Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 14, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 24, 2015Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Dec 24, 2015, 8:03 AM CST for Chambers County, Alabama. It was in force for 6 hr. 2 reports 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: Dec 24, 2015, 8:03 AM CST (14:03 UTC)
Expired: Dec 24, 2015, 2:00 PM CST
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Chambers County, AL

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:03 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
Dec 24, 9:21 AM CST	FLASH FLOOD	Lanett, AL	FLOODING HAS PRODUCED A GAS MAIN BREAK ON CHERRY STREET. HIGHWAY 29 IS IMPASSABLE AND CLOSED. SEVERAL OTHER LOCAL STREETS ARE FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE. CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE RUNNING OUT OF THEIR BANKS.
Dec 24, 10:54 AM CST	FLOOD	Lanett, AL	US 29 AT AL/GA LINE HAS FLOODED, ROAD IS CONSIDER IMPASSABLE IN ALL DIRECTIONS AND TRAFFIC IS BEING REROUTED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this flash flood warning; the first came 78 minutes after it went out.

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 101 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: 468 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -144 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 269 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 321 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 8.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

322 
WGUS54 KBMX 241403
FFWBMX
ALC017-241700-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0014.151224T1403Z-151224T1700Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
803 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1100 AM CST
    
* AT 802 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THREE TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN
  HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  VALLEY...LANETT...LAFAYETTE...LA FAYETTE...WAVERLY...LAKEVIEW...
  CUSSETA...RIVER VIEW...DENSON...AMITY PARK...HUGULEY...FAIRFAX...
  CHAMBERS COUNTY LAKE...VEASEY CREEK PARK...OAK BOWERY...STURKIE...I
  85 WELCOME CENTER AT LANETT...LANETT MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...SOUTHERN
  HARBOR AND ROCKY POINT.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 85 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 77 AND 79.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3276 8514 3275 8514 3275 8528 3273 8529
      3273 8540 3274 8541 3274 8543 3273 8543
      3273 8548 3274 8549 3273 8549 3273 8559
      3275 8559 3304 8522 3286 8519 3285 8515
      3281 8517 3278 8512

$$

75

1 follow-up statement

783 
WGUS54 KBMX 241645
FFWBMX
ALC017-242000-
/O.EXT.KBMX.FF.W.0014.000000T0000Z-151224T2000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1045 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS EXTENDED THE

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 200 PM CST

* AT 1045 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE
  WARNED AREA. UP TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. FLASH
  FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  VALLEY...LANETT...LAFAYETTE...LA FAYETTE...WAVERLY...LAKEVIEW...
  CUSSETA...RIVER VIEW...DENSON...AMITY PARK...HUGULEY...FAIRFAX...
  CHAMBERS COUNTY LAKE...VEASEY CREEK PARK...OAK BOWERY...STURKIE...I
  85 WELCOME CENTER AT LANETT...LANETT MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...SOUTHERN
  HARBOR AND ROCKY POINT.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 85 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 77 AND 79.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3276 8514 3275 8514 3275 8528 3273 8529
      3273 8540 3274 8541 3274 8543 3273 8543
      3273 8548 3274 8549 3273 8549 3273 8559
      3275 8559 3304 8522 3286 8519 3285 8515
      3281 8517 3278 8512

$$

75

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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Dec 24, 5:46 AM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 5:46 AM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
546 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

.UPDATE...
AVIATION DISCUSSION.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
TODAY AND TONIGHT...

DEFINITELY FEELING LIKE AN ALABAMA CHRISTMAS OUT THERE THIS
MORNING. CURRENTLY AT 3 AM SITTING AT 73 DEGREES OVER 71 DEGREE
DEWPOINT. A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY STRETCHED ACROSS WESTERN
TENNESSEE DOWN TO NORTHERN LOUISIANA. THIS FRONT IS BARELY MOVING
EAST AND WILL LIKELY STALL BEFORE REACHING CENTRAL ALABAMA LATER
THIS MORNING. THE FRONT IS THEN EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO LIFT BACK TO
THE NORTH BY THE AFTERNOON AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLIDES FROM
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TO WESTERN MISSOURI. THIS SHIFT NORTHWARD WILL
TAKE THE RAIN SHIELD BACK TO THE NORTH DURING THE DAY. SO WILL
HAVE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES IN THE SOUTHEAST THIS MORNING AND THEN
SLIDE THEM NORTHWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

