Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 20, 2011Forsyth County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 20, 2011, 6:16 PM EDT for Forsyth County, North Carolina. It was in force for 88 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
Aug 20, 2011, 6:16 PM EDT (22:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 2011, 7:44 PM EDT
In force
88 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Forsyth County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 30 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2011-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 606 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2011-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 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
606 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-65 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1004 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

563 
WGUS52 KRAH 202216
FFWRAH
NCC067-210115-
/O.NEW.KRAH.FF.W.0039.110820T2216Z-110821T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
616 PM EDT SAT AUG 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  FORSYTH COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 915 PM EDT

* AT 612 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING FLOODING OVER CENTRAL 
  FORSYTH COUNTY. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED THAT ONE TO ONE AND A HALF 
  INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE CITY OF WINSTON SALEM.

* LOCATIONS THREATENED WITH FLOODING INCLUDE WINSTON-SALEM.

AN ADDITIONAL ONE INCH OF RAIN IS STILL POSSIBLE...WHICH WILL RESULT 
IN URBAN FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THE HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF
CREEKS AND STREAMS...ROADS...LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. DO
NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. MANY
ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS IN THE AREA WILL QUICKLY FLOOD. WHEN
ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING...
1...8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2 OR NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY.

&&

LAT...LON 3619 8029 3618 8021 3613 8014 3606 8017
      3602 8020 3602 8021 3601 8022 3602 8031
      3609 8034

$$

MWS
2 follow-up statements
302 
WGUS72 KRAH 202310
FFSRAH

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
710 PM EDT SAT AUG 20 2011

NCC067-210115-
/O.CON.KRAH.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-110821T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FORSYTH NC-
710 PM EDT SAT AUG 20 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM EDT FOR
CENTRAL FORSYTH COUNTY...

AT 706 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE 
THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED THE EARLIER HEAVY RAIN HAD DISSIPATED. 
HOWEVER...MULTI-SENSOR PRECIPITATION ANALYSES INDICATE TWO TO AS 
MUCH AS THREE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVER THE CITY WINSTON 
SALEM BETWEEN 545 AND 645 PM. 

WHILE NO ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED...THE EARLIER RAINFALL 
WILL POSE A CONTINUED RISK OF FLASH FLOODING. 

LOCATIONS THREATENED BY FLOODING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
WINSTON-SALEM

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING...
1...8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2 OR NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY.

&&

LAT...LON 3619 8029 3618 8021 3613 8014 3606 8017
      3602 8020 3602 8021 3601 8022 3602 8031
      3609 8034

$$

MWS
192 
WGUS72 KRAH 202344
FFSRAH

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
744 PM EDT SAT AUG 20 2011

NCC067-202350-
/O.CAN.KRAH.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-110821T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FORSYTH NC-
744 PM EDT SAT AUG 20 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL FORSYTH
COUNTY...

AT 740 PM EDT...THERE HAD BEEN NO REPORTS OF HIGH WATER OR FLASH 
FLOODING IN THE CITY OF WINSTON SALEM...AND NO SIGNIFICANT RAIN HAD 
FALLEN IN OVER AN HOUR. THEREFORE THE FLOODING THREAT HAS ENDED... 
AND THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3619 8029 3618 8021 3613 8014 3606 8017
      3602 8020 3602 8021 3601 8022 3602 8031
      3609 8034

$$

MWS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 6:00 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHForsyth45 min
Aug 20, 6:08 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRAHForsyth97 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.