Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 14, 2011Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 2011, 9:46 PM CDT for Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 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: Jul 14, 2011, 9:46 PM CDT (02:46 UTC)
Expired: Jul 15, 2011, 12:30 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Etowah County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:47 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
Jul 15, 12:30 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Gadsden, AL	A FEW ROADWAYS ARE IMPASSABLE IN AND AROUND GADSDEN. THESE ROADS ARE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER.

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 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 121 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: 1011 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 956 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -11 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.

746 
WGUS54 KBMX 150246
FFWBMX
ALC055-150530-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0032.110715T0246Z-110715T0530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
946 PM CDT THU JUL 14 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1230 AM CDT

* AT 944 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING     
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 2   
  TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.  THIS LATEST  
  RAINFALL IS ON TOP OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN EARLIER THIS EVENING.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  GADSDEN...HOKES BLUFF...MARKTON...RAINBOW CITY...ANDERSON...
  ATTALLA...GADSDEN MALL...GLENCOE...NOCCALULA FALLS AND REECE CITY.

BIG COVE CREEK IN THE HOKES BLUFF AREA IS THE MAIN AREA OF 
CONCERN...BUT SECONDARY ROADS THROUGHOUT THIS AREA THAT ARE 
RECEIVING THIS RAINFALL COULD ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING FLOODING SITUATION. YOU
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL. STAY HOME UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO
EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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

&&

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

LAT...LON 3411 8584 3412 8582 3397 8574 3394 8581
      3395 8588 3394 8590 3392 8590 3391 8594
      3392 8594 3392 8597 3389 8597 3385 8606
      3406 8610 3413 8584

$$

27

1 follow-up statement

937 
WGUS74 KBMX 150417
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1117 PM CDT THU JUL 14 2011

ALC055-150530-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0032.000000T0000Z-110715T0530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ETOWAH AL-
1117 PM CDT THU JUL 14 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN ETOWAH
COUNTY UNTIL 1230 AM CDT...

AT 1115 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY 
RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA AND THOUGH THE RAINS HAVE LET UP 
SLIGHTLY...THERE IS STILL THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER ONE HALF INCH IN 
THE EFFECTED AREAS.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
GADSDEN...HOKES BLUFF...MARKTON...RAINBOW CITY...ANDERSON...
ATTALLA...GADSDEN MALL...GLENCOE...NOCCALULA FALLS AND REECE CITY.

ROADS IN AND AROUND THE CITY OF GADSDEN HAVE BEEN FLOODED FROM 
DITCHES WHICH CAN NOT HOLD THIS AMOUNT OF WATER.  PLEASE AVOID 
DRIVING TONIGHT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE TO ALLOW TIME FOR FLOOD WATERS TO 
RECEDE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING FLOODING SITUATION. YOU
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL. STAY HOME UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO
EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3411 8584 3412 8582 3397 8574 3394 8581
      3395 8588 3394 8590 3392 8590 3391 8594
      3392 8594 3392 8597 3389 8597 3385 8606
      3406 8610 3413 8584

$$

27

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 14, 7:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cleburne, Randolph	40 min
Jul 14, 8:27 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cleburne	33 min
Jul 14, 9:30 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Cherokee	3 hr
Jul 14, 9:56 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Calhoun	82 min
Jul 15, 12:29 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair	3 hr
Jul 15, 12:46 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne, St. Clair, Talladega	119 min
Jul 15, 12:22 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Elmore, Macon, Montgomery	113 min
Jul 15, 2:19 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Bullock, Montgomery, Pike	116 min

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.