Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 37, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 4, 20124 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 4, 2012, 6:30 AM CDT for 4 counties in 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: Sep 4, 2012, 6:30 AM CDT (11:30 UTC)
Expired: Sep 4, 2012, 9:30 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Bibb County, AL, Hale County, AL, Perry County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:33 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
Sep 4, 7:50 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	2 Sw Brent, AL	PORTIONS OF HWY 5 NEAR BRENT ARE IMPASSABLE DUE TO WATER COVERING THE ROAD. POLICE DEPT IS DIVERTING TRAFFIC.
Sep 4, 8:00 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Brent, AL	MAIN STREET IN BRENT WAS FLOODED. BIBB SUPPLY AND VALLEY FOODS IN BRENT ALSO HAD WATER DAMAGE FROM FLASH FLOODING.
Sep 4, 8:00 AM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Centreville, AL	FOUR POINTS... HERITAGE ROAD... PARK DRIVE AND PATRIGE DRIVE WERE FLOODED IN THE CENTREVILLE AREA. TWIX AND TWEEN... G AND H SUPPLY... AND ENGLISH AUTO REPAIR IN CENTREVILLE SUSTAINED WATER DAMAGE FROM FLASH FLOODING.

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 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 70 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: 1069 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 747 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 238 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

428 
WGUS54 KBMX 041130
FFWBMX
ALC007-065-105-125-041430-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0037.120904T1130Z-120904T1430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
630 AM CDT TUE SEP 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN HALE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHERN PERRY COUNTY IN ALABAMA...
  SOUTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  WESTERN BIBB COUNTY IN ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 930 AM CDT

* AT 628 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING   
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 
RAINFALL OF THREE TO FOUR INCHES HAS FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE 
AREA DURING THE PAST TWO TO THREE HOURS AND ANOTHER ONE TO TWO 
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...
  BRENT...CENTREVILLE...GREENSBORO...AKRON...COALING...EOLINE...
  HARRISBURG...HEIBERGER...LOW GAP...MCFARLAND MALL...MERTZ...
  MOUNDVILLE...SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE...TALLADEGA NATIONAL
  FOREST...VANCE AND WEST CENTREVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...
COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND
OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3319 8720 3284 8696 3284 8702 3274 8701
      3266 8703 3265 8704 3266 8759 3290 8778
      3290 8777 3293 8778 3294 8773 3298 8775
      3299 8771 3302 8771 3302 8784 3317 8783

$$

1 follow-up statement

444 
WGUS74 KBMX 041345
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
845 AM CDT TUE SEP 4 2012

ALC007-065-105-125-041430-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0037.000000T0000Z-120904T1430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BIBB AL-HALE AL-PERRY AL-TUSCALOOSA AL-
845 AM CDT TUE SEP 4 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN TUSCALOOSA...
NORTHERN PERRY...NORTHERN HALE AND WESTERN BIBB COUNTIES UNTIL 930 AM
CDT...

AT 840 AM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED THAT SOME ROADS WERE 
EXPERIENCING FLOODING IN SOUTHWESTERN BIBB COUNTY.  PORTIONS OF 
HIGHWAY 5 NEAR BRENT WERE REPORTED TO BE IMPASSABLE.  

RADAR INDICATES THAT 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER PORTIONS 
OF THE AREA DURING THE PAST TWO TO THREE HOURS.  ANOTHER ONE HALF TO 
ONE A HALF INCHES IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT HOUR IN LOCALIZED 
AREAS.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...BRENT...
CENTREVILLE...GREENSBORO...COALING...HARRISBURG...
MOUNDVILLE...TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST...AND VANCE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS
AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY ROADS
AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING
AREAS ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3319 8720 3284 8696 3284 8702 3274 8701
      3266 8703 3265 8704 3266 8759 3290 8778
      3290 8777 3293 8778 3294 8773 3298 8775
      3299 8771 3302 8771 3302 8784 3317 8783

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 3, 7:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pike	59 min
Sep 3, 7:06 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Perry	39 min
Sep 3, 7:20 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Jefferson	115 min
Sep 3, 7:23 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pickens	52 min
Sep 3, 7:24 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Tuscaloosa	51 min
Sep 3, 7:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	52 min
Sep 3, 8:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Hale	44 min
Sep 3, 8:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Barbour	42 min
Sep 3, 8:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Walker	36 min
Sep 3, 8:24 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	66 min
Sep 3, 8:30 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Pickens	3 hr
Sep 3, 8:36 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Pickens	54 min
Sep 3, 8:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	31 min
Sep 3, 9:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene	42 min
Sep 3, 9:15 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Hale, Perry	3 hr
Sep 3, 9:18 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Pickens	3 hr
Sep 3, 9:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	60 min
Sep 3, 9:49 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	41 min
Sep 3, 9:51 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Cherokee	39 min
Sep 3, 9:56 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	3 hr
Sep 3, 10:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	65 min
Sep 3, 10:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Sumter	53 min
Sep 3, 10:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Sumter	11 min
Sep 3, 11:51 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Sumter	39 min
Sep 4, 4:36 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Lowndes	24 min
Sep 4, 6:08 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Lowndes	3 hr
Sep 4, 6:19 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Dallas, Lowndes	6 hr
Sep 4, 6:50 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Perry	3 hr
Sep 4, 7:03 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Tuscaloosa	3 hr
Sep 4, 7:22 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Autauga, Dallas, Lowndes, Perry	3 hr
Sep 4, 9:02 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Dallas, Perry	3 hr
Sep 4, 9:28 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Bibb, Chilton, Hale, Perry	3 hr
Sep 4, 9:32 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Dallas	43 min
Sep 4, 10:28 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning Emergency	BMX	Autauga, Dallas, Lowndes, Perry	3 hr
Sep 4, 11:57 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Dallas	3 hr
Sep 4, 12:27 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Dallas, Lowndes	3 hr
Sep 4, 3:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Greene	61 min
Sep 4, 3:51 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Greene, Hale	3 hr
Sep 4, 4:42 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Marengo	3 hr
Sep 4, 4:53 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marengo	52 min
Sep 4, 5:41 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Marengo	49 min

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.