Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 2025
Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this flash flood warning at May 18, 2025, 7:06 AM CDT for Jefferson County, Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 2025, 7:06 AM CDT (12:06 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 2025, 9:30 AM CDT
- In force
- 2 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Jefferson County, AL, Shelby County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:05 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
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 212 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 61 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -274 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1547 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -13 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 110 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
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 May 18, 2:56 AM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Updated at 251 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2025
- There is a (Level 1 to 3 out of 5) risk of severe storms on Tuesday evening for portions of Central Alabama. The best chances will be generally along and northwest of the Interstate 85 corridor.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:56 AM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 256 AM CDT Sun May 18 2025 ...New KEY MESSAGES, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 251 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2025 - There is a (Level 1 to 3 out of 5) risk of severe storms on Tuesday evening for portions of Central Alabama. The best chances will be generally along and northwest of the Interstate 85 corridor. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday) Issued at 251 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2025 Middle May weather continues, with nightly MCS showers and storms. Current IR indicates some rapid cooling tops as the MCS moves into northern MS. Right now just a few showers and storms, but consensus and guidance is that this will increase over the next few hours. This correlates with the actual trends on going this hour. Went ahead and increased PoPs toward daybreak and the first part of the day. Questions for today will be two fold. Will the activity this morning be strong/severe? And if the MCS does move through, will we recover for any severe this afternoon? As mentioned, given the expansive cooling cloud tops would expected some increase in overall coverage over the next few hours. That would put an increase in rain chances into the likely and categorical stages this morning. We did get worked over nicely 24 hours ago, but there is still plenty of instability to support at least a few stronger storms this morning with the activity. Will not mention any severe this morning, but will definitely monitor the radar trends. So if the activity moves through this morning as expected now, will severe weather be possible this afternoon. Well I can say that while it can not be ruled out, the probabilities appear too low after 1 pm to mention severe weather. Again this is a very conditional threat across the area. If the MCS does not develop or spread across the area with widespread coverage then yes a few afternoon storms could develop, especially in the south. Tonight we could see a shower or storm early in the south, but then activity focuses west and north of the ares. We will likely see another MCS develop overnight. Model trends right now keep the majority of the rain north of the area, so I have limited rain chances in the forecast. The showers and storms should be limited to the north on Tuesday closer to the MCS north of the area. Best chances of rain Monday will be in the northeast. 16 && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through next Saturday) Issued at 251 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2025 A cold front will approach Central Alabama on Tuesday evening, with a threat of severe thunderstorms across the region. With dew points in the low 70s, supercell formation is likely during the afternoon across parts of Mississippi and Tennessee. This is likely to grow upscale into a more linear storm mode as it passes through Central Alabama, posing a damaging wind threat. Hail and an isolated tornado will be possible as well, with a bigger threat of hail initially with more cellular activity. Current timing is still broad but is potentially late evening to overnight Tuesday night for much of the area. Behind the cold front, the rest of the week will be dry, with surface high pressure in place. Temperatures will be cooler, with most areas in the 70s to near 80 Thursday and Friday. Rain chances will return across the north by the weekend. 12 && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1255 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2025 Made some adjustments to the TAFs for this cycle. Going to concentrate more on the showers and storms developing this morning and less this afternoon. Conditions should be very similar to last night but a few hours later and most likely not as strong. Added in tempo TSRA at the northern sites but not at MGM. Added only SHRA there. Looks like the afternoon will not be as widespread so removed the Prob30 from all sites but MGM for now. So morning flights will need to be monitored for thunderstorms before and after sunrise. NOTE: There is a communication issue at ANB, so will include AMD NOT SKED here until we see any resolve. 16 && .FIRE WEATHER... Another batch showers and thunderstorms will move through this morning, with isolated to scattered this afternoon. Minimum RH values on this afternoon and Monday will be in mid to upper 40 percent range across portions of the southeast and far southern counties. Dry conditions return Wednesday after a strong system moves through on Tuesday, with showers and thunderstorms. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 83 66 88 67 / 70 20 30 10 Anniston 83 66 88 69 / 80 20 20 0 Birmingham 84 69 88 70 / 80 20 10 0 Tuscaloosa 87 70 89 72 / 60 20 0 0 Calera 86 69 89 70 / 70 20 0 0 Auburn 84 69 88 69 / 60 10 0 0 Montgomery 88 68 91 69 / 30 10 0 0 Troy 89 68 91 69 / 20 10 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...16 LONG TERM....12 AVIATION...16
Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 5:50 AM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:51 AM CDT, 15 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 3:11 AM CDT | Dense Fog Advisory | BMX | Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore and 8 more | 6 hr |
| May 18, 5:00 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Lamar, Pickens | 45 min |
| May 18, 5:03 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Winston | 42 min |
| May 18, 5:19 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Fayette, Walker | 56 min |
| May 18, 5:29 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Jefferson | 31 min |
| May 18, 5:33 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa | 42 min |
| May 18, 5:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 27 min |
| May 18, 6:08 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 52 min |
| May 18, 6:12 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Blount | 48 min |
| May 18, 6:14 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Clay | 46 min |
| May 18, 6:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Coosa, Talladega | 39 min |
| May 18, 6:24 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | St. Clair, Talladega | 51 min |
| May 18, 6:29 AM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 37 min |
| May 18, 6:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega | 46 min |
| May 18, 6:55 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Randolph | 50 min |
| May 18, 7:14 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, St. Clair and 2 more | 61 min |
| May 18, 7:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Tallapoosa | 51 min |
| May 18, 8:53 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Russell | 82 min |
| May 18, 11:30 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Lamar | 45 min |
| May 18, 12:02 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Fayette | 43 min |
| May 18, 12:45 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Chambers | 45 min |
| May 18, 1:16 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | St. Clair | 44 min |
| May 18, 1:32 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 43 min |
| May 18, 1:36 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Shelby | 39 min |
| May 18, 1:48 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 3 hr |
| May 18, 2:12 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Bibb, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 108 min |
| May 18, 2:22 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Clay, Shelby, Talladega | 3 hr |
| May 18, 3:37 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Chilton | 38 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 2025Every flash flood warning in 2025
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.