Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 8, 2012Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 8, 2012, 6:24 PM CDT for Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 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
May 8, 2012, 6:24 PM CDT (23:24 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2012, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Lamar County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:26 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 8, 7:30 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD2 Sse Beaverton, ALSEVERAL ROADS IN THE AREA CLOSED DUE TO WATER OVER THEM.
May 8, 7:30 PM CDTFLASH FLOODVernon, ALHIGHWAY 18 IN VERNON CLOSED DUE TO WATER OVER THE ROADWAY.

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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 146 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-167 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1015 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 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.

581 
WGUS54 KBMX 082324
FFWBMX
ALC075-090230-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0010.120508T2324Z-120509T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
624 PM CDT TUE MAY 8 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 622 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING 
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 
  2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 
  INCHES EXPECTED. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO   
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...     
  SULLIGENT...VERNON...BEAVERTON...BEDFORD...BLOOMING
  GROVE...CREWS   AND LAMAR COUNTY AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3400 8822 3399 8795 3367 8795 3368 8826

$$

GRANTHAM
1 follow-up statement
023 
WGUS74 KBMX 090057
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
757 PM CDT TUE MAY 8 2012

ALC075-090230-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0010.000000T0000Z-120509T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LAMAR AL-
757 PM CDT TUE MAY 8 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL LAMAR COUNTY
UNTIL 930 PM CDT...

AT 756 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 2 TO 
4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN EXPECTED TO 
CONTINUE.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
SULLIGENT...VERNON...BEAVERTON...BEDFORD...BLOOMING GROVE...CREWS AND
LAMAR COUNTY AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3400 8822 3399 8795 3367 8795 3368 8826

$$

GRANTHAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 7:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXRandolph52 min
May 7, 7:10 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXElmore, Macon, Tallapoosa50 min
May 8, 1:06 AM CDTDense Fog AdvisoryBMXBlount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah and 12 more8 hr
May 8, 2:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPike23 min
May 8, 5:39 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLamar36 min
May 8, 5:52 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXLamar113 min
May 8, 6:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Marion3 hr
May 8, 6:44 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXSumter46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.