Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 4, 2005

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 4, 2005
Start: 2005-12-04T00:30
End: 2005-12-04T02:25
Location: Alabama

December 4, 2005 · NWS HUN · 14 events in 8 counties and zones

9 thunderstorm wind, 5 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: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 3, 9:14 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 9:14 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
914 PM CST SAT DEC 3 2005

.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
CONVECTION IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ALONG THE MS RIVER SW OF
MEMPHIS.  IR IMAGERY IS DEPICTING THIS DEVELOPMENT...WITH MORE
ACCAS/TCU BACK INTO EASTERN AR.  ANOTHER DEVELOPING BAND OF AC/ACCAS
WAS SITUATED FROM FAR NE MS TO N OF KGLH/KGWO.  I EXPECT THIS TO
DEVELOP RAPIDLY AS AN OMINOUS 500 MB JET OF 80KT IN OK/TX STREAMS
EAST INTO THE REGION.  NO WORD JUST YET FROM SPC...BUT I SUSPECT
THEY ARE MONITORING FOR ANOTHER SVR BOX SOUTH OF WW888.  THE
DAMAGING WIND THREAT SHOULD INCREASE LATER OVERNIGHT AS 850-500 MB
BECOME MORE ALIGNED WITH SPEEDS OF 50-80KT THROUGH THAT DEPTH.  THE
WARM SECTOR AS OF 03Z HAS SPREAD FURTHER N...NOT QUITE TO HSV WITH
STILL SOME WEDGING NOTED.  HOWEVER...KMSL IS UP TO 63/56 AND
CLIMBING.  UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S IN MS AND WESTERN AL ARE HEADING
THIS WAY.  MAY HAVE TO TWEAK TEMPS AGAIN.

UPDATED HWO OUT SHORTLY.  IF STORMS DO DEVELOP IN NE MS SOON...THEY
SHOULD AFFECT THE SHOALS REGION FROM 04-06Z...WITH AREAS FURTHER E
FROM 06-10Z.
&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

KULA

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 3, 9:30 PM CST, 3 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
930 PM CST SAT DEC 3 2005

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-041100-
COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE-
LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN-
930 PM CST SAT DEC 3 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PARTS OF
SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...(OVERNIGHT)...

...RISK OF ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS FROM 10 PM TO 4 AM...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI...AND WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA BETWEEN 10 PM AND
MIDNIGHT. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO EVOLVE ALONG AN
APPROACHING COLD FRONT...MOVING THROUGH FROM MIDNIGHT TO 4 AM.

THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL UP TO QUARTER
SIZED...AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH. AN ISOLATED BRIEF TORNADO IS
POSSIBLE IN EXTREME NORTHWEST ALABAMA...BUT THIS IS A LOW RISK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)...

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON SUNDAY. ANOTHER LOW
PRESSURE CENTER WILL MOVE ACROSS ALABAMA ON SUNDAY NIGHT...KEEPING
RAIN CHANCES IN THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND.

THE COVERAGE OF RAIN WILL DIMINISH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND END AS
SHOWERS ON MONDAY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY
BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT.

24/KULA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 3, 11:58 PM CST, 32 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1158 PM CST SAT DEC 3 2005

ALZ002-003-040645-
COLBERT-FRANKLIN-
1158 PM CST SAT DEC 3 2005

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR SOUTHERN COLBERT AND NORTHERN
FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 AM CST...

AT 1158 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TISHOMINGO...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF RED
BAY...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  MYNOT.
  ROCK CREEK.
  RED ROCK.
  LITTLEVILLE.
  WHITEOAK.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA UNTIL 5 AM CST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

CBD

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Franklin

When: December 4, 12:30 AM CST to 12:31 AM CST
Where: Franklin County, Red Bay
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.433, -88.133

Hail, Lawrence

When: December 4, 12:59 AM CST to 1:00 AM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Courtland
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.667, -87.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone

When: December 4, 1:07 AM CST to 1:08 AM CST
Where: Limestone County, 3 mi W of Belle Mina
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.650, -86.933

RECORDED AT KDCU (PRYOR FIELD) ASOS

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: December 4, 1:12 AM CST to 1:14 AM CST
Where: Morgan County, Trinity
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 34.617, -87.083

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN A 4 TO 5 BLOCK AREA. A ROOF WAS TAKEN OFF OF A HOUSE, OUTBUILDINGS WERE BLOWN DOWN, AND POWER LINES WERE TAKEN DOWN. WINDOWS WERE DISLODGED AND DOORS WERE PULLED FROM FRAMES AT A RESIDENCE.

Hail, Madison

When: December 4, 1:13 AM CST to 1:14 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 3 mi N of Huntsville Jones Arp
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 34.683, -86.767

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: December 4, 1:15 AM CST to 1:16 AM CST
Where: Morgan County, 4 mi SW of Decatur
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 34.583, -87.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: December 4, 1:19 AM CST to 1:20 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 2 mi W of Huntsville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.733, -86.650

GUST MEASURED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT HUNTSVILLE WEATHER STATION CO-LOCATED AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: December 4, 1:35 AM CST to 1:36 AM CST
Where: Morgan County, Laceys Spg
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 34.533, -86.600

TREES DOWN.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: December 4, 1:35 AM CST to 1:36 AM CST
Where: Morgan County, Falkville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.367, -86.900

TREES DOWN.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: December 4, 1:40 AM CST to 1:42 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, 2 mi S of Hytop
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.883, -86.083

POWER OUTAGES OCCURRED DUE TO TREES BLOWN ONTO POWER LINES.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: December 4, 1:50 AM CST to 1:51 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, Woodville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.633, -86.283

POWER LINES DOWN DUE TO TREES BEING BLOWN OVER.

Hail, Marshall

When: December 4, 2:00 AM CST to 2:01 AM CST
Where: Marshall County, Union Grove
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.400, -86.450

BRIEF WIND GUSTS WERE ESTIMATED AT 50 MPH.

Hail, Jackson

When: December 4, 2:05 AM CST to 2:06 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, 1 mi S of Scottsboro
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 34.650, -86.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Dekalb

When: December 4, 2:20 AM CST to 2:25 AM CST
Where: Dekalb County, Ider
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.717, -85.683

BUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED ALONG HIGHWAYS 75 AND 117.

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, December 2005

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: 5489202, 5489203, 5489204, 5489262, 5489263, 5489264, 5489265, 5489266, 5489267, 5489268, 5489269, 5489270, 5489271, 5489272.