Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 86, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 25, 2009Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 25, 2009, 3:06 PM CDT for Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 101 min. 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 25, 2009, 3:06 PM CDT (20:06 UTC)
Expired
Sep 25, 2009, 4:47 PM CDT
In force
101 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:07 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 190 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 2009-09-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1058 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 2009-09-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 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
1058 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

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 25, 12:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 12:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 25, 1:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
141 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-260400-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
141 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS
THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL
ENHANCE FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...

A GREATER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST ON
SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. A FEW
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL...AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLD FRONT. A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY
MANAGERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE REPORTS OF FLASH
FLOODING OR CLOSED ROADS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

SL

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 25, 2:38 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
238 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

ALZ002-003-252015-
COLBERT-FRANKLIN-
238 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR SOUTHEASTERN COLBERT AND
NORTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 315 PM CDT...

AT 237 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CLUSTER OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE RAINFALL NEAR LITTLEVILLE...OR 7 MILES
NORTHEAST OF RUSSELLVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE
MINOR STREET FLOODING.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  SPRING VALLEY.
  LA GRANGE.
  WHITEOAK.
  WHITEOAK.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THESE
THUNDERSTORMS. THIS MAY RESULT IN BRIEF RUNOFF PROBLEMS AND PONDING
OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS.

KULA
Special weather statement, Sep 25, 2:53 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
253 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

ALZ004-252045-
LAWRENCE-
253 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY UNTIL 345
PM CDT...

AT 251 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CLUSTER OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE RAINFALL CENTERED NEAR WHITEOAK...OR 12
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MUSCLE SHOALS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM WHICH COULD PRODUCE
MINOR STREET FLOODING.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  NE SMITH...HATTON.
  TOWN CREEK.
  NORTH COURTLAND...COURTLAND.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THESE
THUNDERSTORMS. THIS MAY RESULT IN BRIEF RUNOFF PROBLEMS AND PONDING
OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS.

KULA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 25, 3:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WatchHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more35 hr
Sep 25, 6:43 AM CDTDense Fog AdvisoryHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more3 hr
Sep 25, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLawrence32 min
Sep 25, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Morgan45 min
Sep 25, 4:36 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHUNLimestone41 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.