Flash Flood in Alabama, August 3, 2003

Name: Flash Flood in Alabama, August 3, 2003
Start: 2003-08-03T17:00
End: 2003-08-03T18:00
Location: Alabama

August 3, 2003 · NWS BMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $35,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What forecasters said that day

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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
245 PM CDT SUN AUG 03 2003

CURRENT MCS MOVING SE TOWARDS THE FORECAST AREA.  SOME STRONG AND
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED ACROSS NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI THIS
AFTERNOON. SO FOR OUR AREA...CANNOT RULE OUT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OR
TWO DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  BUT EXPECT MOST OF THE
ACTIVITY TO LESSEN IN INTENSITY BY NIGHTFALL. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE
CWA SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG OLD
BOUNDARIES DURING THE DAYTIME HEATING HOURS BUT SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER
SUNSET.

PERSISTENT LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS WILL CONTINUE TO
DEEPEN OVER OUR AREA AND PROVIDE UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY FLOW.  SO
WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES MOVE SE TOWARDS THE
AREA. ONCE AGAIN THESE MCS/S WILL BE HARD TO PINPOINT AS FAR AS TIME
AND LOCATION.  HOWEVER THINK MON-WED WILL BE THE BEST CHANCES FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW IMPULSES ROTATE
AROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH.  WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR
LEFTOVER BOUNDARIES AS THATS WHERE NON-MCS RELATED CONVECTION MAY
BE INITIATED.

BY MIDWEEK...TROUGH MOVES SLIGHTLY EAST AS THIS WILL ALLOW OUR AREA
TO RETURN TO A MORE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWER
AND THUNDERSTORM ROUTINE.  WITHOUT THE AREAL COVERAGE OF RAIN...
EXPECT TEMPS TO BE MORE AROUND NORMAL UNLIKE THE PAST COUPLE OF
DAYS.  MODELS EVEN TREND TOWARD DRIER AIR MOVING IN BY WEEKS END AS
TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE CWA.  SO WILL LOWER POPS FOR FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY AND RAISE HIGH TEMPS AS CLOUD COVER AND THUNDERSTORM
COVERAGE WILL BE MINIMAL.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
BHM  71  87  71  88 /  50  50  30  40
MGM  71  89  72  89 /  30  50  30  50

.BHM...NONE.

KH/99

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 12:37 PM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

ALZ011>015-017>050-032100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
137 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

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

.DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI THIS
AFTERNOON...AND THEY ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST INTO ALABAMA.  A FEW
OF THESE STORMS MAY GROW STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OR
SMALL HAIL.  HOWEVER...NO WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

THE MOST LIKELY PLACE TO EXPERIENCE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN
THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE STATE...NORTH AND WEST OF TUSCALOOSA
AND BIRMINGHAM.  THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD START TO DECREASE IN
INTENSITY AND COVERAGE AROUND 7 OR 8 PM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...

AN ACTIVE JET STREAM AND A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL
KEEP CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH
THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.  AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE MOST
ACTIVE DAYS THIS WEEK...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT FOR MORE
ORGANIZED STRONG OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WILL BE MONDAY AND
TUESDAY.

BEYOND THAT...IT APPEARS THE REGION WILL RETURN TO A WEATHER
PATTERN A BIT MORE TYPICAL FOR SUMMERTIME WEDNESDAY THROUGH
SATURDAY...WITH LESS ORGANIZED AFTERNOON VARIETY STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

AREA WIDE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL SHOULD NOT BE NECESSARY.  HOWEVER...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 3:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

ALZ023-024-032245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
441 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR TUSCALOOSA AND JEFFERSON
COUNTIES UNTIL 545 PM CDT...

.WINDS 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORMS.

AT 437 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 6 MILES NORTH OF GRAYSVILLE TO 13 MILES
WEST OF NORTHPORT...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR
SAMANTHA...MORRIS...KIMBERLY...GRAYSVILLE...NORTHPORT...GARDENDALE...
TUSCALOOSA AND SYLVAN SPRINGS THROUGH 545 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS STRONG WINDS. STRONG WINDS
COULD KNOCK DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR BRANCHES. UNSECURED SMALL
OBJECTS COULD BE BLOWN AROUND.

