Thunderstorm Wind, Tuscaloosa
- When
- May 17, 6:20 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
- Where
- Tuscaloosa County, Brookwood
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 33.283, -87.283
Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 17, 2002
Several trees were blown down in the eastern part of Tuscaloosa County. Golf ball size hail was also reported with this storm in Brookwood.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.
Several trees were blown down in the eastern part of Tuscaloosa County. Golf ball size hail was also reported with this storm in Brookwood.
What forecasters said that day
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 17, 1:59 PM CST, 4 hours 21 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 1:59 PM CST, 4 hours 21 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 259 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 A SQUALL LINE WAS PRECEDING A COLD FRONT INTO THE SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON, AND AT THIS TIME IT WAS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA. THIS LINE WILL PUSH THROUGH MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT, AND A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. A WATCH WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST AL AT THIS WRITING AND I WILL ADD SEVERE WORDING TO ALL ZONES. THE MAIN THREAT SHOULD BE WIND AND HAIL, BUT I EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO WEAKEN AFTER SUNSET. SO FAR HOWEVER, CONVECTION HAS NOT BEEN VERY STRONG. THERE COULD BE A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS SOUTHEAST IN THE MORNING. IT SHOULD BECOME RATHER BREEZY ON SATURDAY, AND I WILL ADD A CAUTIONARY STATEMENT TO THE ZONES FOR WINDS. THE AIRMASS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT IS QUITE COOL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AND SHOULD PROVIDE THE AREA A VERY DRY AND COOL WEEKEND. SOME PLACES COULD APPROACH RECORD LOWS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. HSV 056/067 043/071 044 8000 BHM 058/070 044/073 044 8000 MGM 064/074 049/076 047 8200 .BHM...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 17, 5:56 PM CST, 24 minutes before
ALZ001>020-022>028-030>037-039>044-180300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA 656 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 313... COLBERT...FRANKLIN...LAMAR...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE... LIMESTONE...MARION... THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES REMAIN IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 313... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM... AUTAUGA...BIBB...BLOUNT...CALHOUN...CHEROKEE... CHILTON...CLAY...COOSA...CULLMAN...DALLAS... DEKALB...ELMORE...ETOWAH...FAYETTE...GREENE... HALE...JACKSON...JEFFERSON...LOWNDES...MADISON... MARENGO...MARSHALL...MONTGOMERY...MORGAN...PERRY... PICKENS...SHELBY...ST CLAIR...SUMTER...TALLADEGA... TALLAPOOSA...TUSCALOOSA...WALKER...WINSTON...
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Tuscaloosa
- When
- May 17, 6:20 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
- Where
- Tuscaloosa County, Brookwood
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 33.283, -87.283
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Winds in Texas, May 17, 2002
- Flood and Hail in Mississippi, May 17, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 17, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Florida, May 17, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 17, 2002
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, May 17, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 17, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 17, 2002
- Extreme Cold in New York, May 17 to 18, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Florida, May 17, 2002
- Tornado in Arkansas, May 17, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 17, 2002
More
Every storm in Alabama in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2002
Sources
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: 5294647, 5294648.