Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 33, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 14, 2011Calhoun County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 2011, 9:56 PM CDT for Calhoun County, Alabama. It was in force for 82 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Jul 14, 2011, 9:56 PM CDT (02:56 UTC)
Expired: Jul 14, 2011, 11:18 PM CDT
In force: 82 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Calhoun County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:56 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 116 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.

308 
WGUS54 KBMX 150256
FFWBMX
ALC015-150600-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0033.110715T0256Z-110715T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CALHOUN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 100 AM CDT

* AT 955 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING     
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 2   
  TO 3 INCHES THAT FELL EARLIER THIS EVENING...ALONG WITH ANOTHER 2  
  TO 3 INCHES COULD CAUSE MAJOR FLOODING PROBLEMS ON SOME SECONDARY  
  RURAL ROADS IN THIS AREA.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...     
  OHATCHEE.

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 3397 8573 3391 8568 3376 8605 3385 8604
      3387 8599 3392 8597 3392 8594 3391 8593
      3391 8590 3394 8590 3396 8584 3394 8574

$$

27

1 follow-up statement

039 
WGUS74 KBMX 150418
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1118 PM CDT THU JUL 14 2011

ALC015-150433-
/O.CAN.KBMX.FF.W.0033.000000T0000Z-110715T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CALHOUN AL-
1118 PM CDT THU JUL 14 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN
CALHOUN COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS
AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO
RECEDE...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN OBSERVED...
PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

LAT...LON 3397 8573 3391 8568 3376 8605 3385 8604
      3387 8599 3392 8597 3392 8594 3391 8593
      3391 8590 3394 8590 3396 8584 3394 8574

$$

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, 9:46 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Etowah	3 hr
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.