Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 18, 2012Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 18, 2012, 11:14 AM CDT for Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 88 min. 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 18, 2012, 11:14 AM CDT (16:14 UTC)
Expired: Jul 18, 2012, 12:42 PM CDT
In force: 88 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Jefferson County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:15 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 18, 11:50 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 Nnw Fultondale, AL	FLOWING WATER 6 TO 8 INCHES DEEP ACROSS THE NORTHBOUND LANES OF U.S. HIGHWAY 31 NEAR THE GARDENDALE POST OFFICE.

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, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 39 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: 1162 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 873 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 18 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.

636 
WGUS54 KBMX 181614
FFWBMX
ALC073-181900-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0016.120718T1614Z-120718T1900Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1114 AM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 200 PM CDT

* AT 1110 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING   
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. TWO 
TO FOUR INCHES HAS FALLEN IN PARTS OF THE AREA...AND AN ADDITIONAL 
ONE TO THREE INCHES IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  BESSEMER...BIRMINGHAM...FAIRFIELD...FULTONDALE...GARDENDALE...
  HOMEWOOD...HOOVER...HUEYTOWN...IRONDALE...MOUNTAIN BROOK...VESTAVIA
  HILLS...ADAMSVILLE......BROOKSIDE...CENTER POINT... 
  CLAY...ENSLEY...FORESTDALE...GRAYSVILLE AND KETONA LAKES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.  BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO 
HIGHER GROUND IF FLASH FLOODING OCCURS IN YOUR AREA.
&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758 OR TWEET YOUR REPORT USING HASHTAG ALWX

LAT...LON 3376 8665 3376 8660 3347 8663 3347 8667
      3342 8672 3341 8675 3337 8678 3336 8683
      3333 8684 3333 8688 3327 8694 3325 8702
      3370 8704 3377 8703 3381 8695 3381 8670

$$

1 follow-up statement

305 
WGUS74 KBMX 181742
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1242 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

ALC073-181757-
/O.CAN.KBMX.FF.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120718T1900Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
JEFFERSON AL-
1242 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL JEFFERSON
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 3376 8665 3376 8660 3347 8663 3347 8667
      3342 8672 3341 8675 3337 8678 3336 8683
      3333 8684 3333 8688 3327 8694 3325 8702
      3370 8704 3377 8703 3381 8695 3381 8670

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 7:52 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Montgomery	38 min
Jul 17, 11:12 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene	2 hr
Jul 17, 11:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cherokee	42 min
Jul 18, 12:37 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Etowah	38 min
Jul 18, 12:45 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cherokee	30 min
Jul 18, 1:12 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Etowah	48 min
Jul 18, 6:59 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Randolph	46 min
Jul 18, 10:41 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Shelby	3 hr
Jul 18, 10:53 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Jefferson	112 min
Jul 18, 12:29 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene, Sumter	46 min
Jul 18, 12:57 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Fayette	48 min
Jul 18, 1:29 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Shelby	3 hr
Jul 18, 1:43 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Walker, Winston	2 hr
Jul 18, 1:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Fayette, Greene	45 min
Jul 18, 1:49 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Hale, Pickens, Tuscaloosa	116 min
Jul 18, 2:04 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Lamar	116 min
Jul 18, 2:14 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Etowah	2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2012 Every 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.