Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Huntsville, AL

January 13, 2013Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jan 13, 2013, 4:38 PM CST for Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 5 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jan 13, 2013, 4:38 PM CST (22:38 UTC)
Expired: Jan 13, 2013, 10:04 PM CST
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Limestone County, AL, Morgan County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 162 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: 14 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 474 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 330 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 335 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jan 13, 11:56 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 11:56 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1156 AM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

.UPDATE...
FOR 18Z TAFS

&&

.DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 1033 AM CST SUN JAN 13 2013/
THE LATEST 16Z SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT THE COLD FRONT
CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTHEAST CLOSER TO THE FORECAST AREA. THE COLD
FRONT WAS SITUATED FROM A FEW MILES EAST OF OWENSBORO KENTUCKY...
EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO BETWEEN CLARKSVILLE AND NASHVILLE
TENNESSEE...THEN FURTHER SOUTHWEST BETWEEN OXFORD AND TUPELO
MISSISSIPPI. THERE IS A SHARP TEMP CONTRAST AHEAD AND BEHIND THE
FRONT...WITH AS MUCH AS A 25-30 DEGREE DIFFERENCE NOTED.

WILL CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT FLASH FLOOD WATCH WORDING FOR MY
NORTHWEST ALABAMA COUNTIES...AS AREAS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD
BEGIN TO OVERSPREAD THIS AREA BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPS WILL
FALL QUICKLY WHERE THE COLD FRONT PASSES...SO EXPECT THE SHOALS AREA
TO SEE A QUICK TEMP DROP BY LATE AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY THE REST OF
THE FORECAST AREA BY THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING TIME PERIOD. WITH
HIGH PWAT VALUES AND EXPECTED HEAVY RAINFALL...WILL BE MONITORING THE
FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA AND THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA CLOSELY
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. WILL ONLY MAKE MINOR WORDING AND TEMP CHANGES
FOR THIS FORECAST UPDATE.

TT

&&

.AVIATION...
FOR 18Z TAFS...HAVE CONTINUED BASICALLY WITH IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH
MOST OF THE FORECAST AS LOW CLOUDS AND RAIN SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE
AREA. HAVE IMPROVED CONDITIONS AT MSL AFTER 10Z...AS EXPECT SOME
BREAKS IN THE LOWER CLOUDS BETWEEN 10Z TO 14Z.

TT

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR ALZ001>005.

TN...NONE.
&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 13, 2:24 PM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
224 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-141000-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
224 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO
THE AREA...ELEVATING THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY OVER
NORTHWEST ALABAMA. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH
ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. PLEASE CONSULT THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH THAT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT AREA FOR MORE INFORMATION.

IN ADDITION...THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH
TONIGHT...ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...AS IT MOVES INTO THE
AREA. WIND GUSTS FROM 30 TO 40 MPH...LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM MONDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY. THIS WILL HEIGHTEN THE POSSIBILITY FOR AREAL AND RIVER
FLOODING.

AS COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO FILTER INTO THE REGION...THERE IS A SMALL
RISK OF SLEET FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ON MONDAY...MAINLY IN
NORTHWEST ALABAMA. AT THIS TIME...NO ACCUMULATION OF SLEET IS
EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY
BE NEEDED DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT THROUGH MONDAY.

TT

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 2:50 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jan 13, 3:27 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 13, 3:51 PM CST, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
351 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0325 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 E HATTON              34.56N 87.36W
01/13/2013                   LAWRENCE           AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED BY THUNDERSTORM
            WINDS.

&&

TT

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 3:55 PM CST, 43 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
355 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

TNZ076-096-097-132245-
MOORE TN-LINCOLN TN-FRANKLIN TN-
355 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MOORE...LINCOLN AND NORTHWESTERN
FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 445 PM CST...

AT 355 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PULASKI...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FAYETTEVILLE...LYNCHBURG...ESTILL SPRINGS AND PETERSBURG.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3539 8628 3538 8625 3537 8627 3534 8624
      3533 8620 3536 8616 3534 8604 3499 8633
      3499 8684 3526 8683 3525 8675 3531 8668
      3533 8660 3537 8660 3536 8649 3533 8646
      3532 8642 3535 8641 3536 8633 3541 8626
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 240DEG 48KT 3512 8689

MAMIN

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 4:19 PM CST, 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
419 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

ALZ005>007-132245-
MADISON AL-MORGAN AL-LIMESTONE AL-
419 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN MADISON...
NORTHWESTERN MORGAN AND SOUTHEASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTIES UNTIL 445 PM
CST...

AT 419 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES EAST OF MOULTON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
DECATUR...REDSTONE ARSENAL...TRINITY...PRICEVILLE...FLINT CITY...
TRIANA...SOMERVILLE AND MOORESVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3460 8711 3461 8711 3472 8666 3451 8658
      3442 8705
TIME...MOT...LOC 2215Z 255DEG 34KT 3450 8715

MAMIN

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 4:32 PM CST, 6 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
432 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

ALZ005>008-TNZ096-132315-
MARSHALL AL-MADISON AL-MORGAN AL-LIMESTONE AL-LINCOLN TN-
432 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN MARSHALL...
MADISON...NORTHEASTERN MORGAN...SOUTHEASTERN LIMESTONE AND
SOUTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 515 PM CST...

AT 431 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES
SOUTH OF FAYETTEVILLE TO HARVEST TO PRICEVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
55 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
HUNTSVILLE...MADISON...MOORES MILL...MERIDIANVILLE...REDSTONE
ARSENAL...HAZEL GREEN...HARVEST...NEW HOPE...NEW MARKET...
PRICEVILLE...OWENS CROSSROADS...FLINT CITY...GURLEY...TRIANA...
SOMERVILLE AND MOORESVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO
AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3504 8634 3489 8634 3487 8635 3483 8633
      3480 8635 3479 8633 3474 8634 3473 8636
      3463 8636 3460 8633 3445 8632 3448 8701
      3503 8667
TIME...MOT...LOC 2229Z 232DEG 67KT 3504 8661 3483 8670 3463 8687

MAMIN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 13, 3:16 AM CST	Flash Flood Watch	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone	15 hr
Jan 13, 2:50 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	40 min
Jan 13, 3:19 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence	41 min
Jan 13, 3:27 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Limestone	48 min
Jan 13, 4:19 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Morgan	26 min
Jan 13, 4:32 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Madison	43 min
Jan 13, 4:54 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan	51 min
Jan 13, 5:07 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Limestone, Madison, Morgan	5 hr
Jan 13, 5:36 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Cullman, Morgan	5 hr
Jan 13, 5:43 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Jackson, Madison, Marshall	4 hr
Jan 13, 3:55 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	50 min
Jan 13, 4:10 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	35 min
Jan 13, 4:53 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	37 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2013 Every flash flood warning in 2013

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.