7 flash flood, 4 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 6, 10:40 AM CST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1040 AM CST MON DEC 6 2004 .DISCUSSION... BAND OF WARM ADVECTION PRECIP CONTINUES TO PUSH NORTHWARD ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL MAINLY AFFECTING COUNTIES IN THE NORTHWEST...WHERE A COUPLE OF FFWS HAVE ALREADY BEEN NEEDED. WARM FRONT CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTHWARD...AS DEWPOINTS HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE 60S AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS ACROSS THE AREA...INCLUDING 63 AT KMSL AND 61 AT KHSV. HAVE ALREADY UPDATED THIS MORNING TO EXPAND FLOOD WATCH TO BE IN EFFECT TODAY FOR ALL COUNTIES...AND RAISED POPS TO 100 FOR ALL AREAS. AFTER THIS INITIAL BAND MOVES THROUGH...THERE WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE RAIN IN MOST AREAS. ANOTHER BAND IS EVIDENT ON RADAR ACROSS CENTRAL MS...SO CURRENT THINKING IS TO LEAVE POPS AS IS FOR NOW. ANTICIPATE MAIN BREAK WILL BE LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AFTER WARM FRONT PUSHES FURTHER NORTHWARD INTO TENNESSEE. WITH RAIN CONTINUING OFF AND ON THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY...POTENTIAL FOR STRONGER STORMS DOESNT APPEAR TO BE AS MUCH OF A CONCERN FOR THIS AFTERNOON. WITH CURRENT TEMPS ALREADY IN THE LOW 60S IN MANY AREAS...CURRENT FORECAST HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S LOOKS REASONABLE FOR MOST AREAS AS WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH. MAY NEED TO LOWER HIGHS A BIT IN THE EAST...WHERE CURRENT TEMPS ARE MAINLY IN THE MID 50S...AND WARM FRONT WILL BE LATER MOVING THROUGH. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON TUE. TN...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON TUE. && 24
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 503 AM CST MON DEC 6 2004 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-061900- COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE- LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN- 503 AM CST MON DEC 6 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)... A WARM FRONT STRETCHES FROM NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI TO CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND WILL PUSH NORTHEASTWARD. THIS WILL HELP TO BRING CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...MAINLY WEST OF I65. AREAS FROM WATERLOO TO RED BAY WILL SEE THE MOST RAIN TODAY. THERE WILL BE SOME INSTABILITY ALONG WITH STRONG WIND PROFILES TO PRODUCE ISOLATED SUPERCELLS MONDAY EVENING. IT STILL APPEARS THAT INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED...WHICH SHOULD PRECLUDE A WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK. A MUCH MORE PRIME AREA FOR TORNADOES EXISTS OVER MISSISSIPPI...LOUISIANA AND WESTERN TENNESSEE. WE EXPECT A SQUALL LINE TO APPROACH THE SHOALS AREA AROUND 230 AM AND BRING A LINE OF 40 TO 70 MPH WINDS ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. BESIDES DAMAGING WINDS...THE MAIN HAZARD WILL BE WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...WHERE 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED THROUGH NOON ON TUESDAY. WITH THE GROUND NEARLY SATURATED FROM THE RAIN OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS...FLOODING IS LIKELY IN LOW LYING AREAS AND ALONG CREEKS... STREAMS AND SOME RIVERS. FLOOD WATCHES HAVE BEEN POSTED ACROSS THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)... A COLD FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING I65 BY MID MORNING...AND HELP PUSH A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE VALLEY DURING THE MORNING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE MORNING COMMUTE WILL BE WET...WITH ISOLATED RUNOFF AND FLOODING PROBLEMS. DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER ROUND OF RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE BY LATE IN THE WEEK AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS POSSIBLE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. JDG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 610 AM CST MON DEC 6 2004 ALZ001-002-061500- COLBERT-LAUDERDALE- 610 AM CST MON DEC 6 2004 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND MINOR STREET FLOODING... THIS ALERT AFFECTS THE COUNTIES OF LAUDERDALE AND COLBERT IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 9 AM. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT AS WELL...SO BE ALERT TO POSSIBLE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS. WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES SEVERAL CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY DOWNPOURS. ONE CLUSTER WILL MOVE ACROSS WESTERN COLBERT INTO WESTERN LAUDERDALE COUNTY THROUGH 6:30 AM. ANOTHER MORE SOLID BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST NORTHEAST INTO FAR NORTHWEST COLBERT AND LAUDERDALE COUNTIES BETWEEN 6:30 AM AND 7:30 AM. THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS COULD POSE A FLOOD THREAT LATER THIS MORNING IF IT PERSISTS... WITH RAINFALL OF ONE TO TWO INCHES THROUGH 9 AM. FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED IF SHOWERS AND STORMS REPEAT OVER THE SAME AREA THIS MORNING. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO SLOW DOWN AND USE EXTRA CAUTION DURING PERIODS OF POOR VISIBILITY IN DOWNPOURS AND BE ALERT TO RISING WATER ON ROADS. NEVER CROSS A WATER COVERED ROAD. KULA
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:00 UTC.
7 flash flood, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash flooding occurred and increased countywide from initially around Red Bay through the rest of the county. Rainfall amounts ranging from three to five inches across the county resulted in water covering several roads and an isolated mud slide along state road 247.
A flash flood event evolved from just a couple of roads in Tuscumbia with water over them to most of the county having flooding occurring by 1700 LST. Numerous roads had several inches of water over them by early evening.
Flash flooding initially occurred in Florence with highways 20 and 72/43 underpass being closed due to high water. Widspread flash flooding occurred by 1400 as several roads throughout the county had at least six to twelve inches of water over the road.
Flash flooding initially in Athens evolved into a more widespread flash flood event across the county by 1900. Several roads had six to twelve inches of water over them from Athens to Ardmore, with the flash flooding subsiding early in the morning on 7 December.
Flash flooding initially occurred in Moulton. Numerous roads became flooded by late afternoon (1700) , with several inches of water continuing to remain over most county roads through early on 7 December.
Flash flooding occurred countywide with numerous roads having several inches of water over them from Madison to Huntsville and across the rest of the county.
Flash flooding developed county-wide, resulting in numerous roads becoming flooded and under water.
A few trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A few trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A few power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A roof was blown off of a convenient store by thunderstorm winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, December 2004
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: 5431457, 5431458, 5431459, 5431460, 5432104, 5431461, 5432105, 5432198, 5432199, 5432200, 5432201.