Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 2012Hale County, Perry County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2012, 12:44 PM CDT for Hale County, Perry 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: May 3, 2012, 12:44 PM CDT (17:44 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2012, 3:30 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Hale County, AL, Perry County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:45 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
May 3, 1:15 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	5 Ne Greensboro, AL	PUBLIC REPORTS FLOODING OF SOME RURAL COUNTY ROADS IN THE AREA WITH SOME ROADS WASHED OUT. FLOODING OF THE PLEASANT VALLEY GROCERY STORE WAS ALSO REPORTED.

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, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 75 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: 244 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 806 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 103 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.

682 
WGUS54 KBMX 031744
FFWBMX
ALC065-105-032030-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0008.120503T1744Z-120503T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1244 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL HALE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHWESTERN PERRY COUNTY IN ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 330 PM CDT

* AT 1242 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED THE     
  POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING OF URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN THESE   
  LOCATIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.  HEAVY RAINS LAST NIGHT   
  AND THIS MORNING HAVE DROPPED AS MUCH AS 4-6 INCHES OF RAIN IN     
  THIS AREA.  THIS COULD CAUSE CREEKS TO SWELL AS POSSIBLY 1-2 MORE  
  INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

  FOLKS IN THE AREA OF LITTLE BRUSH CREEK AND SPARKS CREEK...BETWEEN 
  WATEROAK AND BRUSH CREEK...ALONG COUNTY ROAD 25 NEED TO PAY        
  SPECIAL ATTENTION TO ANY RISING WATERS.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS
  OF EAST CENTRAL HALE AND NORTHWESTERN PERRY COUNTIES...INCLUDING   
  THE TOWNS OF MORGAN SPRINGS AND WATEROAK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING FLOODING SITUATION. YOU
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL. STAY HOME UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO
EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3289 8756 3290 8742 3287 8741 3287 8739
      3273 8737 3273 8758

$$

27

2 follow-up statements

820 
WGUS74 KBMX 031821
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
121 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

ALC065-105-032030-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0008.000000T0000Z-120503T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HALE AL-PERRY AL-
121 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN PERRY AND
EAST CENTRAL HALE COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT...

AT 115 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED THAT FLOODING WAS OCCURRING ON 
SOME RURAL COUNTY HIGHWAYS IN THE AREA WITH SOME ROADS WASHED OUT. 
SOME FLOODING OF THE PLEASANT VALLEY GROCERY STORE ON HIGHWAY 25 HAS 
ALSO BEEN REPORTED.  ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS 
THE AREA DURING THE NEXT HOUR...WITH AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES 
POSSIBLE.  THIS WILL AGGRAVATE FLOODING IN THE AREA.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO 
OCCUR. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS 
OF EAST CENTRAL HALE AND NORTHWESTERN PERRY COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE 
TOWNS OF MORGAN SPRINGS AND WATEROAK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ENCOUNTER HIGH WATER GET TO HIGHER GROUND.  DO NOT TRY TO 
CROSS FLOODED ROADS OR HIGHWAYS...TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3289 8756 3290 8742 3287 8741 3287 8739
      3273 8737 3273 8758

$$

003 
WGUS74 KBMX 031915
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
215 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

ALC065-105-032030-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0008.000000T0000Z-120503T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HALE AL-PERRY AL-
215 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN PERRY AND
EAST CENTRAL HALE COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT...

AT 213 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED THAT FLASH FLOODING WAS OCCURRING
IN PARTS OF THE AREA...ESPECIALLY ON SOME RURAL COUNTY ROADS THAT 
WERE STILL FLOODED.  RAINFALL IS BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF IN THE AREA 
BUT SOME FLOODING WILL CONTINUE AS RUNOFF FROM EARLIER RAINFALL 
CONTINUES ACROSS THE AREA.

FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF EAST 
CENTRAL HALE AND NORTHWESTERN PERRY COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE TOWNS 
OF MORGAN SPRINGS AND WATEROAK.

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 3289 8756 3290 8742 3287 8741 3287 8739
      3273 8737 3273 8758

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 2, 7:39 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BMX	Walker	36 min
May 3, 12:38 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Hale, Perry	3 hr
May 3, 2:06 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Cleburne	3 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.