Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 21, 2011Walker County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 21, 2011, 8:46 AM CDT for Walker 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 21, 2011, 8:46 AM CDT (13:46 UTC)
Expired: Jul 21, 2011, 11:30 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Walker County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:48 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 21, 10:00 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Carbon Hill, AL	SEVERAL ROADWAYS NEAR CARBON HILL AND HIGHWAY 78 WERE TEMPORARILY FLOODED WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF FLOWING WATER OVER THE ROADS.

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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 100 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: 493 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 661 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 9 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.

967 
WGUS54 KBMX 211346
FFWBMX
ALC127-211630-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0039.110721T1346Z-110721T1630Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
846 AM CDT THU JUL 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN WALKER COUNTY IN ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1130 AM CDT

* AT 844 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING   
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. RADAR 
ESTIMATED 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PAST HOUR. THESE STORMS WILL 
CONTINUE DUMPING TORRENTIAL RAIN AT A RATE OF 4 INCHES PER HOUR AND 
MOVE SLOWLY WEST SOUTHWEST.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  CARBON HILL...CURRY...ELDRIDGE...KANSAS AND NAUVOO.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...SIPSEY 
FORK...BLACKWATER CREEK...BUNKUM CREEK...DRY CREEK...MILL 
CREEK...SPRING CREEK...TEAGLE CREEK...CHARLIES CREEK...LITTLE MILL 
CREEK...ROCK CREEK...PANTHER BRANCH...FAR CROOKED CREEK...MALLARDS 
CREEK...BUCK CREEK...CLIFTY BRANCH...CHEATHAM CREEK...STRIP PIT 
CREEK...SIPSEY RIVER...LOST CREEK...PAUL CREEK...CRANFORD 
CREEK...BRANNON CREEK...CANE CREEK...WOLF CREEK AND JESS CREEK.

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

LAT...LON 3398 8713 3397 8714 3379 8753 3387 8753
      3387 8759 3388 8764 3392 8764 3400 8752
      3400 8722 3399 8720 3400 8719 3400 8716

$$

75

1 follow-up statement

782 
WGUS74 KBMX 211452
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
952 AM CDT THU JUL 21 2011

ALC127-211630-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-110721T1630Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WALKER AL-
952 AM CDT THU JUL 21 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN WALKER
COUNTY UNTIL 1130 AM CDT...

AT 951 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THE 
HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR FROM NEAR NAUVOO...TO KANSAS AND ELDRIDGE. 
ADDITIONAL RAIN AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. RADAR 
ESTIMATED UP TO 4 INCHES IN A FEW LOCATIONS THE PAST FEW HOURS.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
CARBON HILL...CURRY...ELDRIDGE...KANSAS AND NAUVOO.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...SIPSEY 
FORK...BLACKWATER CREEK...BUNKUM CREEK...DRY CREEK...MILL 
CREEK...SPRING CREEK...TEAGLE CREEK...CHARLIES CREEK...LITTLE MILL 
CREEK...ROCK CREEK...PANTHER BRANCH...FAR CROOKED CREEK...MALLARDS 
CREEK...BUCK CREEK...CLIFTY BRANCH...CHEATHAM CREEK...STRIP PIT 
CREEK...SIPSEY RIVER...LOST CREEK...PAUL CREEK...CRANFORD 
CREEK...BRANNON CREEK...CANE CREEK...WOLF CREEK AND JESS CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3398 8713 3397 8714 3379 8753 3387 8753
      3387 8759 3388 8764 3392 8764 3400 8752
      3400 8722 3399 8720 3400 8719 3400 8716

$$

75

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 21, 3:17 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Clay, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega	118 min
Jul 21, 3:35 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Clay, Talladega	3 hr
Jul 21, 4:04 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Jefferson, St. Clair, Walker	3 hr
Jul 21, 4:30 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Jefferson	4 hr
Jul 21, 5:19 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega	116 min
Jul 21, 7:00 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Walker	3 hr
Jul 21, 7:19 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	St. Clair	3 hr
Jul 21, 8:06 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Walker	3 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.