Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 8, 2011Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 8, 2011, 1:49 PM CST for Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 5 hr. 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: Mar 8, 2011, 1:49 PM CST (19:49 UTC)
Expired: Mar 8, 2011, 7:00 PM CST
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Lamar County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:51 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 8, 6:18 PM CST	FLASH FLOOD	Vernon, AL	5 ROADWAYS ARE CURRENTLY IMPASSABLE NEAR VERNON DUE TO HIGH WATER OVER THE ROADWAY.

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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 143 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1010 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 289 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 358 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

402 
WGUS54 KBMX 081949
FFWBMX
ALC075-090100-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0003.110308T1949Z-110309T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
149 PM CST TUE MAR 8 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 700 PM CST

* AT 146 PM CST...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED LOCAL CREEKS AND 
STREAMS ALREADY AT OR OVER BANK FULL FROM HEAVY RAIN LAST WEEKEND.   
FLOODING OF RURAL ROADS NEAR STREAMS SUCH AS CUT BANK STREAM CAN BE 
EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. ADDITIONAL FLOODING OF FLOOD 
PRONE AREAS SUCH AS VERNON AND SULLIGENT ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  MILLPORT...SULLIGENT...VERNON...BEAVERTON...BEDFORD...BLOOMING
  GROVE...CREWS...DETROIT...KENNEDY AND LAMAR COUNTY AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...
COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND
OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3382 8825 3405 8821 3406 8820 3406 8799
      3403 8798 3402 8795 3354 8794 3353 8812
      3354 8813 3354 8827

$$

GOGGINS

1 follow-up statement

549 
WGUS74 KBMX 082229
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
429 PM CST TUE MAR 8 2011

ALC075-090100-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110309T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LAMAR AL-
429 PM CST TUE MAR 8 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST FOR LAMAR
COUNTY...

AT 423 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE HEAVY 
RAINFALL MOVING NORTHEASTWARD FROM MISSISSIPPI...AND WILL CONTINUE 
THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS TONIGHT. 
RADAR ESTIMATES OF UP TO TWO INCHES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED ACROSS 
PORTIONS OF LAMAR COUNTY TODAY.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LAMAR COUNTY
AIRPORT...CREWS...SULLIGENT...DETROIT AND BEAVERTON

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA...AS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS LAMAR COUNTY 
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3382 8825 3405 8821 3406 8820 3406 8799
      3403 8798 3402 8795 3354 8794 3353 8812
      3354 8813 3354 8827

$$

GOGGINS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 8, 3:55 AM CST	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	33 hr
Mar 8, 8:13 AM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter	5 days
Mar 8, 8:20 AM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Sumter	4 days
Mar 8, 10:00 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene, Sumter	30 min
Mar 8, 12:45 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Lamar	45 min
Mar 8, 1:09 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pickens	51 min
Mar 8, 2:02 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Marion, Pickens	3 hr
Mar 8, 2:35 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	25 min
Mar 8, 3:03 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	27 min
Mar 8, 3:08 PM CST	Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	22 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2011 Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.