Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 155, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 2026, 7:04 PM CDT for Marengo County, Alabama. It was in force for 41 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 21, 2026, 7:04 PM CDT (00:04 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 21, 2026, 7:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 0.75 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
County Marengo County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:04 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
Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 216 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
- 949 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -161 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1464 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 148 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 5.8
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 21, 6:23 PM CDT, 41 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Issued at 622 PM CDT FRI AUG 21 2026
- Heat: Minor HeatRisk will continue through the weekend. Heat indices are forecast to remain below 105 degrees.
- Thunderstorms: Severe storms are expected through early evening across southern Central Alabama, with damaging winds and heavy rain remaining the main concerns.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 6:23 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 623 PM CDT Fri Aug 21 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 622 PM CDT FRI AUG 21 2026 - Heat: Minor HeatRisk will continue through the weekend. Heat indices are forecast to remain below 105 degrees. - Thunderstorms: Severe storms are expected through early evening across southern Central Alabama, with damaging winds and heavy rain remaining the main concerns. && .DISCUSSION... (This afternoon through Thursday) Issued at 1251 PM CDT FRI AUG 21 2026 The KBMX radar reveals a few lingering showers from this morning's convective activity. A quick look at water vapor imagery reveals an upper trough situated across the Tennessee Valley and an upper ridge building out to our west. At the surface, a cold front can be analyzed drifting slowly across the northern half of the state. This boundary will continue its southward movement through the day. Meanwhile, a shortwave will round the base of the trough, triggering another round of convection, generally to the south of the front. SPC maintains a Marginal Risk (Level 1 out of 5) for the southern half of the CWA due to the threat of damaging wind gusts. Forecast soundings once again suggest ample instability, dry mid-level air, and high DCAPE which supports the threat of downbursts with today's storms. Additionally, PWATs nearing 2" (per the 12Z KBMX sounding and GOES TPW imagery) would lead to heavy rainfall and a localized flash flooding threat. Narrowing dew points, condensation pressure deficits falling to 2- 5mb and light winds in the wake of today's convection will help promote patchy fog development around sunrise Saturday morning. Fog will be most likely for those that receive rain this afternoon and evening. Upper-level ridging will attempt to build in over the weekend. Increased subsidence and drier air will lower rain chances through the weekend, though precipitation looks to return early next week as a series of shortwaves rotates through with the northwest flow aloft. High temperatures will continue in the low to mid-90s over the coming days. Persistent humidity will promote daily heat indices in the 105-109 degree range today. The Heat Advisory remains in effect through 02Z Saturday. Drier air arriving this weekend will help keep heat indices in check, generally in the 95-100 range. 95/Castillo && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 622 PM CDT FRI AUG 21 2026 A batch of rain is currently moving right over EET, between TCL and BHM. Look for the activity to remain possible through 02Z for the north. MGM and AUO may see some additional activity after 00Z through 03Z. MVFR cigs/vis and gusty winds will be likely with any passing storms. Will continue with PROB30 mentions to account for this activity. As winds become light overnight, there will be a low (20-30%) chance for patchy MVFR fog around sunrise. Best chances will be at terminals that receive rain this afternoon and evening. Dry conditions are expected through much of the area on Saturday. Note: AMD NOT SKED for AUO due to a weather observation outage. 16 && .FIRE WEATHER... Drier air filtering into the area on Saturday will result in a decrease in relative humidity (35 to 45%) for most locations. However, wind speeds are expected to remain light, which should negate any significant fire weather concerns during this period. Moisture gradually begins to return early next week. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 70 94 70 92 / 10 0 10 10 Anniston 70 92 69 91 / 10 0 10 10 Birmingham 72 93 72 92 / 10 0 10 10 Tuscaloosa 73 98 73 96 / 10 0 10 10 Calera 72 94 72 93 / 20 0 10 10 Auburn 72 91 72 90 / 40 0 0 0 Montgomery 73 96 73 96 / 30 0 0 0 Troy 72 95 71 95 / 40 10 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 9 PM CDT this evening for the following counties: Autauga-Barbour-Bibb-Bullock-Chilton-Dallas-Elmore- Fayette-Greene-Hale-Jefferson-Lamar-Lowndes-Macon-Marengo-Marion- Montgomery-Perry-Pickens-Pike-Russell-Shelby-St. Clair-Sumter- Tuscaloosa-Walker. && DISCUSSION...95/Castillo AVIATION...16
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 7:06 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Chambers | 24 min |
| Aug 21, 7:10 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Bibb | 35 min |
| Aug 21, 7:35 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Clay | 25 min |
| Aug 21, 7:41 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Clay | 34 min |
| Aug 21, 7:48 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Bibb | 42 min |
| Aug 21, 8:10 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Tallapoosa | 35 min |
| Aug 21, 8:21 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Marengo | 24 min |
| Aug 21, 8:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tallapoosa | 43 min |
| Aug 21, 8:36 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Wilcox | 24 min |
| Aug 21, 8:54 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Chambers | 36 min |
| Aug 21, 9:00 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Shelby | 2 hr |
| Aug 21, 9:37 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Elmore | 38 min |
| Aug 21, 10:07 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | BMX | Macon | 23 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026
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.