Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 7, 2004

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 7, 2004
Start: 2004-04-07T18:24
End: 2004-04-07T20:09
Location: Alabama

April 7, 2004 · NWS BMX · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

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: $35,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 happened

The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.

A left moving supercell crossed Dallas, Autauga, and Chilton counties moving northeast, while other storms were moving east southeast. The storm produced hail up to golf ball size along most of its path. In Dallas and Autauga Counties, several trees were also blown down during the storm and one shed had its roof torn off. Hail and or wind were reported at Dannelly Reservoir, Safford, Orrville, eastern Selma, Jones, and around Billingsley. The storm significantly weakened as it entered southern Chilton County, but still produced dime to penny size hail until it dissipated in eastern Chilton County.

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 Apr 7, 4:53 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 4:53 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
553 PM CDT WED APR 7 2004

.SHORT TERM...WE ARE KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON A CLUSTER OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO PICKENS COUNTY AND FAR WEST
CENTRAL ALABAMA.

AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS FAR EASTERN
MISSISSIPPI LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS...ALONG A
STRONG DEWPOINT BOUNDARY...AND AN AREA OF GOOD LIFT PROVIDED FROM MID
AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AROUND A UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE
ARKLATEX REGION.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST...BUT THEY WERE
HAVING A HARD TIME MAINTAINING THEIR STRENGTH AS THEY MOVE INTO A
DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS IN WESTERN ALABAMA.

EXPECT A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL IN
PICKENS...NORTHERN SUMTER...AND GREENE COUNTY THROUGH 8 PM.
AS THESE STORMS SLOWLY MOVE EAST INTO THE TUSCALOOSA AREA AND
POINTS EAST...THEY WILL WEAKEN...ESPECIALLY WITH THE LOSS OF
DAYTIME HEATING.

WEAKER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS
MOISTURE INCREASES.  HOWEVER...NO ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED AS WEAK INSTABILITY AND WINDS ARE EXPECTED.
&&

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...

BIRMINGHAM 58 77 52 79 54 / 50 30 00 00
MONTGOMERY 58 78 53 80 55 / 50 30 00 00
&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&

MBS/91

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 7, 12:20 PM CST, 6 hours 4 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
120 PM CDT WED APR 07 2004

ALZ011>015-017>050-072015-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
120 PM CDT WED APR 07 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)...

SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG WITH SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND
ESPECIALLY TONIGHT.  THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL
HAIL.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT
ANTICIPATED.

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dallas

When: April 7, 6:24 PM CST to 7:14 PM CST
Where: Dallas County, 11 mi S of Orrville
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $16,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.133, -87.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: April 7, 6:24 PM CST to 7:14 PM CST
Where: Dallas County, 11 mi S of Orrville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.133, -87.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Autauga

When: April 7, 7:14 PM CST to 7:42 PM CST
Where: Autauga County, Jones
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.583, -86.917

Hail, Autauga

When: April 7, 7:14 PM CST to 7:42 PM CST
Where: Autauga County, Jones
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.583, -86.917

Hail, Chilton

When: April 7, 7:42 PM CST to 8:09 PM CST
Where: Chilton County, 10 mi SW of Clanton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.733, -86.767

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, April 2004

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: 5390632, 5390633, 5390634, 5390635, 5390636.