1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 5, 1:00 PM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 100 PM CST TUE NOV 5 2002 MADE SEVERAL UPDATES TO DROP TORNADO WATCH FROM NORTHWEST COUNTIES...KEEPING IT UP OVER THE EASTERN 2/3RDS OF THE CWA. SCATTERED LOW TOPPED ROTATORS SHIFTING EAST OF THE AREA AT THIS TIME WITH MAIN THREAT OF THAT ACTIVITY GRADUALLY SHIFTING EAST. LOW TOPPED SQUALL LINE WITH BOWS/LEWPS NOTED CLOSER TO THE MIDLEVEL DRY AIR INTRUSION...NOW MOVING ACROSS COASTAL ALABAMA AND THE GULF WATERS. THIS ACTIVITY COULD PRODUCE DOWNBURST WINDS TO NEAR 60 MPH. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. RAIN THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH FROM THE WEST IN THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS. /05 .MOB... AL...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY GMZ630-650-670. FL...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY GMZ655-675. MS...NONE.
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-051700- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 520 AM CST TUE NOV 5 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. .TODAY... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE FROM LOUISIANA TO THE EASTERN STATES TODAY AND BRING A STRONG COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AND PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE ABUNDANT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...BUT NO WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED. THE INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL RESULT IN A HIGH THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS NEAR THE BEACHES TODAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD BE READY FOR ACTIVATION IN THE EVENT SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA. .WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL USHER COOLER AND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE AND BECOME SOUTHERLY BY SATURDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE PLAINS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...BUT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-052100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 950 AM CST TUE NOV 5 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES VALID UNTIL 3 PM CST TODAY... IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... WAYNE...GREENE...PERRY...STONE...AND GEORGE. IN SOUTH ALABAMA... CHOCTAW...WASHINGTON...CLARKE...WILCOX...MONROE... BUTLER...CRENSHAW...CONECUH...COVINGTON...ESCAMBIA... BALDWIN...AND MOBILE. IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA... ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA...OKALOOSA.
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-052100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1230 PM CST TUE NOV 5 2002 THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... WAYNE...GREENE...PERRY...STONE...AND GEORGE IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... WASHINGTON AND CHOCTAW. THE TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA... CLARKE...WILCOX...MONROE...BUTLER...CRENSHAW...CONECUH... COVINGTON...ESCAMBIA...BALDWIN...AND MOBILE. IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA... ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA...AND OKALOOSA.
The Mobile radar (KMOB), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:42 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A weak tornado downed trees and power lines near the Barnwell community. The same storm produced some minor roof damage and downed more trees near Elsanor a few minutes later.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2002Warnings in Alabama, November 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: 5322646.