THIS WILL KEEP CENTRAL ALABAMA IN THE WARM SECTOR THE ENTIRE TIME
SO CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FOR
TODAY/TONIGHT AND AGREE WITH SPC AND THEIR DAY 1 OUTLOOK. THE
BIGGEST QUESTION WILL BE THE FORCING NEEDED IN ADDITION TO WEAK
LAPSE RATES. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH BULK SHEAR AROUND TO KEEP STORMS
GOING BUT THE QUESTION WILL BE THE OVERALL COVERAGE AND STORM
STRUCTURE TO WARRANT ANYTHING MORE THAN A LIMITED POSSIBILITY.

16

.LONG TERM...
CHRISTMAS THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND SURFACE LOW WILL
EVENTUALLY STALL OUT TO OUR NORTH ON FRIDAY AS THE MAIN FORCING
EXITS TO THE NORTHEAST. THIS WILL KEEP THE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES
ACROSS THE FAR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS...WITH EMBEDDED STORMS AT TIMES
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA. NO REAL ORGANIZED THREAT
AFTER FRIDAY AS THE FOCUS SHIFTS FURTHER WEST WITH A NEWLY
DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE FOUR CORNERS AREA. THIS
SYSTEM WILL SLOWLY DEVELOP THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND WILL INTENSIFY
OVERNIGHT SUNDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING IN THE HEART OF TEXAS.

THE SURFACE LOW WILL SWING THROUGH LOUISIANA AND INTO SOUTHWESTERN
MISSOURI BY MIDNIGHT MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL IN
TURN RAISE DEWPOINTS INTO THE UPPER 60S ACROSS THE AREA WITH AT
LEAST POTENTIALLY STRONG TO ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ACROSS A GOOD
PORTION OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE TREND
TO SEE IF THIS CONTINUES WITH THE NEXT FEW RUNS...BUT IF THE
MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND WITH THIS OVERALL TIMING AN ADDITION TO
THE HWO MAY BE NEEDED WITH FURTHER UPDATES.

THE SYSTEM EXITS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS IS WHERE THE MODELS BEGIN
TO DIFFER AND CAUSES CONFIDENCE TO FALL QUITE A BIT. THE GFS
CONTINUES TO BRING IN A MUCH DRIER AIRMASS AFTER WEDNESDAY...WHILE
THE EURO ACTUALLY BRINGS SEVERAL WAVES FROM THE SOUTH AND KEEPS
THE AREA FAIRLY MOIST UNTIL NEXT FRIDAY. WILL TREND MORE TOWARD
THE GFS AS IT IS CLOSER TO THE OVERALL CONSENSUS OF THE LONGER
RANGE MODELS BUT WILL DO SO WITH FAIRLY LOW CONFIDENCE.

16

&&

.AVIATION...
12Z TAF DISCUSSION.

SEVERAL SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ORIENTED LINES OF THUNDERSTORMS
TRAINING ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. MOST TERMINALS ARE CLOSE TO AT
LEAST ONE OF THESE LINES...WHICH WILL REMAIN A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION
THROUGH AT LEAST THE FIRST 4-6 HOURS OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE
LINES WILL FLUCTUATE...AND COULD AFFECT TERMINALS AT TIMES. TCL AND
BHM ARE THE LEAST LIKELY TO HAVE TSRA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WILL
USE TEMPOS TO COVER ACTIVITY ELSEWHERE...AND WILL LIKELY NEED TO
UPDATE AS THE CONVECTIVE LINES TEETER BACK AND FORTH.

ACTIVITY WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH THE DAY. ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
COVERAGE WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE. EXPECT CIGS TO LOWER TONIGHT TO AT
LEAST IFR.

