6 flood, 3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 Feb 5, 10:15 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1015 AM CST THU FEB 5 2004 .DISCUSSION... LOTS OF THINGS GOING ON SYNOPTIC AND MESOSCALE-WISE. LATEST SFC ANALYSIS STILL SHOWS A LOW CENTER OVER SRN MS...BUT LARGE 3-HR PRES FALLS HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT OVER TN...WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE LOW WILL START SCOOTING NWD DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. VERY PRONOUNCED LOW-LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE OVER ECNTL MS/WCNTL/CNTL AL AT THE MOMENT...AND THE QUESTION IS HOW FAR NORTH THIS MAY MOVE WITH THE LOW TODAY. THE WEDGY SFC RIDGE OVER THE CAROLINAS/NRN GA MAY HELP RETARD THE NWD MOVEMENT TO SOME EXTENT...WHICH MEANS OUR FA MAY STAY UNDER THE ELY FLOW REGIME N OF THE WARM FRONT. UPSHOT OF THIS IS THAT TEMPS MAY STRUGGLE TO GET MUCH OUT OF THE 40S...ESP IN THE ERN/NERN COUNTIES...WHICH MEANS WELL HAVE TO TWEAK FIRST PD MAXES DOWN A BIT. REGARDING PRECIP...EXPECT A RELATIVE LULL FOR THE CNTL/ERN ZONES UNTIL EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT MDT PCPN SHOULD CONTINUE UNABATED IN THE W. THINK AS THE WARM FRONT NUDGES NWD LATER TODAY THAT PCPN WILL RETURN IN EARNEST TO THE ENTIRE CWA...AND CONTINUE THRU TONIGHTA AS COLD FRONT NR THE MS RIVER SLIDES EWD. BEEN MONITORING MULTI-SENSOR PRECIP ESTIMATES PRETTY CLOSELY...AND ONLY CONCERN AT THIS POINT MAY BE IN THE FAR NW CORNER OF THE FA...WHERE MODERATE RAINFALL IS ONGOING. AS FRONT APPROACHES TONIGHT...STILL THINK POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT...WHICH COULD LEAD TO BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY/EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. FLOOD WATCH STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR ALL AREAS TONIGHT. GRADIENT WINDS SHOULD STAY ON THE STRONG SIDE DUE TO PROXIMITY OF SFC LOW TO WEST AND WEDGE TO THE E. SAW A FEW SPIKES IN THE WINDSPEED EARLIER THIS MORNING...LIKELY THE RESULT OF GRAVITY WAVE ACTION. LARGE SCALE PATTERN AND LOW LEVEL DUCT FUNCTION FIELD FROM THE MESO ETA SHOWED GOOD FAVORABILITY FOR WAVE ACTIVITY THRU EARLY AFTERNOON TODAY. WIND ADVISORY STILL LOOKS GOOD ALL AREAS THRU AT LEAST EARLY EVE. MAIN CHANGES TO NEAR-TERM GRIDS/ZFP WILL BE TO NUDGE FIRST PD TEMPS DOWN A BIT. REST OF FORECAST LOOKS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. UPDATES OUT SHORTLY. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...WIND ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. FLOOD WATCH LAUDERDALE...COLBERT AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...REST OF CWA FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT. TN...WIND ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT. && JTB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 115 PM CST THU FEB 5 2004 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-060330- COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE- LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN- 115 PM CST THU FEB 5 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...(THROUGH TONIGHT)... A STRENGTHENING STORM SYSTEM OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO TRIGGER A BAND OF MODERATE...TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD AND AFFECT THE REMAINDER OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THROUGH DAYBREAK FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS...ADDING TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FLASH FLOODING...PRIMARILY IN AREAS WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 THIS AFTERNOON...AND AFFECTING THE WHOLE AREA TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND TWO INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN MOST AREAS...WITH ISOLATED THREE INCH TOTALS POSSIBLE. PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA...MAINLY WEST OF A ROGERSVILLE TO PHIL CAMPBELL LINE...HAVE RECEIVED THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL SO FAR...AND THESE LOCATIONS WILL HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING THROUGH 6 PM. THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD EASTWARD...AFFECTING AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. STRONG...GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL ALSO PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. WIND SPEEDS MAY REACH 30 MPH AT TIMES...WHICH MAY COMBINE WITH THE WET SOIL TO TOPPLE A FEW ADDITIONAL TREES ACROSS THE AREAS. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... MOST OF THE WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL DEPART THE AREA EARLY FRIDAY...BUT SOME RESIDUAL FLOODING PROBLEMS MAY BE POSSIBLE EARLY IN THE DAY. COLD AIR BEHIND THE STORM...COUPLED WITH LEFT OVER MOISTURE... WILL BRING THE POSSIBILITY FOR FLURRIES FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT TO DEAL WITH THE POTENTIAL FLOODING AND ISOLATED DOWNED TREES. JTB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 850 AM CST THU FEB 5 2004 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-051630- COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE- LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN- 850 AM CST THU FEB 5 2004 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE... A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI IS CREATING GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING AT TIMES TO 35 MPH...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF EXTREME NORTHERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE THROUGH NOON. THESE WINDS...COMBINED WITH THE WET SOIL...WILL LIKELY PUSH OVER SOME SMALL TREES. SOME POWERLINES MAY ALSO BE KNOCKED DOWN DUE TO THE WINDY CONDITIONS AND THE OVERTURNED TREES. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SUDDEN GUSTS OF WIND...ESPECIALLY ON NORTH TO SOUTH HIGHWAYS AND ON BRIDGES IN THE AREA. JTB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED HEADLINE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 850 AM CST THU FEB 5 2004 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-051630- COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE- LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN- 850 AM CST THU FEB 5 2004 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS IN NORTHERN ALABAMA AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE... A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI IS CREATING GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING AT TIMES TO 35 MPH...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF EXTREME NORTHERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE THROUGH NOON. THESE WINDS...COMBINED WITH THE WET SOIL...WILL LIKELY PUSH OVER SOME SMALL TREES. SOME POWERLINES MAY ALSO BE KNOCKED DOWN DUE TO THE WINDY CONDITIONS AND THE OVERTURNED TREES. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SUDDEN GUSTS OF WIND...ESPECIALLY ON NORTH TO SOUTH HIGHWAYS AND ON BRIDGES IN THE AREA. JTB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 flood, 3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread flash flooding occurred with water covering several roads across the county.
Widespread flash flooding occurred with several roads with several inches of water covering them countywide.
Widespread flash flooding occurring with several roads with several inches of water over them across the county.
Flooding occurred in Obrians restaurant in Ford City.
Non-thunderstorm high winds blew over a 25 foot tree onto a motor home near Muscle Shoals.
One to two feet of water covered area roads in the Mount Hope area.
Flooding was occurring in the Harvest area with several inches of water covering Ford Chapel road.
Several trees and power lines were blown down due to thunderstorm winds.
Many roads in the Athens area had water several inches over roads.
Many roads near browns ferry nuclear plant were covered with several inches of water over the roads.
Several inches of water was over highways 91 between Colony and Hanceville.
A few trees were blown down 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, February 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: 5382867, 5382868, 5382869, 5382870, 5382871, 5382877, 5382876, 5382872, 5382874, 5382875, 5382873, 5382878.