Flash Flood Warning for Birmingham Metro

UPDATE 720 PM
Local Emergency Management has issued a Civil Emergency Message for Jefferson County. Please stay off the roads through the night or until the flooding ends.

We are past “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”. It is now “Keep the Life You Own, Stay at Home.”

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE
ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
721 PM CST FRI DEC 25 2015

THE JEFFERSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ACROSS THE COUNTY ARE REQUESTING THAT
RESIDENTS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY…INCLUDING THE BIRMINGHAM
METRO…REMAIN OFF THE ROADWAYS ACROSS THE COUNTY THROUGH AT LEAST
4 AM…OR UNTIL THE FLOODING ENDS. FLOODING IS ONGOING AND WILL
CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS. ALL ROADS SHOULD BE LEFT OPEN TO
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ONLY.

ORIGINAL POST
The NWS has issued a flash flood warning for much of Jefferson and Shelby Counties including the Birmingham Metro.

Look at this radar image at all the rain and storms that will be moving northeast across the Birmingham Metro.

Life threatening flooding is affecting much of North and North Central Alabama tonight.

Just one of several hundred examples: Highway 79 is flooded between Tarrant and Pinson.

Here are all the flood warnings.

Do not drive in the flood warning areas unless you absolutely have to.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
CENTRAL SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 1000 PM CST

* AT 607 PM CST…THUNDERSTORMS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST AND
SOUTHWEST WILL MERGE NEAR THE JEFFERSON AND SHELBY COUNTY AREAS
WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING…ESPECIALLY IN
URBANIZED LOCATIONS. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE
WARNED AREA.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS…
INTERSTATE 65 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 238 AND 266.
INTERSTATE 459 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 6 AND 33.
INTERSTATE 59 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 130 AND 137.
INTERSTATE 20 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 104 AND 140.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING.

TURN AROUND…DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

Category: Severe Weather