14

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

A VERY MILD AND WET PATTERN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
THROUGH FRIDAY. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL CONTINUE
INTO THURSDAY...ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.
UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER WILL PREVAIL THIS WEEKEND BUT RAIN
CHANCES WILL DECREASE. BETTER RAIN CHANCES RETURN ON MONDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     73  65  74  64  74 /  70  70  60  40  30
ANNISTON    76  67  75  65  75 /  70  70  50  40  30
BIRMINGHAM  77  69  76  67  76 /  60  70  60  40  30
TUSCALOOSA  79  68  78  68  77 /  60  60  50  40  30
CALERA      76  67  76  66  77 /  70  70  40  40  30
AUBURN      74  66  75  65  75 /  70  60  20  20  20
MONTGOMERY  78  67  79  65  78 /  70  70  30  20  20
TROY        76  67  78  65  77 /  70  50  20  20  20

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 24, 3:35 AM CST, 4 hours 28 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
335 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

ALZ011>015-017>050-251245-
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE-
CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA-
CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-
CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON-
BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
335 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A LIMITED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT REMAINS POSSIBLE THROUGH MIDDAY
ALONG SOUTH AND EAST OF A GEIGER TO TUSCALOOSA TO ONEONTA LINE.
DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS THIS THREAT SHOULD SPREAD BACK
NORTHWARD TO INCLUDE ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. ISOLATED
TORNADOES...DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE
NECESSARY AT TIMES THROUGH TONIGHT.

08

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 24, 5:24 AM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
524 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

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

0345 AM     TORNADO          3 SSE SPRING HILL       32.04N 85.32W
12/24/2015                   BARBOUR            AL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE CONFIRMED BY DUAL-POL RADAR
            DATA.

&&

GRANTHAM

Local storm report, Dec 24, 5:26 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
526 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

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

0429 AM     TORNADO          1 SSE BOOT HILL         31.86N 85.63W
12/24/2015                   BARBOUR            AL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE CONFIRMED BY DUAL-POL RADAR
            DATA.

&&

GRANTHAM

Local storm report, Dec 24, 5:48 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
548 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

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

0515 AM     HEAVY RAIN       CLAYTON                 31.88N 85.45W
12/24/2015  E0.00 INCH       BARBOUR            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WATER ON HIGHWAY 239 AND ALONG JACK HIGHTOWER ROAD.

&&

08

Local storm report, Dec 24, 7:52 AM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
752 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015

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

0745 AM     HEAVY RAIN       SSW FORT MITCHELL ACTIV 32.30N 85.02W
12/24/2015  E0.00 INCH       RUSSELL            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MINOR FLOODING, STANDING WATER, BRADLEY ROAD NEAR HIGHWAY
            165.

0745 AM     HEAVY RAIN       3 SSE PICKETT           31.93N 85.61W
12/24/2015  E0.00 INCH       BARBOUR            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WATER COVERING BRIDGE ON HIGHWAY 239 NEAR COUNTY ROAD 27.

&&

08

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 23, 9:33 PM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Montgomery	4 days
Dec 23, 11:15 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	3 hr
Dec 24, 12:41 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Barbour, Pike	3 hr
Dec 24, 3:37 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour	24 min
Dec 24, 4:31 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock	59 min
Dec 24, 4:50 AM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	3 hr
Dec 24, 4:54 AM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega	3 hr
Dec 24, 7:12 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Randolph	3 hr
Dec 24, 7:40 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	3 hr
Dec 24, 7:55 AM CST	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega	3 hr
Dec 24, 8:40 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour	35 min
Dec 24, 8:53 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Tallapoosa	4 hr
Dec 24, 10:11 AM CST	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Randolph	64 min
Dec 24, 10:17 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Bullock, Chambers, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Pike and 1 more	3 hr
Dec 24, 10:35 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers, Lee	14 min
Dec 24, 10:42 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	3 hr
Dec 24, 12:59 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes and 5 more	12 hr
Dec 24, 2:49 PM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Elmore, Montgomery	11 days

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2015 Every flash flood warning in 2015

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.