Hail in Alabama, May 18, 2003

Name: Hail in Alabama, May 18, 2003
Start: 2003-05-18T11:28
End: 2003-05-18T11:28
Location: Alabama

May 18, 2003 · NWS BMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 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 18, 10:14 AM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 10:14 AM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes before

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

Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 6:20 AM CST, 5 hours 8 minutes before

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 18, 8:01 AM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes before

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.

Special weather statement, May 18, 8:36 AM CST, 2 hours 52 minutes before

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

Special weather statement, May 18, 11:28 AM CST, 0 minutes before

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 8572

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Barbour

When: May 18, 11:28 AM CST
Where: Barbour County, Clayton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 31.883, -85.450

Nickel size hail was reported in Clayton.

What these are

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

Every storm in Alabama in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, May 2003

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: 5361195.