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 Aug 6, 11:00 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 1200 PM CDT TUE AUG 06 2002 SURFACE FRONT CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AT MID DAY. EXPECT FRONT TO CONTINUE MOVING SOUTH DURING THE DAY. WINDS HAVE SHIFTED TO THE NORTH AND NORTH WEST AHEAD OF THE FRONT...MEANING LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONVERGENCE THERE. WITH DRIER CONDITIONS BEHIND THE FRONT...AND TEMPS HEATING INTO THE 90S...LEFT SCTATTERED POPS IN FOR THIS AFTERNOON. ADDED SMALL POPS NORTH TONIGHT MAINLY FOR CHANCE ACTIVITY BETWEEN 4 AND 7 PM. TEMPS GENERALLY LOOKING GOOD BUT ADDED A RANGE IN A FEW SPOTS. OVERALL...NOT MUCH CONTENT CHANGE. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH LEFTOVER BERTHA SLOWLY PUSHES WEST AND ALSO GETS NUDGED SOUTH WITH NORTHERLY SURFCAE WINDS. 75 .BHM...NONE.
ALZ001>050-062100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 113 PM CDT TUE AUG 06 2002 HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. A COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTHWARD TOWARDS ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON WILL LIKELY CAUSE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO FORM. WHILE A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY GROW STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES...GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...NO WIDESPREAD OR ORGANIZED AREAS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL NOT BE NECESSARY. WET MICROBURST POTENTIAL FACTOR: HUNTSVILLE...4 BIRMINGHAM...3 MONTGOMERY...3
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:53 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Calhoun County 911 reported that a 53-year-old man was struck by lightning in Angel while working on a car. The man was knocked unconscious and was reportedly not breathing when emergency personnel arrived. The man was transported to the hospital where he was discharged later that evening.
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: 5313314.