Flash Flooding and Flooding in Alabama, December 24 to 31, 2015

Name: Flash Flooding and Flooding in Alabama, December 24 to 31, 2015
Start: 2015-12-24T00:10
End: 2015-12-31T23:59
Location: Alabama

December 24 to 31, 2015 · NWS TAE · 12 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 happened

The episode as NWS TAE wrote it up.

An anomalous upper level pattern developed across the country with a large upper level trough remaining nearly stationary west of the area for several days. Continuous southwest flow brought unseasonably warm temperatures and high moisture content across the area. Excessive rainfall amounts occurred during the last week of the month with amounts in excess of 15 inches falling across portions of the Pea, Choctawhatchee, and Chattahoochee River basins, resulting in major flooding with significant damage. The Pea River at Ariton set a new record high crest, and the Pea River at Elba reached its third highest crest on record.

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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 23, 7:16 PM CST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 7:16 PM CST, 4 hours 54 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
816 PM EST WED DEC 23 2015

.Near Term [Through Tonight]...

For the remainder of tonight, the main focus will be on southeast
Alabama and adjacent sections of the Florida panhandle and
southwest Georgia as bands of showers and a few thunderstorms
continue to stream off to the northeast. The airmass is very moist
for this time of year with 70 degree dewpoints as far north as
Troy, AL. Rainfall rates with the embedded convection are
impressive with EOX dual-pol estimating instantaneous rates of up
to 2-4"/hr, but so far the bands have not been concentrated
enough over any one location to produce any flash flooding. Having
said that, there has been some minor flooding reported across
Houston county with a few rural roads being closed.

Some of our local hi-res guidance later tonight into Thursday
morning is a bit concerning showing these bands persisting and
intensifying through the night. Some of the recent HRRR runs also
hint at this possibility. Should that occur, the threat for
flooding would increase as this would occur over already saturated
soils, but confidence in the evolution of this convection is not
overly high. We'll be watching for that possibility through the
night.

&&

.Prev Discussion [638 PM EST]...

.Short Term [Thursday Through Friday Night]...

The messy deep layer south/southwesterly flow will continue
through the short term. We'll likely remain cloudy with a chance
for showers and an isolated storm each day. Though with little to
no surface focus, at this time the threat for any meaningful
rainfall totals will remain west of the Tri-State region. Severe
weather is also not expected during the period. The most notable
item through Friday will be the near record breaking high
temperatures. The local area has a good chance of breaking daily
record max temps on Christmas, and possibly breaking the all time
December high temperature record. Overnight lows will also remain
unseasonably warm, in the middle 60s.

.Long Term [Saturday Through Wednesday]...

The aforementioned warm pattern, with scattered rain chances will
continue through the weekend. Early next week, models indicate
that a large low pressure system will roll through the Mississippi
Valley and force a cold front into the region. It remains unclear
whether the front will make a clean passage, or get held up and
bring an increased chance of rain through mid week.

.Aviation...
[Through 00Z Thursday]...

Rain showers will continue this evening into tonight for all
terminals except for VLD. LIFR CIGs are likely tonight. IFR vis is
expected at most terminals with fog developing late tonight. By
mid-morning, conditions will improve to MVFR and rain will come to
an end. Winds will be southerly with gusts around 20 knots
possible on Thursday.

.Marine...

Southeast winds around 20 knots over the western waters this
evening will lower to cautionary levels after midnight. Winds and
seas over the western waters will approach 20 knots again this
weekend.

.Fire Weather...

Rainy conditions today and again this weekend will prevent
relative humidity values from dropping to critical levels. No red
flag conditions will occur for the next week.

.Hydrology...

This is the last round of heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms
for the region through the holiday weekend. Precipitation this
afternoon and overnight will diminish tomorrow morning and end by
midday. Areas of heaviest rain for the remainder of the afternoon
and overnight will continue to train across southeast AL...far
southwest GA... and the FL panhandle west of the Apalachicola
River. The Flash Flood Watch for those areas will continue
overnight. In general rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 4 inches have
fallen in this area through midday today with an additional 1 to 3
inches possible through daybreak tomorrow. Locally higher amounts
may occur overnight as we could see rainfall rates of 3 to 4
inches per hour in some thunderstorms.

&&

.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...

Tallahassee   70  79  65  81  64 /  30  20  20  10  10
Panama City   72  77  67  77  65 /  30  30  20  10  10
Dothan        70  78  66  80  64 /  80  40  30  10  10
Albany        67  79  66  82  63 /  60  20  20  10  10
Valdosta      71  81  65  83  65 /  20  10  10  10  10
Cross City    70  83  64  84  64 /  20  10  10  10  10
Apalachicola  71  75  67  76  66 /  30  10  10  10  10

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...NONE.
GA...NONE.
AL...NONE.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 1 AM EST Thursday FOR Coastal waters
     from Apalachicola to Destin FL out 20 NM-Waters from
     Apalachicola to Destin FL from 20 to 60 NM.

