1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 10, 2:38 AM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 338 AM CDT WED MAY 10 2006 .DISCUSSION... LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE MESOSCALE TODAY...ALL OF WHICH WILL DETERMINE HOW HIGH OF AN IMPACT DAY TODAY BECOMES. TWO THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES MOVING THROUGH NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING. THE FIRST...A SMALLISH BOWING LINE SEGMENT...DEVELOPED NEAR THE MS RIVER BEFORE MIDNIGHT...AND HAS BEEN PUSHING STEADILY EASTWARD. HOT ON ITS HEELS (AND CATCHING UP) IS A LARGER BOW- SHAPED LINE OF STORMS. BOTH AREAS OF STORMS APPEAR TO BE DESTINED FOR OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES (NORTH OF I-20 AND WEST OF I-65). SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CATCHES THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF OUR CWA. WOULD EXPECT THESE STORMS TO WEAKEN A BIT LATER ON THIS MORNING...AS WE APPROACH THE TIME OF DAY WHEN THAT WEAKENING TYPICALLY HAPPENS. HOWEVER...THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE STORMS COMPLETELY FIZZLE OUT OR AT LEAST PROVIDE A MESOSCALE SURFACE BOUNDARY FOR LATER TODAY IS ONE THAT WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY. THE SURFACE COLD FRONT IS STILL QUITE A WAYS BACK...AND THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROF WONT HAVE ITS BIGGEST IMPACT UNTIL MUCH LATER ON TODAY. SO...EVEN IF THESE STORMS SWEEP ON THROUGH (SEVERE OR NOT)...IF THEY DO SO QUICK ENOUGH IT WOULD STILL GIVE THE ATMOSPHERE AMPLE RECOVERY TIME BEFORE THE ADDED FRONTAL CONVERGENCE AND FRONTOLOGICAL FORCING ARRIVE TO DEVELOP ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION. NOT TO MENTION THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE BOUNDARIES TO ACT AS FOCUSING POINTS FOR INITIATION. ANYTHING THAT DEVELOPS LATER TODAY COULD QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY IF CONDITIONS ARE ABLE TO WARM UP AND DESTABILIZE THIS AFTERNOON. AT SPCS REQUEST...WE PLAN ON SENDING UP AN 1800 UTC SOUNDING THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORM THREAT SHOULD END LATE TONIGHT...AS THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE AREA. AND A MIGHTY STRONG COLD FRONT THIS IS. WILL NEED TO WATCH WINDS TOMORROW...AND MAY EVENTUALLY NEED SOME SORT OF WIND ADVISORY. BOTH ETA AND GFS INDICATE A SECONDARY TYPE OF FROTNAL PASSAGE ON SATURDAY...WITH THE GFS BEING A BIT FASTER THAN THE ETA. MODELS ALSO HINT THAT MOISTURE MAY BE HIGH ENOUGH WITH THIS NEXT FRONT THAT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IS WARRANTED. (61) WELL FOLKS...LOOKS LIKE BIG CHANGES ARE ON THE WAY FOR THE EXTENDED TIME FRAME FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA. BEING THAT ITS MY FIRST DAY BACK... I DO NOT NECESSARILY LIKE TO ALTER THE FORECAST IN THE EXTENDED TIME FRAME TOO MUCH MAINLY DUE TO MODEL FLIP FLOPS AND UNCERTAINTY...BUT SEVERAL FACTORS ARE TIPPING THE SCALE IN FAVOR OF A CHANGE. AFTER CHATTING WITH MY FELLOW COMRADE IN THE CENTRAL ALABAMA FORECAST CENTER...THE MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT RUN TO RUN...WITH MOS VALUES EVENTUALLY CATCHING UP TO THE SENSIBLE WEATHER SCENARIO. GFS/ECMWF/NOGAPS/GEM ALL HAVE A LARGE UPPER LOW PARKING OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND AFFECTING CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH THE ENTIRE EXTENDED TIME FRAME. 