Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 8, 2012Fayette County, Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 8, 2012, 6:33 PM CDT for Fayette County, Marion County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 hr. 3 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, 6:33 PM CDT (23:33 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

Counties Fayette County, AL, Marion County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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, 6:55 PM CDTFLASH FLOODGuin, ALMAIN STREET IN GUIN IS UNDER WATER.
May 8, 7:05 PM CDTFLASH FLOODGuin, ALWATER DEPTH OF NEARLY 3 FEET ON HIGHWAY 43 IN GUIN.
May 8, 7:26 PM CDTFLASH FLOODFayette, ALTHE STREETS IN DOWNTOWN FAYETTE ARE COVERED IN APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES OF WATER.

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, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 127 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.

616 
WGUS54 KBMX 082333
FFWBMX
ALC057-093-090230-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0011.120508T2333Z-120509T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHEASTERN MARION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 632 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.     
  1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN WITH ANOTHER 2 TO 3
  INCHES EXPECTED. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  FAYETTE...WINFIELD...BLUFF...BRILLIANT...GLEN ALLEN...GU-WIN AND 
  GUIN.

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 3389 8795 3403 8795 3402 8764 3367 8764
      3368 8795 3383 8795 3384 8796 3389 8796

$$

GRANTHAM
1 follow-up statement
303 
WGUS74 KBMX 090101
FFSBMX

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

ALC057-093-090230-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120509T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FAYETTE AL-MARION AL-
801 PM CDT TUE MAY 8 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN MARION AND
NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTIES UNTIL 930 PM CDT...

AT 758 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY 
HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS 
FALLEN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHT TO MODERATE 
RAIN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. EXTENSIVE FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN 
THE CITY OF GUIN IN SOUTHEAST MARION COUNTY. STREET FLOODING HAS 
ALSO BEEN REPORTED IN THE CITY OF FAYETTE.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
FAYETTE...WINFIELD...BLUFF...BRILLIANT...GLEN ALLEN...GU-WIN AND 
GUIN.

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 3389 8795 3403 8795 3402 8764 3367 8764
      3368 8795 3383 8795 3384 8796 3389 8796

$$

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, 6:24 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXLamar3 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.