Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009
Flash Flood Warning 82, NWS Huntsville, AL
NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 23, 2009, 12:02 AM CDT for 4 counties in 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 23, 2009, 12:02 AM CDT (05:02 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 23, 2009, 3:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Huntsville, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:04 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 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 191 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1760 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 714 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 49 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 77 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
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 22, 9:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 22, 9:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 939 PM CDT TUE SEP 22 2009 .UPDATE... WILL INCREASE POPS TO LIKELY FOR FAR NW ALABAMA AND MENTION LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IN THE UPCOMING FORECAST. && .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN PROGRESS MAINLY JUST WEST OF THE NE MISSISSIPPI/NW ALABAMA BORDER. FLASH FLOODING WAS BEING PRODUCED ACROSS PARTS OF FAR NE MISSISSIPPI AND ADJACENT MIDDLE TENNESSEE... WITH RADAR AND SATELLITE SHOWING 1-3 INCHES OF RAINFALL PER HOUR. THE HEAVIEST RAINS SO FAR APPEARED TO BE OVER RURAL FAR WESTERN LAUDERDALE COUNTY AND THE TENNESSEE RIVER...WHERE UPWARDS OF 1-2 INCHES HAS ALREADY FALLEN. ON A BIGGER PICTURE...BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WAS RIDGING WESTWARD TO THE GULF COAST...WITH AN UNSEASONABLY DEEP UPPER LOW PRESSURE SPINNING ACROSS KANSAS. THIS SETUP CONTINUES AS SOUTHERLY FLOW OF RICH GULF MOISTURE MOVES ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS. A COUPLE OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING NORTHWARD OVER MS WILL PLAY A ROLE IN THE SENSIBLE WEATHER FOR NW ALABAMA FOR THE LATE EVENING AND EARLY WED MORNING TIME FRAME. GIVEN THIS LAYOUT...WILL INCREASE RAIN CHANCES TO LIKELY FOR NW ALABAMA IN THE UPDATE. WILL BE HOLDING OFF ON A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME...GIVEN THAT ONLY A FEW COUNTIES (PRIMARILY LAUDERDALE... COLBERT AND FRANKLIN) COULD BE AFFECTED. ELSEWHERE...CANNOT RULE OUT SOME OF THE PRECIPITATION SOUTH AND SW OF HERE AFFECTING OTHER PARTS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY DURING THE OVERNIGHT...THEREFORE WILL KEEP THE REST OF THE FORECAST UNCHANGED FOR NOW. && .AVIATION... /ISSUED 647 PM CDT TUE SEP 22 2009/ VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED ACROSS NORTHERN AL AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TN AT THE PRESENT. A LINE OF CONVECTION WAS DEVELOPING FROM NEAR TUPELO MS TO BOWLING GREEN KY. THIS LINE WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST...AND COULD AFFECT THE KMSL AIRPORT DURING THE LATE EVENING/EARLY MORNING HOURS. MVFR CEILING/VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA BEFORE DAYBREAK WED. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD RETURN BY 14Z AND CONTINUE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR MORE CONVECTION DEVELOPING WED AFTERNOON...HOWEVER CHANCES ARE TOO LOW FOR INCLUSION IN TAFS AT THIS TIME. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 349 PM CDT TUE SEP 22 2009/ FORECAST EVOLVING AS EXPECTED FOR ABOUT A COUPLE OF DAYS NOW...AND INDICATIONS ARE THAT A DEEP CONVERGENT ZONE WILL REMAIN ESTABLISHED JUST TO OUR WEST OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE AN INITIAL FRONT FINALLY PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE WEEKEND. THEN...A MUCH COOLER POLAR AIRMASS LOOKS SET TO ENTER THE ERN CONUS BY THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. WHILE OVERALL CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING IN THE EVOLVING LONG WAVE PATTERN...SMALL TO MEDIUM SCALE FEATURES WILL STILL BE A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC WITH THE DEEP CONVERGENT BOUNDARY/MOISTURE AXIS POISED JUST TO OUR WEST THROUGH SAT. GIVEN THE REGIONAL-SCALE SETUP...WRN PORTIONS OF THE HUN CWFA WILL BE FAVORED TO RECEIVE THE MOST RAINFALL THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK...ALTHOUGH HOW MUCH HIGHER REMAINS UNCERTAIN. DIFFERENCES ON THE ORDER OF A FEW INCHES APPEAR CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THOUGH. SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)... HAVE BROKEN UP THE SHORT TERM PORTION OF THE DISCUSSION TO DEAL WITH CONDITIONS AHEAD OF THE LONG-HERALDED FRONT FOR SAT. ANYWAY...FOR THIS EVENING...WHILE SOME CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO DAYTIME HEATING...THIS WILL TEND TO DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET. CONSIDERING LACK OF WIDESPREAD CONVECTION...WILL GO AHEAD AND CANCEL THE FFA. LATER TONIGHT...THINKING THAT THE BULK OF DYNAMIC FORCING WILL REMAIN TO OUR WEST. THE GFS 12-24 HR FCST APPEARS TO BE SUFFERING FROM SIGNIFICANT CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK ISSUES...AND ITS SOLN WAS THUS DISCOUNTED FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. REMAINING GUIDANCE GNRLY INDICATES A SHORT WAVE...PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR CURRENT DEEP CONVECTION ALONG THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN...WILL MOVE NWRD INTO THE REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT. LIFT/MOISTURE CONVERGENCE IN ASSOC/W THIS FEATURE WILL BRING A CHANCES FOR SHRA MAINLY TO WRN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. ELEVATED INSTABILITY MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW FOR ISOLD DEEP CONVECTION AND TSRA ACTIVITY...SO WILL LEAVE MENTION IN THE FCST. DRIER AIR ADVECTING IN FROM THE EAST WILL ALSO HELP LIMIT POTENTIAL FOR DOWNSTREAM MAINLY STRATIFORM -RA IN ERN AREAS. BUT...WILL STILL LEAVE IN SLGT CHANCE POPS IN ERN COUNTIES. POPS/QPF FOR TMRW WILL LIKEWISE FOLLOW THIS SPATIAL TREND...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER SHORT WAVE RIDING NEWD ALONG THE TROUGH/RIDGE INTERFACE. SHRA/TSRA LOOK LIKELY IN THE WRNMOST COUNTIES GIVEN THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTN. RIDGING EXTENDING ALONG THE ERN/SRN FLANK OF THE APPALACHIANS MAY LEAD TO SUFFICIENT LOW-LVL DRYING IN OUR ERN COUNTIES. HOWEVER...GIVEN CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY IN THE PRECISE PLACEMENT OF FEATURES AND THE MAKE-UP OF LOW-LVL MOISTURE...WILL KEEP MDT CHANCE POPS IN THE EAST. THE FCST FOR THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE SHORT TERM WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW A SIMILAR SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TREND...INDICATING HIGHER POPS IN THE WEST A DEFINITE DIURNAL SIGNAL. FOR THOSE THAT MAY BE NEEDING TO DO WORK OUTSIDE...THURS OR PERHAPS FRI MAY OFFER THE LEAST CHANCES FOR RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST. LONG TERM (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)... THE CLOSED LOW IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL FINALLY GET THE NECESSARY PUSH AS CAA DEVELOPS IN THE NRN PLAINS AND CENTRAL CANADA BY LATE IN THE WEEK. AS THE LOW GETS PICKED UP BY MAIN BELT OF MID-LAT WRLIES...AN ASSOC SFC FRONT SHOULD PUSH ACROSS THE TN VALLEY EARLY IN THE WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH SPECIFIC TIMING REMAINS UNCERTAIN...CAN REASONABLY NARROW THE FRONTAL TIMING WITHIN ABOUT A 12 WINDOW AT THIS POINT...SAY SOMETIME BETWEEN 12Z AND 00Z SAT. ALTHOUGH THE BEST KINEMATIC FORCING MAY REMAIN JUST TO OUR NORTH...SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY AND SHEAR AHEAD OF THE FRONT MAY ALLOW FOR SOME STRONG TSRA ACTIVITY WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. TEMPS/DEW POINTS WILL DROP A LITTLE BEHIND THIS FIRST FRONT...BUT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY. THE FCST WILL STILL INDICATE HIGH TEMPS AROUND 80 ON SUN...WITH DEW POINT TEMPS IN THE LOWER 60S (ALTHOUGH THIS WILL BE SUBJECT TO LATER REVISION). NEVERTHELESS...GOOD AGREEMENT EXISTS AMONG MED RANGE GUIDANCE IN BUILDING A VERY HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE/TROUGH PATTERN ACROSS NOAM BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS SHOULD ALLOW A SUBSTANTIALLY COOLER AIRMASS OF POLAR ORIGIN TO DROP IN THE ERN CONUS AT THAT TIME. 40S DEW POINTS LOOK TO BE POSSIBLE BY TUES OR PERHAPS WED...WITH FINALLY A FALL-LIKE FEEL IN THE AIR. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && UPDATE/AVIATION...BOYD PREV DISCUSSION...KDW/03
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 22, 9:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 941 PM CDT TUE SEP 22 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-231030- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 941 PM CDT TUE SEP 22 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY PUSH NORTH ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA TONIGHT...BEFORE DISSIPATING LATE. SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE SOME ISOLATED INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING...PRIMARILY NEAR THE ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE...BUT WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... A GENERALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE FOR THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK...AS A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS ACROSS THE AREA. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS NOT ANTICIPATED...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING. STRONGER STORMS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE UPCOMING WEEKEND...WHICH SHOULD FINALLY PUT AN END TO THE RAINY CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING OR CLOSED ROADS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. KTW
In the hours before
Local storm report, Sep 22, 11:53 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Huntsville, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 10:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HUN | Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale | 3 hr |
| Sep 23, 11:37 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HUN | Lawrence | 3 hr |
| Sep 23, 12:05 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HUN | Limestone, Madison | 3 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.