Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 23, 2012Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 23, 2012, 6:24 AM CDT for Sumter 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
Mar 23, 2012, 6:24 AM CDT (11:24 UTC)
Expired
Mar 23, 2012, 9:30 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Sumter County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:26 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
Mar 23, 7:45 AM CDTFLASH FLOODGeiger, ALCULVERTS ALONG HIGHWAY 17 HAVE REACHED BANK FULL AND WATER IS FLOWING INTO LOW LYING AREAS AND INTO SEVERAL RESIDENCES.

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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 135 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 102 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2012-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-40 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
649 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

322 
WGUS54 KBMX 231124
FFWBMX
ALC119-231430-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0004.120323T1124Z-120323T1430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
624 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN SUMTER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 930 AM CDT

* AT 622 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS 
WITH HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THESE 
THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE NEXT 
HOUR OR SO. THIS RAIN WILL BE FALLING ON GROUND SATURATED FROM 
PREVIOUS
HEAVY RAINFALL.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  EMELLE...GAINESVILLE AND PANOLA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

LAT...LON 3299 8834 3299 8817 3296 8816 3296 8818
      3293 8817 3293 8821 3287 8818 3286 8815
      3283 8818 3284 8814 3279 8810 3281 8807
      3279 8806 3278 8811 3275 8811 3264 8839

$$
1 follow-up statement
086 
WGUS74 KBMX 231305
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
805 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

ALC119-231430-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120323T1430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SUMTER AL-
805 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN SUMTER
COUNTY UNTIL 930 AM CDT...

AT 803 AM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED THAT FLASH FLOODING WAS
OCCURRING ALONG HIGHWAY 17 WITH WATER FLOWING INTO LOW LYING AREAS 
AND INTO SEVERAL HOMES.  FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN THE AREA DURING 
THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AS RUNOFF FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL CONTINUES.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
EMELLE...GAINESVILLE AND PANOLA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3299 8834 3299 8817 3296 8816 3296 8818
      3293 8817 3293 8821 3287 8818 3286 8815
      3283 8818 3284 8814 3279 8810 3281 8807
      3279 8806 3278 8811 3275 8811 3264 8839

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 22, 7:03 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXMarengo3 hr
Mar 22, 8:31 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningBMXMarengo3 hr
Mar 22, 10:44 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXDallas, Perry2 hr
Mar 23, 3:18 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXAutauga27 min
Mar 23, 6:16 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Dallas, Lowndes3 hr
Mar 23, 6:39 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXGreene, Pickens3 hr
Mar 23, 7:46 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXTuscaloosa44 min
Mar 23, 8:20 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMontgomery, Pike40 min
Mar 23, 8:54 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningBMXLowndes3 hr
Mar 23, 8:59 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike31 min
Mar 23, 9:28 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningBMXSumter3 hr
Mar 23, 9:29 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike31 min
Mar 23, 10:04 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike26 min
Mar 23, 10:17 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBarbour, Bullock43 min
Mar 23, 10:30 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPike30 min
Mar 23, 10:35 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXSt. Clair25 min
Mar 23, 10:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXPike3 hr
Mar 23, 10:55 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXJefferson, St. Clair, Shelby2 hr
Mar 23, 10:56 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBarbour64 min
Mar 23, 11:01 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXSt. Clair59 min
Mar 23, 11:27 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair3 hr
Mar 23, 11:52 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXCalhoun, Etowah3 hr
Mar 23, 12:22 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBarbour, Bullock3 hr
Mar 23, 1:36 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXCalhoun, Cherokee3 hr
Mar 23, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore28 min
Mar 23, 4:28 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXElmore47 min
Mar 23, 5:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXTallapoosa47 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.