1000-850MB THICKNESSES AND 850 TEMPERATURES GO WAY DOWN AND CLOUD COVER WILL BE THICK AT TIMES. THE BIG CHANGE WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LOWERING TEMPERATURES...BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS. PREVIOUS ENSEMBLE MEANS HAD A VERY LOW SPREAD BETWEEN GFS OPERATIONAL AND ENSEMBLE AVERAGES FOR BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS. THIS RUN HAS TAKEN A STEP FURTHER TO THE SOUTH (LOWER) FOR BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS. 1000-850MB THICKNESSES AND 850MB TEMPERATURES ALSO SHOW THIS TREND VERY WELL...AND SOMETIMES THESE DO NOT MATCH MOS GUIDANCE IN THE EXTENDED. THEREFORE...GENERALLY ACCEPTED THE MOS GUIDANCE AREAWIDE FOR TEMPERATURES. HIGHS AND LOWS HAVE BEEN REDUCED A FEW CATEGORIES. EXPECT LOWS IN THE 40S AND 50S/HIGHS IN THE 60S/70S SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE NOTED INTO TUESDAY. THESE NUMBERS ARE SOME 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE MAIN COLD FRONT WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON SUNDAY MORNING...WITH A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND A NORTH TO WEST COMPONENT OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS. SEVERAL SPOKES ROTATE AROUND THE UPPER LOW...PRODUCING SURFACE TROUGHS AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AS THEY MOVE THROUGH. WILL MENTION RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...GENERALLY AFFECTING NORTHERN AND EASTERN LOCATIONS. EVEN WITH THESE CHANGES THIS RUN...FUTURE ADJUSTMENTS ARE LIKELY IN THIS TIME FRAME. (75/LINHARES) && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 78 57 72 44 / 90 90 10 10 ANNISTON 78 58 73 45 / 90 90 10 10 BIRMINGHAM 79 55 73 46 / 90 90 10 10 TUSCALOOSA 80 55 74 46 / 80 80 10 0 CALERA 77 59 73 47 / 80 90 10 0 AUBURN 79 61 72 49 / 60 80 10 10 MONTGOMERY 81 60 74 50 / 60 90 0 10 TROY 81 65 75 48 / 50 80 10 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 638 AM CDT WED MAY 10 2006 ALZ011>015-017>050-111130- 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- 638 AM CDT WED MAY 10 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. ONE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING A RISK OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL TO THE AREA FROM TUSCALOOSA AND DEMOPOLIS...EASTWARD TO SELMA...CLANTON...MONTGOMERY...AND PERHAPS AS FAR EAST AS ALEX CITY...AUBURN...AND EUFAULA. THIS THREAT WILL LAST UNTIL AROUND NOON. ADDITIONAL WAVES OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA LATER TODAY...ESPECIALLY AFTER 3 PM. HOWEVER...A LOT DEPENDS ON WHETHER THE ATMOSPHERE CAN RECOVER AFTER THE INITIAL AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVES THROUGH. IF CONDITIONS CAN BECOME UNSTABLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL ULTIMATELY END AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...AFTER A COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH THE STATE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. WINDS WILL BECOME GUSTY ON THURSDAY...IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. GUSTS AS HIGH AS 30 TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED...AND A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. 61
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 402 AM CDT WED MAY 10 2006 ALZ011-012-101000- LAMAR-MARION- 402 AM CDT WED MAY 10 2006 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IN EFFECT FOR LAMAR AND MARION COUNTIES UNTIL 500 AM CDT... ...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING THUNDERSTORMS... AT 402 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF BEXAR TO 30 MILES WEST OF SULLIGENT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR BEXAR...DETROIT...WESTON...SULLIGENT...HAMILTON...BEAVERTON... HACKLEBURG AND GUIN THROUGH 500 AM CDT. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH...WHICH MAY KNOCK LAWN FURNITURE AROUND AND BRANCH BRANCHES OFF TREES. ADDITIONALLY... FREQUENT DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS. 75
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:44 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike knocked out the Tuscaloosa Police Department's 911 communications tower.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2006
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: 5512189.