1 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, 1:00 PM CST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 200 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 FORECAST QUANDARIES...WHEN WILL ACTIVE WX PATTERN END? OK...WIDE SWATH OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EWD... WITH STRONGEST ACTIVITY MOVING E OF CWA. W PART OF CWA MORE STABLE. UPPER LEVEL LOW POSITIONED ACROSS CNTRL MS...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG UPPER LOW. SFC FRONTAL COMPLEX PUSHING INTO SE ZONES. 12Z SUN REGIONAL MODEL EVOLUTIONS THRU 12Z WED IN GOOD GENERAL AGREEMENT ...ESPECIALLY ALOFT. LATEST MODEL DIAGNOSITIC DISCUSSION AGAIN POINTING TOWARD A COMPROMISE SOLUTION. IN AGREEMENT...AND THUS WILL GO WITH A COMPROMISE SOLUTION. WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN UPPER LOW VICINITY... AND WITH UPPER LEVEL LOW EXPECTED TO DRIFT BASICALLY SEWD BEFORE WASHING OUT BY MON EVENING...WILL CONTINUE WITH SCT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM WORDING IN ZONES. DAY TWO AND THREE CONVECTIVE OUTLOOKS JUST PLACING REGION IN GENERAL TSTMS CRITERIA THRU TUE. WILL BREAK OUT LIKELY WORDING E ZONES THIS EVENING. DESPITE DECREASED POSSIBILITY OF AREAL RAIN COVERAGE AND ASSOCIATED BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...BELIEVE THAT RAIN THAT DOES FALL WILL BE MORE STEADY IN NATURE...AND FLOODING WILL BE MORE GRADUAL. THUS...WILL ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL AREAS PREVIOUSLY COVERED BY A FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON FOR TONIGHT...AND EXTEND E INTO E ZONES...BUT WILL KEEP SE ZONES OUT FOR NOW. WILL NEED TO MONITOR SITUATION FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION LATER. SFC FRONT SHOULD PUSH E AND WASH OUT ACROSS S GA BY MON EVENING...BUT BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING WILL GIVE WAY TO SLIGHTLY NWLY FLOW...WITH A SFC FRONTAL PASSAGE THRU THE AREA ON THU. MAIN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSAGE EXPECTED BY EARLY FRI...AND THIS WILL LEAD TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. TEMPS...WILL GO WITH COMPROMISE SOLUTION THANKS FOR COORDINATION HUN. PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY... BHM EB 066/082/067/080/062 45253 MGM EB 068/084/068/083/064 55333 .BHM...FLOOD WATCH ALZ011>015-017>045-47 THRU 5/19 0930Z. 89 JBW
ALZ011>015-017>050-182000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 125 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. WITH WARM MOIST UNSTABLE AIR IN PLACE OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND SUFFICIENT DYNAMICS ALOFT FROM A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND UNSTABLE AIR IN PLACE. FLOODING IS LIKELY AS WELL FROM THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND SATURATED GROUND CONDITIONS IN PLACE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL ONLY AGGRAVATE FLOODING PROBLEMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)... RIVER FLOODING WILL OCCUR ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH MIDWEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
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
ALZ046-048-049-181815-
THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1228 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003
.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR PIKE...BULLOCK AND RUSSELL
COUNTIES UNTIL 115 PM CDT...
.FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL LIKELY WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
AT 1218 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM BRUNDIDGE...TO UNION SPRINGS TO
LADONIA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH...AND WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE CITIES OF CLIO...LAYTON...HURTSBORO. THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE
AT ANY TIME...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING MAY BE NEEDED IF THE STORMS
INTENSIFY.
THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS MINOR FLOODING. VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...PRODUCING
LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND DRAINAGE AREAS.
LAT...LON 3165 8580 3177 8593 3236 8535 3218 8514
3211 8522 3216 8527 3214 8543 3203 8544
3201 8558 3188 8567 3178 8567 3170 8572PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
103 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1223 PM BEAUREGARD AL WIND DAMAGE
05/18/03 LEE TREES DOWN OFF OF HWY
112. REPORTED BY LEE
SHERIFFS OFFICE.
1228 PM CLAYTON AL 0.88 IN HAIL
05/18/03 BARBOUR REPORTED BY THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
1237 PM VALLEY AL WIND DAMAGE
05/18/03 LEE A FEW TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY LEE SHERIFFS
OFFICE.ALZ021-028>029-036>038-042>050-182100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA 106 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 411... CLAY...CLEBURNE...COOSA...ELMORE...LOWNDES... MONTGOMERY...TALLAPOOSA... THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES REMAIN IN TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 411 WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM... BARBOUR...BULLOCK...CHAMBERS...LEE...MACON... PIKE...RANDOLPH...RUSSELL...
ALZ029-038-045>050-182000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA 223 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 411... BARBOUR...BULLOCK...CHAMBERS...LEE...MACON... PIKE...RANDOLPH...RUSSELL...
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Tallapoosa River at Wadley was above the flood stage of 13 feet during this period. A crest of 18.78 feet occurred on May 18 at 9 pm CDT.
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: 5360844.