Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 28, NWS Birmingham, AL

August 6, 2012Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Aug 6, 2012, 9:56 AM CDT for Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 hr. 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
Aug 6, 2012, 9:56 AM CDT (14:56 UTC)
Expired
Aug 6, 2012, 1:00 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 14:59 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
Aug 6, 10:12 AM CDTFLASH FLOODSulligent, ALHWY 278 IS CLOSED IN SULLIGENT

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, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 145 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 2012-08-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 532 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 2012-08-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
532 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-62 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 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.

767 
WGUS54 KBMX 061456
FFWBMX
ALC075-061800-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0028.120806T1456Z-120806T1800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
956 AM CDT MON AUG 6 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 100 PM CDT

* AT 956 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A VERY SLOW     
  MOVING CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS    
  THE WARNED AREA.  2 INCHES OF RAIN COULD FALL IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.

* 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...DETROIT AND LAMAR COUNTY AIRPORT.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAINFALL FROM PERSISTENT THUNDERSTORMS
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.

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.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3404 8821 3402 8795 3360 8795 3361 8827

$$

27
1 follow-up statement
191 
WGUS74 KBMX 061514
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1014 AM CDT MON AUG 6 2012

ALC075-061800-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0028.000000T0000Z-120806T1800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LAMAR AL-
1014 AM CDT MON AUG 6 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LAMAR COUNTY UNTIL 100
PM CDT...

AT 1012 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS 
THE WARNED AREA.  1 TO 2 INCHES HAVE ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS THE 
NORTHERN HALF OF LAMAR COUNTY CAUSING ROAD CLOSURES IN SULLIGENT.

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

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAINFALL FROM PERSISTENT THUNDERSTORMS
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.

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 3404 8821 3402 8795 3360 8795 3361 8827

$$

27

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 6, 5:42 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXJefferson2 hr

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.