1 heat, 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 Apr 18, 1:13 PM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 213 PM CDT THU APR 18 2002 UPPER LEVEL HIGH REMAINS ANCHORED OVER NORTHWEST GULF THROUGH 60 HOURS. UPPER LOW DIGS INTO SOUTHWEST U.S. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF WILL CONTINUE TO PUMP WARM MOIST AIR INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. MODELS INDICATE BEST MOISTURE REMAINS ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF FORECAST AREA...HOWEVER ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY IN THE VICINITY OF LEFTOVER BOUNDARY FROM YESTERDAYS CONVECTION. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY AS SURFACE FRONT CURRENTLY OVER NORTH/CENTRAL PLAINS MOVES CLOSER TO THE AREA. MODELS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT AS FAR AS FRONT STALLING JUST NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA TOMORROW AFTERNOON. DUE TO VICINITY OF FRONT OVER THE WEEKEND...WILL CONTINUE CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE NORTH WITH SLIGHT CHANCE ALONG AND SOUTH OF TCL-BHM-ANB LINE. MODELS AGREE FRONT WILL FINALLY MOVE THROUGH FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY. FOLLOWED PERSISTENCE/GUIDANCE TEMPS THROUGH 48 HOURS. HSV 063/083 063/083 062 2323 BHM 060/086 062/085 064 1212 MGM 062/088 063/088 064 1111 .BHM...NONE. 83
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
The high temperature observed at the Huntsville International Airport was 89 degrees. This temperature established a new record high breaking the previous record of 85 degrees set in 1977.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 2002
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: 5292911.