LAT...LON 3382 8690 3355 8723 3336 8782 3302 8757
          3365 8657

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 3:42 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

ALZ042-032215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
442 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR LOWNDES COUNTY UNTIL 515 PM
CDT...

.SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM.

AT 437 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER LOWNDESBORO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR WHITE HALL AND
LOWNDESBORO THROUGH 515 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS SMALL HAIL. HAIL UP TO ONE
HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE
VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW.

LAT...LON 3230 8676 3218 8660 3227 8645 3233 8669

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:15 PM CST, 45 minutes before

ALZ039-032245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
515 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN MARENGO COUNTY UNTIL
545 PM CDT...

.SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM.

AT 513 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER JEFFERSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR LINDEN...JEFFERSON...
PROVIDENCE AND DEMOPOLIS THROUGH 545 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS SMALL HAIL. HAIL UP TO ONE
HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE
VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW.

IN ADDITION...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE POSSIBLE. IF
YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW.
IF LIGHTNING IS OBSERVED... WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER THE LAST
LIGHTNING STRIKE BEFORE RESUMING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.

LAT...LON 3239 8794 3223 8786 3243 8768 3260 8779

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:16 PM CST, 44 minutes before

ALZ025-032315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
516 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR SHELBY COUNTY UNTIL 615 PM
CDT...

.WINDS 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORMS.

AT 513 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 6 MILES NORTH OF VANDIVER TO 11 MILES WEST
OF HELENA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT ALL AREAS ACROSS SHELBY
COUNTY THROUGH 615 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS STRONG WINDS. WINDS 35 TO 45
MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. OUTDOOR OBJECTS SUCH AS LAWN
FURNITURE...TRASH CANS....OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD ITEMS COULD BE BLOWN
AROUND.

LAT...LON 3358 8644 3324 8702 3307 8691 3310 8653
          3333 8639

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:52 PM CST, 8 minutes before

ALZ032-032330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
552 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR HALE COUNTY UNTIL 630 PM
CDT...

.FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORM.

AT 549 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AKRON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR GREENSBORO...AKRON
AND WILEY THROUGH 615 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING STRIKES. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE
STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW. IF LIGHTNING IS OBSERVED... WAIT AT LEAST
30 MINUTES AFTER THE LAST LIGHTNING STRIKE BEFORE RESUMING OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES.

IN ADDITION...SMALL HAIL...UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...IS
POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE
SHELTER NOW.

LAT...LON 3289 8780 3263 8769 3279 8748 3299 8752

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:53 PM CST, 7 minutes before

ALZ035-040000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
553 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR CHILTON COUNTY UNTIL 700 PM
CDT...

.WINDS 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORMS.

AT 549 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 26 MILES NORTH OF JEMISON TO 21 MILES
NORTHWEST OF JEMISON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  A LINE OF STRONG
WIND GUSTS PRECEEDS THESE THUNDERSTORMS BY 15 TO 20 MINUTES.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR
JEMISON...THORSBY...VERBENA...INGRAM AND CLANTON THROUGH 700 PM CDT.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS STRONG WINDS. WINDS 35 TO 45
MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. OUTDOOR OBJECTS SUCH AS LAWN
FURNITURE...TRASH CANS....OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD ITEMS COULD BE BLOWN
AROUND.

LAT...LON 3308 8662 3307 8688 3268 8679 3276 8641

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When: August 3, 5:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Countywide
Property damage: $35,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 33.554, -86.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads were flooded across the county. Many of the roads were temporarily closed. The most significant flooding occurred in the eastern part of the county from Birmingham to Trussville. A few homes in Woodlawn received minor flood damage. Fire Department personnel rescued several stranded motorists from the high water.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, August 2003

Sources

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: 5368456.