14 thunderstorm wind, 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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 18, 11:58 AM CST, 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1158 AM CST TUE NOV 18 2003 .UPDATE... QUICK UPDATE HERE TO REMOVE MENTION OF TORNADO WATCH THAT WILL BE EXPIRING AT NOON. LARGE AREA OF MDT/HVY PCPN TO SLOWLY PUSH WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. MAIN SEVERE THREAT HOLDING JUST TO OUR SOUTH THUS FAR...WITH THE BIGGEST CONCERN ACROSS OUR AREA BEING LOCALIZED FLOODING AND SOME GUSTY WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE MORE INTENSE PCPN. EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO HOLD STEADY IN THE MID/UPPER 60S FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTN...AND WILL ADJUST DOWNWARD ACCORDINGLY. UPDATE OUT SHORTLY... && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...FLOOD WATCH FOR N AL THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. TN...FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHERN MID TN THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. && MR
ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-181900- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 500 AM CST TUE NOV 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)... A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT DURING THE DAY. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60 MPH AS THE SQUALL LINE PASSES THROUGH. ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY BE POSSIBLE IN ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A THREAT THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE COMMON...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE MAY ENHANCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS...AND RESULT IN RAPID RUNOFF INTO AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON FOR NORTHWEST ALABAMA...MOVING INTO THE I-65 CORRIDOR DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL PUSH INTO NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE THIS EVENING AND EXIT THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH BY WEDNESDAY MORNING...BRINGING COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. PB
ALZ001>003-181900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1158 AM CST TUE NOV 18 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR HEAVY RAIN AND WIND ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA... AT NOON...AN AREA OF RAIN...WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS...WAS MOVING ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA. MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED THROUGH 1 PM INCLUDE RUSSELLVILLE...AND THE FLORENCE AND MUSCLE SHOALS AREAS. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 3/4 OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME LOCATIONS. WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR A FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET...FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS...WATCHES...OR WARNINGS. 24
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:01 UTC.
14 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Franklin county emergency management reported that a few trees were blown down due to thunderstorm winds.
Emergency management reported a few trees down due to thunderstorm winds.
Thunderstorm winds produced a wind damage path of 30 yards in width and a half a mile wide in length. Seven homes had portions of their roofs blown off with one roof completely blown off. Several outdoor sheds were destroyed and at least thirty trees were blown down by the thunderstorm winds.
Several trees were blown down due to thunderstorm winds. At least two trees were blown onto homes resulting in roof damage.
A few trees were blown down and a home and barn were slightly damaged due to the thunderstorm wnids.
Thunderstorm winds completed minor damage to a chicken house.
A few trees were blown down and two homes suffered minor roof damage by thunderstorm winds.
A few trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
Thunderstorm winds damaged two large buildings on the south end of Redstone Arsenal. Several trees were also blown down and three homes suffered minor roof damage due to the thunderstorm winds.
A mobile home suffered major damage due to thunderstorm winds.
A mobile home was damaged due to high winds. A few trees were also blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A few trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A power pole was blown down onto a car and a few trees were blown down due to thunderstorm winds.
Three small buildings suffered minor damage and two homes had shingle damage due to thunderstorm winds.
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, November 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: 5336406, 5336407, 5336408, 5336474, 5336475, 5336476, 5336477, 5336479, 5336478, 5336481, 5335044, 5336480, 5336482, 5335043.