE    61  88  63  86  62 /  10  20  10  20  10
&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

BCC
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 8, 3:15 PM CDT, 43 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 8, 1:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
136 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

ALZ002-081915-
COLBERT-
136 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COLBERT COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM CDT...

AT 135 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TUSCUMBIA...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  TUSCUMBIA.
  MUSCLE SHOALS.
  COLBERT HEIGHTS.
  LITTLEVILLE.
  SPRING VALLEY...LITTLEVILLE.
  WHITEOAK...LEIGHTON.

THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

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

KNS/33
Special weather statement, Sep 8, 2:16 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
216 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

ALZ002-004-082015-
COLBERT-LAWRENCE-
216 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COLBERT AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL
315 PM CDT...

AT 214 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM FORD CITY TO SPRING
VALLEY...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES EAST OF MUSCLE SHOALS
TO 7 MILES SOUTH OF MUSCLE SHOALS...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  LEIGHTON.
  WHITEOAK.
  LA GRANGE.
  RED BANK...TOWN CREEK.

THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

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

KNS/33
Special weather statement, Sep 8, 2:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
223 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

ALZ004-007-082015-
LAWRENCE-MORGAN-
223 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAWRENCE AND MORGAN COUNTIES UNTIL
315 PM CDT...

AT 222 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM MT HOPE TO WREN TO
SPEAKE...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOULTON
TO 7 MILES SOUTH OF MOULTON TO 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MOULTON...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  DANVILLE.
  MASSEY.
  LACON.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

KNS/33
Special weather statement, Sep 8, 2:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
251 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

ALZ001-004-005-082030-
LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-
251 PM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE AND LIMESTONE
COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT...

AT 251 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF
LEGGTOWN TO OLIVER...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 12 MILES SOUTH OF
PULASKI TO 15 MILES WEST OF ATHENS...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  LEGGTOWN...CAIRO.
  COXEY.
  CARTWRIGHT...ELKMONT.

THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Sep 8, 3:17 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 8, 3:41 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 8, 2:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone28 min
Sep 8, 3:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMadison44 min
Sep 8, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin, Lawrence47 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.