Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 64, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 20, 2011Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 20, 2011, 9:02 PM CDT for Chambers County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 hr. 2 reports 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
Sep 20, 2011, 9:02 PM CDT (02:02 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 2011, 11:03 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Chambers County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 20, 9:20 PM CDTFLASH FLOODLanett, ALSHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT ON U.S. HIGHWAY 29 ON THE STATE LINE WAS REPORTED AS FLOODED. CARS WERE BEING STALLED OUT DUE TO THE HIGH WATER.
Sep 20, 9:47 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD1 Ne Lanett, ALWATER REPORTED FLOWING UNDERNEATH DOORWAYS OF BUSINESSES ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 29 IN WEST POINT DUE TO FLOODING.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 97 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2011-09-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 639 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2011-09-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
639 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

604 
WGUS54 KBMX 210202
FFWBMX
ALC017-210500-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0064.110921T0202Z-110921T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
902 PM CDT TUE SEP 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

* AT 900 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING   
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS 
COUNTY NEAR THE TOWNS OF LANETT AND VALLEY. FLOODING ALONG TANYARD 
BRANCH IN LANETT...AND THE CITY OF VALLEY IS OF MOST CONCERN.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  LANETT...VALLEY...CHAMBERS COUNTY LAKE...CUSSETA...FAIRFAX...
  HUGULEY...LAKEVIEW AND OAK BOWERY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAINFALL FROM PERSISTENT RAINBANDS
WILL PRODUCE FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS AND ALONG STREETS. MANY
ROADS WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER AND DRIVING IS NOT RECOMMENDED
DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3275 8514 3275 8528 3273 8529 3273 8532
      3274 8543 3273 8544 3273 8545 3277 8547
      3295 8520 3286 8518 3285 8515 3281 8516
      3278 8513

$$

56
2 follow-up statements
877 
WGUS74 KBMX 210332
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1032 PM CDT TUE SEP 20 2011

ALC017-210500-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0064.000000T0000Z-110921T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CHAMBERS AL-
1032 PM CDT TUE SEP 20 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS
COUNTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT...

AT 1028 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLOODING 
ALONG HIGHWAY 29 IN LANETT AND WEST POINT DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL. 
CARS WERE BEING STALLED DUE TO HIGH WATER...AND WATER WAS BEGINNING 
TO FLOW UNDER THE DOORWAYS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL 
RATES HAVE DIMINISHED...FLOODING WILL STILL BE A PROBLEM THROUGHOUT 
THE WARNED AREA UNTIL THE WATER RECEEDS.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
LANETT...VALLEY...CHAMBERS COUNTY LAKE...CUSSETA...FAIRFAX...
HUGULEY...LAKEVIEW AND OAK BOWERY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAINFALL FROM PERSISTENT RAINBANDS
WILL PRODUCE FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS AND ALONG STREETS. MANY
ROADS WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER AND DRIVING IS NOT RECOMMENDED
DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

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.

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 3275 8514 3275 8528 3273 8529 3273 8532
      3274 8543 3273 8544 3273 8545 3277 8547
      3295 8520 3286 8518 3285 8515 3281 8516
      3278 8513

$$

56
653 
WGUS74 KBMX 210403
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1103 PM CDT TUE SEP 20 2011

ALC017-210418-
/O.CAN.KBMX.FF.W.0064.000000T0000Z-110921T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CHAMBERS AL-
1103 PM CDT TUE SEP 20 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN
CHAMBERS 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 3275 8514 3275 8528 3273 8529 3273 8532
      3274 8543 3273 8544 3273 8545 3277 8547
      3295 8520 3286 8518 3285 8515 3281 8516
      3278 8513

$$

56

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 20, 7:23 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXChambers, Lee52 min
Sep 20, 8:04 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXChambers, Lee116 min
Sep 20, 8:41 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLee49 min
Sep 20, 11:34 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXRussell116 min
Sep 21, 12:27 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXChambers, Lee, Russell3 hr
Sep 21, 6:31 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMontgomery29 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2011Every 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.