Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2021

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 18, 2021Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Sep 18, 2021, 12:55 PM CDT for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 110 min. 4 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: Sep 18, 2021, 12:55 PM CDT (17:55 UTC)
Expired: Sep 18, 2021, 2:45 PM CDT
In force: 110 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:56 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
Sep 18, 12:55 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 S Bryant-Denny Stadiu, AL	FLASH FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY. SOME VEHICLES STALLED AFTER ENTERING FLOODED ROADWAYS.
Sep 18, 1:05 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Ese Northport, AL	DEEP WATER REPORTED ALONG STRETCHES OF RICE MINE ROAD. WATER COVERED ONE-HALF OF THE ROADWAY IN AREAS.
Sep 18, 1:16 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Ne Northport, AL	WILLOWBROOK TRAILER PARK EXPERIENCING FLASH FLOODING.
Sep 18, 2:05 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Sse Tuscaloosa, AL	* 1 FATAL * CORRECTS PREVIOUS FLASH FLOOD REPORT FROM 1 SSE TUSCALOOSA. A VEHICLE WAS SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS ON GREENSBORO AVE NEAR 24TH STREET. DRIVER WAS FOUND LATER DECEASED.

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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 80 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: 1167 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 453 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

110 
WGUS54 KBMX 181755
FFWBMX
ALC125-181945-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0048.210918T1755Z-210918T1945Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1255 PM CDT Sat Sep 18 2021

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Southwestern Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama...

* Until 245 PM CDT.

* At 1255 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2.5 and 3.5 inches of 
  rain have fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin 
  shortly.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban
           areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as
           other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Tuscaloosa, Northport, Holt, Coker, Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, 
  Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, Bryant Denny Stadium, University Mall, 
  Lake Lurleen State Park, McFarland Mall, Shelton State Community 
  College, Binion Creek Landing, Deerlick Creek Campgrounds, 
  Samantha, Oliver Lock And Dam, Flatwoods, Stillman College, 
  Palmore Park, University Of Alabama Quad and Sexton Bend.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

&&

LAT...LON 3346 8778 3342 8736 3303 8743 3305 8783

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 17, 11:00 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Tallapoosa	2 hr
Sep 18, 8:46 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	3 hr
Sep 18, 9:40 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	3 hr
Sep 18, 12:29 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Tallapoosa	5 hr
Sep 18, 12:44 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Tuscaloosa	11 min
Sep 18, 1:10 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	54 hr
Sep 18, 1:33 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Etowah	3 hr
Sep 18, 1:52 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Marengo, Perry	3 hr
Sep 18, 2:53 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	112 min
Sep 18, 3:11 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Elmore, Montgomery	4 hr
Sep 18, 3:25 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Chambers, Lee	3 hr
Sep 18, 4:21 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Bullock, Montgomery, Pike	3 hr
Sep 18, 5:29 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Russell	108 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2021 Every flash flood warning in 2021

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.