Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2014

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Huntsville, AL

April 28, 2014Lincoln County, Tennessee; Limestone County, Madison County, Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this flash flood warning at Apr 28, 2014, 5:32 PM CDT for Lincoln County, Tennessee; Limestone County, Madison County, Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 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: Apr 28, 2014, 5:32 PM CDT (22:32 UTC)
Expired: Apr 28, 2014, 8:30 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Lincoln County, TN

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 139 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: 267 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -224 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 707 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 573 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 616 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 14.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

962 
WGUS54 KHUN 282232
FFWHUN
ALC083-089-103-TNC103-290130-
/O.NEW.KHUN.FF.W.0006.140428T2232Z-140429T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
532 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHWESTERN MORGAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT
    
* AT 529 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING 
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN LIMESTONE 
  COUNTY...ALONG WITH NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF MADISON COUNTY...AND 
  SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY TENNESSEE. RAIN RATES ASSOCIATED WITH 
  THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAS EXCEEDED FOUR INCHES PER HOUR...WITH AT 
  LEAST ONE TO TWO INCHES IN THE PAST TWENTY TO THIRTY MINUTES. 
  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IS POSSIBLE 
  THROUGH 830 PM CDT.  

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  NORTHWESTERN HUNTSVILLE...DECATUR...MADISON...ATHENS...
  FAYETTEVILLE...TRINITY...ARDMORE...TANNER...HARVEST AND HUNTSVILLE
  INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW. ACT QUICKLY TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE.

&&

LAT...LON 3515 8659 3468 8670 3453 8710 3469 8711
      3473 8715 3500 8719 3499 8684 3521 8683

$$

12

1 follow-up statement

016 
WGUS74 KHUN 290116
FFSHUN

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
816 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

ALC083-089-103-TNC103-290125-
/O.CAN.KHUN.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-140429T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MADISON AL-LIMESTONE AL-MORGAN AL-LINCOLN TN-
816 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MADISON...LIMESTONE...
NORTHWESTERN MORGAN AND SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

GIVEN THE NUMBER OF FLOODING REPORTS POURING INTO THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HUNTSVILLE...THE ORIGINAL FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING WAS CANCELLED...AND TWO NEW FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS WERE DRAWN 
TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL ONE.  PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FLASH FLOOD 
WARNINGS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 3515 8659 3468 8670 3453 8710 3469 8711
      3473 8715 3500 8719 3499 8684 3521 8683

$$

12

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 Apr 28, 4:55 PM CDT, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 4:55 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
455 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

.UPDATE...
MESOSCALE UPDATE.

&&

.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
SUPERCELLS CONTINUE TO MARCH EASTWARD ACROSS THE HUN CWFA THIS
AFTERNOON...WITH A CONFIRMED TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT THE MOMENT
CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER FROM THE LAWRENCE/LAUDERDALE COUNTY BORDER
INTO LIMESTONE COUNTY. THIS CELL DEVELOPED WEST OF RUSSELLVILLE JUST
A SHORT WHILE AGO AND HAS STRENGTHENED AS IT MOVED EAST/NORTHEAST.
LOW LEVEL HELICITIES OF 200 TO 300 M2/S2 AND LCL LEVELS OF 500-700M ARE
POOLING JUST HEAD OF/ALONG THE SUPERCELLS, AIDING IN TORNADO
DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON.

THE AREA REMAINS IN THE RIGHT REAR QUADRANT OF A H5 JET ROUNDING THE
BASE OF THE UPPER TROF PARKED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS, ENHANCING LIFT
ALOFT FOR THE ONGOING CONVECTION.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE THREAT, HP SUPERCELLS ARE ALSO KNOWN FOR
THEIR PROLIFIC RAIN-PRODUCING PROPERTIES. AS SUCH, RAIN RATES OF 3-4"
PER HOUR HAVE BEEN NOTED OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA. FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS
WILL FOLLOW THIS LINE OF CONVECTION AS IT MARCHES EASTWARD THIS
EVENING.

12

&&

.AVIATION...
/ISSUED 1222 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014/
FOR 18Z TAFS...
TS WILL INCREASE BETWEEN 21-23Z FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF I-65.
STORMS WILL IMPACT KMSL INITIALLY AND POSSIBLY KHSV BY 23Z.
CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING
TORNADOES...THROUGH THIS EVENING ACROSS N AL. AS STORMS APPROACH...
EXPECT WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS AND VSBY WITH HEAVY RAIN/INTENSITY OF
STORMS TEMPORARILY LOWERING CIGS/VSBY TO IFR (OR WORSE). WIND GUSTS
WILL BE ERRATIC. CONDITIONS APPEAR TO IMPROVE WEST TO EAST BETWEEN
03-07Z/TONIGHT.

DJN.83

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR ALZ001>010-016.

TN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR TNZ076-096-097.

&&

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 28, 2:28 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
228 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-291000-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-
LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
228 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK POSSIBLE ACROSS THE TENNESSEE
VALLEY LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THIS ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING DAMAGING
WINDS...TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND FLASH FLOODING. A FEW STRONG
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING WILL INCREASE
THIS EVENING AS MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAINFALL OCCUR...ESPECIALLY
ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

ONE FINAL ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED ALONG A COLD FRONT AS
IT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE
STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS AS THE PRIMARY THREATS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
REQUESTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
401 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0358 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     RUSSELLVILLE            34.51N 87.73W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR RUSSELLVILLE.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
423 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0417 PM     HAIL             4 NNW LEIGHTON          34.76N 87.56W
04/28/2014  E0.50 INCH       COLBERT            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            DIME SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:50 PM CDT, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
450 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0410 PM     TORNADO          8 W LEIGHTON            34.70N 87.67W
04/28/2014                   COLBERT            AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY A TRAINED SPOTTER AT THIS
            LOCATION.

0400 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     5 N NORTH COURTLAND     34.74N 87.33W
04/28/2014                   LAWRENCE           AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A WALL CLOUD NORTH OF COURTLAND

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 4:58 PM CDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
458 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0400 PM     TORNADO          2 NNW RUSSELLVILLE      34.53N 87.74W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   STORM CHASER

            STORM CHASER REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND NORTHWEST
            OF RUSSELLVILLE.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 5:04 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
504 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0359 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NNW RUSSELLVILLE      34.53N 87.74W
04/28/2014                   FRANKLIN           AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN NORTHWEST OF
            RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 28, 5:22 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
522 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014

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

0521 PM     HAIL             ELKMONT                 34.93N 86.98W
04/28/2014  E2.75 INCH       LIMESTONE          AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BASEBALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED.

&&

KWEBER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 28, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lincoln	22 min
Apr 28, 5:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lincoln	30 min
Apr 28, 6:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin, Lincoln	36 min
Apr 28, 6:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	23 min
Apr 28, 6:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin, Lincoln, Moore	34 min
Apr 28, 6:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin	31 min
Apr 28, 2:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	HUN	Franklin	58 min
Apr 28, 3:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	51 min
Apr 28, 3:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	34 min
Apr 28, 3:50 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale	6 hr
Apr 28, 3:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin	34 min
Apr 28, 4:29 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone	6 hr
Apr 28, 4:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone	25 min
Apr 28, 4:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	HUN	Limestone	34 min
Apr 28, 5:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	HUN	Limestone, Madison	30 min
Apr 28, 5:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	39 min
Apr 28, 5:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Limestone	34 min
Apr 28, 5:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	25 min
Apr 28, 6:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	33 min
Apr 28, 6:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	35 min
Apr 28, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone, Madison	25 min
Apr 28, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lawrence	23 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2014 Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 2014 Every 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.