Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2014

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 10, 2014Lowndes County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 2014, 4:35 AM CDT for Lowndes County, Alabama. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 10, 2014, 4:35 AM CDT (09:35 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 2014, 10:30 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Lowndes County, AL

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:36 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 00:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 2014-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 46 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 00:00Z on 2014-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 157 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
46 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-232 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1446 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
99 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.

296 
WGUS54 KBMX 100935
FFWBMX
ALC085-101530-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0007.140510T0935Z-140510T1530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
435 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LOWNDES COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1030 AM CDT

* AT 433 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED SLOW MOVING     
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.     
  LOCALIZED FLOODING MAY BE OBSERVED WITH THIS BAND. A SECOND BAND   
  OF HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE   
  SAME AREA AND WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN TO THE    
  AREA...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  HAYNEVILLE...MOSSES...BEECHWOOD...BENTON...GORDONVILLE...
  LOWNDESBORO AND WHITE HALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME A DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAINFALL FROM 
PERSISTENT RAINBANDS WILL PRODUCE FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS AND 
ALONG STREETS. MANY ROADS WILL BE IMPASSABLE DUE TO HIGH WATER AND 
DRIVING IS NOT RECOMMENDED DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. DO
NOT ENTER THE WATER. TURN AROUND AND MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO
ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN
WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3196 8686 3204 8686 3204 8691 3222 8691
      3223 8681 3227 8686 3234 8682 3231 8681
      3232 8678 3240 8678 3240 8672 3236 8671
      3235 8668 3241 8662 3237 8661 3233 8648
      3228 8648 3196 8661

$$
2 follow-up statements
046 
WGUS74 KBMX 101140
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
640 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2014

ALC085-101530-
/O.CON.KBMX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-140510T1530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LOWNDES AL-
640 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2014

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1030 AM CDT FOR
LOWNDES COUNTY...

AT 637 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING.  THE BAND OF RAIN WAS SLIDING EAST...WHILE 
THE INDIVIDUAL SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. GENERALLY 2 
TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN FELL EARLIER ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF LOWNDES 
COUNTY AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 INCH IS POSSIBLE THROUGH 10 AM AS THE 
NEXT BAND OF RAIN MOVES INTO THE AREA. THIS ADDITIONAL RAIN COULD 
AGGRAVATE ANY LOCALIZED FLOODING ONGOING. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
BEECHWOOD...MOSSES...BENTON...HAYNEVILLE...WHITE HALL AND LOWNDESBORO

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3196 8686 3204 8686 3204 8691 3222 8691
      3223 8681 3227 8686 3234 8682 3231 8681
      3232 8678 3240 8678 3240 8672 3236 8671
      3235 8668 3241 8662 3237 8661 3233 8648
      3228 8648 3196 8661

$$
775 
WGUS74 KBMX 101400
FFSBMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
900 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2014

ALC085-101408-
/O.CAN.KBMX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-140510T1530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LOWNDES AL-
900 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2014

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR LOWNDES COUNTY...

LAT...LON 3196 8686 3204 8686 3204 8691 3222 8691
      3223 8681 3227 8686 3234 8682 3231 8681
      3232 8678 3240 8678 3240 8672 3236 8671
      3235 8668 3241 8662 3237 8661 3233 8648
      3228 8648 3196 8661

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 4:07 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXLowndes3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2014Every flash flood warning in 2014

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.