1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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 Aug 20, 1:56 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 256 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002 CONVECTION HAS BEGUN TO DEVELOP ACROSS TENNESSEE VALLEY. SPC HAS ISSUE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH SHORTLY...COVERING ALL BUT EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA COUNTIES. THIS WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM. DEWPOINTS ACROSS FORECAST AREA IN THE MID 70S. INSTABILITY INDICES ARE GREATEST IN THE WATCH AREA...AND EXPECT ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE IN INTENSITY. HAVE ALREADY ISSUED A COUPLE OF WARNINGS. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO DECREASE AFTER SUNSET. UPPER RIDGE CENTERED OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE BY 24 HOURS...THIS SETS UP MORE OF AN EAST FLOW...ALLOWING DRIER...MORE STABLE AIR TO FILTER INTO THE AREA. WILL CONTINUE ISOLATED POPS NORTH...WITH SCATTERED WORDING ACROSS CENTRAL AREAS. MOISTURE BEGINS TO RETURN ON THURSDAY WITH WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW. CONVECTION BECOMES MORE DIURNAL AGAIN ON FRIDAY. MODELS INDICATING SLIGHTLY COLER TEMPERATURES ARRIVE AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. HSV 073/094 073/093 072 2223 BHM 073/094 073/092 074 2323 MGM 073/093 073/092 073 2323 .BHM...NONE. 83
ALZ001>050-201830- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1232 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002 HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN. THE STORMS SHOULD SLOWLY DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING HOURS. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WET MICROBURST POTENTIAL FACTOR: HUNTSVILLE...4 BIRMINGHAM...4 MONTGOMERY...4
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A barn was struck by lightning and caught on fire. The barn was totally destroyed. No reports of injuries were received.
Several trees were blown down near CR 39 west of Lexington. One home suffered major roof damage and subsequently extensive rain damage. No injuries were reported.
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, August 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: 5313594, 5313595.