1 lightning, 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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 2:07 AM CST, 6 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 307 AM CDT THU MAY 31 2001 AREA RADARS SHOWING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH SECTIONS OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. FARTHER TO THE WEST, KNQA RADAR SHOWING SCATTERED STORMS REDEVELOPING IN THE WAKE OF MENTIONED AREA OF STORMS. 0700 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING BOUNDARY EXTENDING ACROSS PARTS OF THE TENNESSEE. THE WARM FRONT APPEARS TO EXTEND FROM A KMEI-KDHN LINE THIS MORNING. BEST MOISTURE STILL RESIDES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE THIS MORNING. 0700 UTC MSAS/LAPS DATA SHOWING BEST INSTABILITIES ACROSS THIS SAME AREA. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW CENTRAL PLAINS LOW MOVING NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THIS WILL DRAG A SURFACE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY. THIS IS A LITTLE SLOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS RUN AND WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE ZONES. AS THE UPPER LOW LIFTS NORTHEAST, A STRONG SHORTWAVE DIVES SOUTHWARD AND SHOULD AFFECT THE AREA SATURDAY. FOR NOW WILL PLACE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR SATURDAY ACROSS THE NORTH AND PARTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. FRIDAYS COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO BECOME STATIONARY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA, THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE OR NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ANOTHER CENTRAL PLAIN SURFACE LOW AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO LIFT THIS NORTHWARD MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. HSV TE 080/067 080/059 082 65+641 BHM TE 083/068 080/062 082 65+641 MGM TE 087/068 083/063 084 656651= .BHM...NONE.
ALZ001>038-040>050-311500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 720 AM CDT THU MAY 31 2001 HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL TRACK ACROSS THE REGION. A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS ALREADY IN PLACE OVER THE STATE... AND SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING. THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE ENTIRE AREA IS UNDER A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS IS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE REQUIRED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A man working on a tractor partially covered by an open shed was injured when he was struck by lightning. The man complained of chest pains and was taken to a local hospital. The event occurred on River Road east of the city of Muscle Shoals.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2001
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: 5244751.