&&

NEAR TERM...DVD
SHORT TERM...HARRIGAN
LONG TERM...HARRIGAN
AVIATION...MCDERMOTT
MARINE...MOORE
FIRE WEATHER...MOORE
HYDROLOGY...HOLLINGSWORTH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 23, 6:27 PM CST, 5 hours 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
727 PM EST WED DEC 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0615 PM     FLOOD            2 ENE WEBB              31.27N 85.25W
12/23/2015                   HOUSTON            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            WALLACE BUIE ROAD BETWEEN CENTER CHURCH RD AND RANDALL
            WADE ROAD CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

0615 PM     FLOOD            5 SSW COWARTS           31.13N 85.34W
12/23/2015                   HOUSTON            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            HARVEST LANE CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

0615 PM     FLOOD            4 SSW COWARTS           31.15N 85.34W
12/23/2015                   HOUSTON            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            WILLIE VARNUM ROAD BETWEEN HARVEST LANE AND EDDINS ROAD
            CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

0615 PM     FLOOD            2 WSW WEBB              31.25N 85.31W
12/23/2015                   HOUSTON            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            PEACOCK ROAD BETWEEN WATSON BRIDGE ROAD AND OLD WEBB ROAD
            CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

0615 PM     FLOOD            5 WNW COTTONWOOD        31.09N 85.37W
12/23/2015                   HOUSTON            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            HODGESVILLE ROAD BETWEEN HARPER JOY ROAD AND COUNTY ROAD
            33 CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Dec 23, 6:59 PM CST, 5 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
759 PM EST WED DEC 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0648 PM     MARINE TSTM WIND 2 W PANAMA CITY BEACH   30.21N 85.88W
12/23/2015  M51 MPH          BAY                FL   MESONET

            44 KNOT GUST MEASURED AT THE PCBF1 TIDE GAUGE

&&

DVD

The radar

The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When: December 24, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, Elba
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.410, -86.070

A tree was blown down in Elba.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When: December 24, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 2.29 mi NW of Damascus
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.339, -86.032

A tree was blown down along Highway 87.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When: December 24, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 2.2 mi NW of New Haven
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.370, -86.100

A tree was blown down across Highway 189.

Flash Flood, Coffee

When: December 24, 12:15 AM CST to 7:45 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 0.43 mi W of New Hope to 0.78 mi NNW of Eanon
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.550, -85.867

County Road 114 near the chicken plant was washed out due to flash flooding.

Flash Flood, Coffee

When: December 24, 4:42 AM CST to 7:45 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 3.64 mi NNW of Bluff Springs to 0.69 mi N of Frisco
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 31.616, -86.090

Flash flooding occurred across portions of northeast Coffee county with several roads flooded and closed.

Flash Flood, Coffee

When: December 24, 7:30 AM CST to 8:45 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 3.57 mi NNW of Newby to 2.99 mi N of Wilkinstown
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.600, -86.135

Flash flooding occurred in the northwest part of the county with 15 roads closed in that area.

Flood, Coffee

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST to December 28, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Coffee County, 3.07 mi NE of Roeton to 2.94 mi NNW of Newby
Cause: Heavy Rain
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.7 million
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.618, -85.789

Significant flooding occurred across Coffee county during the last week in December due to 10-20 inches of rain falling in the Pea River basin. The Pea River at Elba reached its third highest crest on record on December 26th. An aerial survey indicated 117 structures submerged with numerous others impacted near Elba. A later survey by the Red Cross indicated that 14 structures were destroyed, 48 received major damage, and 31 received minor damage. A family tried to cross the Pea River on Highway 107 and their vehicle was swept away on December 25th. Two fatalities resulted. The monetary damage to Coffee county is estimated at $1,717,980. Of that amount, $1,039,500 was due to mainly road and bridge damage in the county, $15,219.50 was from the Sheriff's department, $440,260.94 was from the city of Elba, $200,000 was from the city of Enterprise, and $23,000 was from the city of New Brockton.

Flood, Dale

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dale County, 2.01 mi NNW of Highway 231 Pea River Bridge to 6.43 mi NNE of Clopton
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $178,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.618, -85.789

Significant river flooding along the Pea and Choctawhatchee Rivers and heavy rainfall in the county resulted in flood damages estimated at $178,000 in Dale county, mainly to roads and bridges. The Pea River at Ariton established a new record crest. In addition, 4 residents and 1 business were flooded and 1 cross drain was washed out.

Flood, Geneva

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Geneva County, 3.89 mi NW of Lowery to 5.45 mi N of Light
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $451,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.199, -86.187

Significant river flooding along the Pea and Choctawhatchee Rivers and heavy rainfall in the county resulted in flood damages estimated at $451,038 in Geneva county. Of that amount, $148,538 came from the city of Geneva and the remaining $302,500 came from other areas in the county, mainly in the form of road damage. In addition, between 25 and 40 homes suffered water damage.

Flood, Henry

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST to December 28, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Henry County, 2.94 mi NW of Coates to 3.54 mi NNE of Coates
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $301,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.749, -85.186

Significant river flooding along the Chattahoochee River and heavy rainfall in the county resulted in flood damages estimated at $301,028 in Henry county, mainly due to road damage.

Flood, Houston

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Houston County, 1.81 mi NE of Columbia to 3.28 mi ESE of Lucy
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $891,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.308, -85.087

Significant river flooding along the Chattahoochee River and heavy rainfall in the county resulted in flood damages estimated at $891,000 in Houston county. Of that amount, $500,000 was due to damage at the Columbia and Gordon boat landings along the Chattahoochee River, $366,000 was due to damage to roads and bridges in the county, and $25,000 was due to damage to the Omussee Park building.

Thunderstorm Wind, Geneva

When: December 28, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Geneva County, 4.07 mi SSE of Coffee Springs
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.104, -85.889

A large part of a tree was blown down across County Road 21 and blocked the road.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Flood, Coffee	2015-12-25	5	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
Flood, Coffee	2015-12-25	22	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, December 2015

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: 610524, 610525, 610526, 610569, 610575, 610581, 611273, 611314, 611327, 611348, 611387, 610527.