1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 25, 2:30 AM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
330 AM CDT WED SEP 25 2002
...SORRY FOR DELAY...WAITED FOR CONFERENCE CALLS REGARDING ISIDORE...
TROPICAL STORM ISIDORE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE SHORT RANGE
FORECAST PICTURE THIS MORNING. LATEST SATELLITE SHOWS IMPRESSIVE
CYCLONIC CIRCULATION AROUND ISIDORE...COVERING THE ENTIRE GULF.
BANDS OF MOISTURE WRAPPING INTO THE SYSTEM ARE LINING UP TO THE
SOUTH...TAKING AIM ON THE FORECAST AREA. A BURST OF CONVECTION
WAS DEVELOPING NEAR ISIDORES CENTER AT TIME OF WRITING...BUT
CONFINED TO THE EAST. IF THIS CAN WRAP AROUND THE CENTER ENTIRELY...
STRENGTHENING WOULD TAKE PLACE. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST CALLS FOR
SOME SLOW STRENGTHENING. DEEP LAYER DRY AIR WAS WRAPPING
AROUND THE SYSTEMS WEST SIDE WHICH MAY ACT TO SLOW THE STRENGTHENING
PROCESS. WILL JUST HAVE TO WATCH AND SEE HOW THIS PANS OUT.
ISIDORES SATELLITE REPRESENTATION IS MORE VERTICALLY
STRETCHED NORTH/SOUTH THIS MORNING AS UPPER TROF DIGS OUT OF THE
PLAINS AND HEIGHTS BUILD OVER THE SOUTHEAST CONUS. GIVEN THE SYNOPTIC
PATTERN...ISIDORE IS PROGGED TO LIFT UP TO THE NORTH INTO THE CENTRAL
GULF COAST LATE WEDNESDAY AND SHEAR OUT RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST...
APPROACHING THE MID ATLANTIC STATES FRIDAY.
LOCAL RADAR WIND PROFILES SHOW STRONG EASTERLY FLOW WITH GOOD SPEED
SHEAR (30/40 KNOTS) IN THE LOWEST 3 KFT. THERE HAS BEEN SOME ROTATION
NOTED ON RADAR OVER THE MARINE AREA IN SPIRAL BANDS. WILL CONTINUE TO
SEE THIS NEXT 3 PERIODS AS ADDITIONAL BANDS PROPAGATE NORTHWEST OVER
THE REGION. TORNADOES IN NORTHWEST PROPAGATING SPIRAL BANDS...
WILL BE A CONCERN AS LOW LEVEL SHEAR INCREASES AND VEERS UNDER MORE
OF A SOUTHEAST FLOW AS ISIDORE MOVES NORTH. HELICITIES ARE ON THE
ORDER OF 200 M2/S2...WHICH IS MORE THAN ADEQUATE IN SUPPORTING
PERSISTENT ROTATING UPDRAFTS...ALBEIT SHALLOW BUT POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS GIVEN THE TROPICAL AIRMASS. AFTER COORDINATION WITH THE
STORM PREDICTION CENTER...A TORNADO WATCH WILL BE ISSUED FOR A
PORTION OF THE AREA TO ACCOUNT FOR THE THREAT.
AS FOR RAINFALL...THIS IS A GIVEN...GIVEN ISIDORES
FORECAST TRACK...PUTTING FORECAST AREA ON WET...EAST SIDE OF THE
STORM. RAINFALL LOOKS TO BE LOCALLY HEAVY...RIGHT ON THROUGH
THURSDAY. IF ISIDORE SPEEDS UP...THE LESSER AMOUNT OF RAIN. THE
OPPOSITE WILL BE TRUE IF ISIDORE MOVES NORTH AT A SLOWER RATE. FLOOD
WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT. NOT EXPECTING MUCH CHANGE BETWEEN MAX
AND MIN TEMPERATURES IN THE NEXT 3 PERIODS DUE TO CLOUDS...WIND...AND
RAIN.
COULD SEE SOME HIGH WIND GUSTS IN THE INTERIOR...BUT DOESNT
MEET CRITERIA FOR A TROPICAL HIGH WIND ADVISORY AT THIS TIME.
THIS COULD CHANGE IF ISIDORE STRENGTHENS MORE THAN FORECAST CAUSING
THE WIND RADII TO EXPAND EAST OF THE CENTER. THANKS JAN FOR
COORDINATION.
MARINE...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST.
PRELIM NUMBERS...
MOB 75 72 76 67 / 100 100 100 50
PNS 76 73 76 70 / 100 100 100 50
DTS 76 73 76 70 / 100 100 100 50
GZH 74 72 76 70 / 100 100 100 50
2R0 74 72 76 70 / 100 100 100 50
61A 73 72 76 70 / 100 100 100 50
.MOB...
AL...TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALZ061>064...GMZ630-650-670.
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY ALZ051>064.
FL...TROPICAL STORM WARNING FLZ001>006...GMZ655-675.
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY FLZ001>006.
MS...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY MSZ067-075>079.The Mobile radar (KMOB), 4 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:57 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains fell across the south part of Mobile county and caused several streets to flood. Many of the secondary streets between Theodore and Bayou la Batre had to be closed for several hours due to the heavy rain. The streets were reopened after the rain stopped and the water had time to drain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, September 2002
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5319753.