1 flash flood, 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 May 18, 10:14 AM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 1115 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 WILL UPDATE ZONES TO REFLECT TORNADO WATCH 411 THROUGH 4PM. .BHM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY ALZ011>015-017>028-030>036-039>041 89 JBW
ALZ011>015-017>050-181445- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 720 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... THE UPPER LEVEL LOW TO OUR WEST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS OF THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT GRADUALLY SLIDES TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE...HEAT OF THE DAY...AND THE PROXIMITY OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSTATE 59 CORRIDOR. AS A RESULT...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A BROAD CORRIDOR OF COUNTIES EXTENDING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM THROUGHOUT THE DAY...AND MOVE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THIS CORRIDOR. SOME LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE LAST 24 HOURS...AND ADDITIONAL RAIN CAN QUICKLY CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS. OTHERWISE...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM THE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
901 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0835 AM FORESTDALE AL FLASH FLOOD
05/18/03 JEFFERSON ALONG FIVE MILE CREEK
NEAR US HIGHWAY 31.
REPORTED BY JEFFERSON
COUNTY EMA.ALZ036-037-181530- THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 936 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 .A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 1030 AM CDT... .WINDS 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM. AT 936 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROCKFORD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR ROCKFORD... KELLYTON...DADEVILLE...ALEXANDER CITY...JACKSONS GAP...GOODWATER... NEW SITE AND GOLDVILLE THROUGH 1030 AM CDT. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS STRONG WINDS. WINDS 35 TO 45 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. OUTDOOR OBJECTS SUCH AS LAWN FURNITURE...TRASH CANS....OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD ITEMS COULD BE BLOWN AROUND. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. LAT...LON 3280 8637 3277 8575 3312 8567 3308 8637
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:17 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water covered several roads across the county making the roads temporarily impassable. The most impacted area was around Anniston.
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, May 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: 5361193.