1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 22, 3:03 AM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 303 AM CST WED JAN 22 2003 OK...IM COMING TO GRIPS. A BAND OF ELEVATED SHOWERS...WITH A COUPLE OF THUNDER BOOMERS...ARE STREAMING ACROSS CENTRAL AL/MS AT THIS HOUR...BEHIND THE FRONT. THE FRONT (FIRST PUSH OF COLD AIR) IS CURRENTLY STRETCHED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE GULF STATES. IM EXPECTING THE SHOWERS... AND OCCASIONAL BOOMER...TO CONTINUE THROUGH MID-DAY FOR GOOD OL AL...AS THE SHORTWAVE (ENERGY) SLIDES SOUTHWARD AND EASTWARD INTO THE BASE OF THE BROAD LONGWAVE TROF. NOW...THE SURE NUFF MEANS BUSINESS...I RENAMED IT...COLD BLAST OF AIR IS GOING TO HIT THE STATE THIS EVENING. NO MATTER HOW RIDICULOUS I THINK THESE NUMBERS ARE...IM BELIEVING THEM ENOUGH TO ADJUST THE TEMPS DOWNWARD YET AGAIN. IM SHAKING MY HEAD IN THOUGHT THAT THE DAYTIME TEMPS ON THURSDAY ARE GOING TO BE AT FREEZING OR BELOW...AND THAT MOST WILL SEE LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ON FRIDAY MORN. BUT...IM GOING TO PUT IT IN THE FORECAST...AND YOUVE GOT TO BELIEVE ME...BECAUSE I NEVER BOMB A FORECAST. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY...WINDS ON THURSDAY WILL BE OUT OF THE NW AT 10 TO 20 MPH... CAUSING A SERIOUS WINDCHILL FOR US SOUTHERNERS. TO EARLY FOR THIS SHIFT TO ISSUE A FREEZE WATCH...BUT ONE WILL BE COMING SOON THE WEEKEND IS LOOKING A LITTLE MORE CLOUDY THAN YESTERDAYS FORECAST...BUT STILL DRY. TEMPS WILL BE SLOW RECOVERY. BHM TU 047/021 027/006 033/21 9000 MGM EU 054/029 033/010 035/21 4100 .BHM...NONE. JONES/90
ALZ011>015-017>050-212100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 107 PM CST TUE JAN 21 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND A PART OF NORTH ALABAMA. .DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... ANOTHER ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL INVADE ALABAMA BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE COLDEST MORNING WILL LIKELY BE FRIDAY MORNING...WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE TEENS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. THERE MAY EVEN BE A FEW SINGLE DIGIT READINGS IN OUTLYING AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL BE EVEN COLDER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL NOT BE NECESSARY.
ALZ011>015-017>050-222205- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 421 AM CST WED JAN 22 2003 ...FRIGID WEATHER TO RETURN TO CENTRAL ALABAMA... A COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED THROUGH MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA EARLY THIS MORNING...AND IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ALL THE WAY INTO SOUTH ALABAMA BY NOONTIME. A COLD SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR WILL BEGIN TO INVADE THE DEEP SOUTH BY THIS EVENING. AS A RESULT TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEARLY STEADY THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND BEGIN FALLING THIS EVENING. IT LOOKS LIKE TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT...AND MOST AREAS WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY MAY STRUGGLE TO CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 20S FROM THE CITIES OF TUSCALOOSA...BIRMINGHAM...AND WEDOWEE NORTHWARD. EVEN AS FAR SOUTH AS TROY AND EUFAULA...THE MERCURY WILL LIKELY HAVE A TOUGH TIME CLIMBING ABOVE FREEZING THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WITH STEADY NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR...TEMPERATURES WILL FEEL MUCH COLDER. THE COLDEST MORNING IS WILL BE FRIDAY MORNING. LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS WILL LIKELY BE COMMON NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. TEMPERATURES NEAR TEN DEGREES CAN BE EXPECTED SOUTH OF THERE. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY MORNING WILL BE NOT AS COLD. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. MAKE FREQUENT CHECKS ON THE ELDERLY. MAKE SURE FURNACES ARE WORKING AND HEATING THE HOUSE PROPERLY. ENSURE THAT PORTABLE HEATERS ARE IN PROPER WORKING ORDER. PETS ARE ALSO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE EXTREME COLD. KEEP PETS INDOORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IF THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE...MAKE SURE OUTDOOR PETS HAVE WARM DRY SHELTER...AND PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FOOD AND FRESH UNFROZEN WATER.
ALZ011>015-017>050-222205- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 430 AM CST WED JAN 22 2003 ...FRIGID WEATHER TO RETURN TO CENTRAL ALABAMA... A COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED THROUGH MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA EARLY THIS MORNING...AND IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ALL THE WAY INTO SOUTH ALABAMA BY NOONTIME. A COLD SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR WILL BEGIN TO INVADE THE DEEP SOUTH BY THIS EVENING. AS A RESULT TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEARLY STEADY THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND BEGIN FALLING THIS EVENING. IT LOOKS LIKE TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT...AND MOST AREAS WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY MAY STRUGGLE TO CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 20S FROM THE CITIES OF TUSCALOOSA...BIRMINGHAM...AND WEDOWEE NORTHWARD. EVEN AS FAR SOUTH AS TROY AND EUFAULA...THE MERCURY WILL LIKELY HAVE A TOUGH TIME CLIMBING ABOVE FREEZING THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WITH STEADY NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR...TEMPERATURES WILL FEEL MUCH COLDER. THE COLDEST MORNING WILL BE FRIDAY MORNING. LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS WILL LIKELY BE COMMON NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. TEMPERATURES NEAR TEN DEGREES CAN BE EXPECTED SOUTH OF THERE. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY MORNING WILL NOT BE AS COLD. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. MAKE FREQUENT CHECKS ON THE ELDERLY. MAKE SURE FURNACES ARE WORKING AND HEATING THE HOUSE PROPERLY. ENSURE THAT PORTABLE HEATERS ARE IN PROPER WORKING ORDER. PETS ARE ALSO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE EXTREME COLD. KEEP PETS INDOORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IF THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE...MAKE SURE OUTDOOR PETS HAVE WARM DRY SHELTER...AND PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FOOD AND FRESH UNFROZEN WATER.
ALZ038-045-047-048-221230- THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 535 AM CST WED JAN 22 2003 .A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR RUSSELL...MACON...LEE AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES UNTIL 630 AM CST... .WINDS 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING STORMS. AT 533 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 10 MILES WEST OF LAFAYETTE TO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF TUSKEGEE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR WAVERLY...TUSKEGEE... NOTASULGA...LOACHAPOKA...LAFAYETTE...OPELIKA...AUBURN AND CUSSETA THROUGH 630 AM CST. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS SMALL HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...MARBLE SIZED...IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down near Opelika and Auburn. A few automobiles were damaged by falling trees.
Dime size hail was observed along Interstate 85 near Auburn.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, January 2003
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: 5338204, 5338203.