Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2021

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 25, 2021Cherokee County, Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at Mar 25, 2021, 12:47 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 6 hr. 1 report 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
Mar 25, 2021, 12:47 PM CDT (17:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 25, 2021, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Cherokee County, AL, Etowah County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:49 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 25, 4:10 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD5 Ene Pleasant Gap, ALFLASH FLOODING ALONG HWY 411 AND CR 101. ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING WAS OBSERVED ACROSS THE COUNTY BETWEEN 410 PM AND 630 PM. REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGER.

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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 12:00Z on 2021-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 54 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 12:00Z on 2021-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 613 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
54 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-239 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
507 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
613 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
713 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

520 
WGUS54 KBMX 251747
FFWBMX
ALC019-055-252145-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0005.210325T1747Z-210325T2145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
1247 PM CDT Thu Mar 25 2021

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Cherokee County in northeastern Alabama...
  Etowah County in northeastern Alabama...

* Until 445 PM CDT.

* At 1247 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain 
  have fallen. Flash flooding is already occurring.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

  SOURCE...Doppler radar.

  IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
           highways, streets and underpasses as well as other
           drainage and low lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Gadsden, Rainbow City, Attalla, Hokes Bluff, Centre, Cedar Bluff, 
  Centre Municipal Airport, Little River Canyon National Preserve, 
  Forney, Glencoe, Sardis City, Ohatchee, Steele, Leesburg, Altoona, 
  Walnut Grove, Reece City, Sand Rock, Gaylesville and Slackland.

Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the 
warned area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are 
potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded 
roads. Find an alternate route.

&&

LAT...LON 3415 8624 3420 8611 3420 8584 3424 8584
      3426 8577 3436 8564 3447 8558 3452 8551
      3396 8540 3397 8574 3394 8574 3396 8585
      3394 8590 3390 8590 3390 8597 3384 8605
      3399 8620 3399 8628 3394 8637 3407 8632

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

40/Sizemore
1 follow-up statement
597 
WGUS54 KBMX 252119
FFWBMX
ALC019-055-252345-
/O.EXT.KBMX.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210325T2345Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
419 PM CDT Thu Mar 25 2021

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has extended the

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Cherokee County in northeastern Alabama...
  Etowah County in northeastern Alabama...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 419 PM CDT, Numerous thunderstorms have been producing heavy 
  rain across the warned area. Up to 3 inches of rain have fallen in 
  some locations with earlier reports of flash flooding. Another 1 
  or 2 inches will be possible throughout the evening. Flash 
  flooding is expected or occurring.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

  SOURCE...Public and Radar.

  IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
           highways, streets and underpasses as well as other
           drainage and low lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Gadsden, Rainbow City, Attalla, Hokes Bluff, Centre, Cedar Bluff, 
  Centre Municipal Airport, Little River Canyon National Preserve, 
  Forney, Glencoe, Sardis City, Ohatchee, Steele, Leesburg, Altoona, 
  Walnut Grove, Reece City, Sand Rock, Gaylesville and Slackland.

Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the 
warned area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are 
potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded 
roads. Find an alternate route.

&&

LAT...LON 3415 8624 3420 8611 3420 8584 3424 8584
      3426 8577 3436 8564 3447 8558 3452 8551
      3396 8540 3397 8574 3394 8574 3396 8585
      3394 8590 3390 8590 3390 8597 3384 8605
      3399 8620 3399 8628 3394 8637 3407 8632

FLASH FLOOD...OBSERVED

$$

88

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 10:58 PM CDTWind AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more24 hr
Mar 25, 1:43 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXPike47 min
Mar 25, 4:54 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXLee36 min
Mar 25, 7:45 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarengo45 min
Mar 25, 7:48 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXTuscaloosa42 min
Mar 25, 8:46 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXJefferson, Tuscaloosa44 min
Mar 25, 8:53 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXMarshall22 min
Mar 25, 9:19 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXBlount41 min
Mar 25, 9:24 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXFayette, Walker, Winston3 hr
Mar 25, 9:28 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXJefferson47 min
Mar 25, 9:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, St. Clair32 min
Mar 25, 10:12 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBlount, Jefferson3 hr
Mar 25, 10:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair13 min
Mar 25, 10:28 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCalhoun, Etowah, St. Clair47 min
Mar 25, 10:53 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXJefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker37 min
Mar 25, 11:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Walker61 min
Mar 25, 11:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne15 min
Mar 25, 11:36 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene, Hale54 min
Mar 25, 12:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Calhoun, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair, Talladega72 min
Mar 25, 12:11 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb, Tuscaloosa64 min
Mar 25, 12:45 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXCherokee60 min
Mar 25, 12:53 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyBMXJefferson, Shelby67 min
Mar 25, 12:54 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXJefferson, St. Clair4 hr
Mar 25, 1:28 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens43 min
Mar 25, 1:46 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatBMXSt. Clair, Shelby, Talladega59 min
Mar 25, 1:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, St. Clair9 hr
Mar 25, 2:23 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedBMXCalhoun67 min
Mar 25, 2:32 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Jefferson, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa and 2 more4 hr
Mar 25, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker15 min
Mar 25, 2:58 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedBMXCherokee, Etowah45 min
Mar 25, 3:11 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter37 min
Mar 25, 3:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene55 min
Mar 25, 3:37 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter53 min
Mar 25, 3:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson25 min
Mar 25, 3:59 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyBMXGreene, Hale61 min
Mar 25, 4:10 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedBMXHale, Tuscaloosa10 min
Mar 25, 4:27 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXJefferson33 min
Mar 25, 4:33 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyTornado observedConsiderable damage threatBMXBibb, Perry57 min
Mar 25, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson18 min
Mar 25, 4:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXWalker27 min
Mar 25, 4:55 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedBMXSt. Clair41 min
Mar 25, 5:05 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyTornado observedConsiderable damage threatBMXChilton, Shelby55 min
Mar 25, 5:16 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyTornado observedCatastrophic damage threatBMXBibb29 min
Mar 25, 5:24 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Etowah28 min
Mar 25, 5:29 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXChilton, Coosa, Shelby, Talladega21 min
Mar 25, 5:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXChilton, Coosa, Shelby, Talladega100 min
Mar 25, 5:50 PM CDTTornado Warning EmergencyTornado observedCatastrophic damage threatBMXShelby, Talladega23 min
Mar 25, 6:03 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXGreene27 min
Mar 25, 6:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBMXFayette30 min
Mar 25, 6:30 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningBMXCherokee3 days

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2021Every 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.