An advancing cold front caused numerous severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes across Central Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.
An advancing cold front caused numerous severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes across Central Alabama.
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 11, 5:44 AM CST, 6 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 644 AM CDT FRI APR 11 2008 .UPDATE...FOR 12Z AVIATION. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY. EARLY MORNING TEMPERATURES ARE RANGING FROM THE MID 60S TO LOWER 70S ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. WINDS CONTINUE TO BE SOUTHERLY WITH THE OCCASIONAL GUST TO 20 MPH ACROSS THE NORTH. DEWPOINTS RANGE FROM THE MID AND UPPER 60S ACROSS THE WEST TO THE MID AND UPPER 50S ELSEWHERE. A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM MISSOURI THROUGH ARKANSAS AND INTO TEXAS. WELL ADVERTISED LINE OF CONVECTION OVER CENTRAL TENNESSEE AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI CONTINUES TO CREEP CLOSER TO NORTHWEST ALABAMA THIS MORNING. AS EXPECTED...IT HAS WEAKENED QUITE A BIT OVERNIGHT. THE PRE-FRONTAL LINE WILL BE SLOW TO PUSH INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING AND SHOULD HANG UP OVER THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES UNTIL THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES WEST ALABAMA SOMETIME AFTER MIDDAY. BY THAT TIME...THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO DESTABILIZE AND NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEAR THE I-59 CORRIDOR EARLY AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL THE PRIMARY THREATS. AS FOR TORNADOES...FORECAST SOUNDING PROFILES CONTINUE TO SHOW BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS BECOMING SOUTHWESTERLY AND MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES. BY THE TIME THE GREATEST INSTABILITY IS REALIZED...THE TORNADIC THREAT SHOULD BE MINIMAL. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AS WE LOSE THE DAYTIME INSTABILITY. HOWEVER...ONGOING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE WELL INTO THE EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT SLOWLY PASSES THROUGH THE STATE. SATURDAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH OUT OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA BY MID MORNING. THE INITIAL WAVE OF COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE NOTICEABLE SATURDAY AS HIGHS RANGE FROM THE LOWER 60S TO LOWER 70S. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY OUT OF THE WEST NORTHWEST. 88 .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHLY AMPLIFIED UPPER PATTERN STARTS THE WEEK...WITH TROUGH AXIS JUST TO THE WEST OF CENTRAL ALABAMA AT THE START OF THE PERIOD. THE TROUGH AXIS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY PROVIDING DEEP NORTHERLY FLOW THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. UPPER FLOW THEN TRANSITIONS TO SOUTHWEST INTO FRIDAY AS RIDGE SLOWLY TRAVERSES THE AREA. 500MB HEIGHTS DROP INTO THE 540S MONDAY AND REBOUND INTO THE 580 RANGE BY THURSDAY. THE LATEST RUNS OF THE GFS AND ECMWF APPEAR TO HAVE GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THIS EVOLUTION...WHICH WILL BE MUCH LESS ACTIVE THAN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE LAST FEW WEEKS....ALTHOUGH QUITE A TEMPERATURE RIDE THIS WEEK. COLD CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SLOWLY FILTERS INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA AND REMAINS THE DOMINANT FEATURE THE ENTIRE PERIOD...ALTHOUGH QUITE MODIFIED BY PERIODS END. GFS ENSEMBLE/GFS/NAM/ECMWF/SREF HAVE SOME SPREAD ON THE MAGNITUDE OF THE COLD SNAP. AT THIS TIME...WILL TAKE A MIXED APPROACH TO THE LOWS. WILL DROP READINGS INTO THE 30S SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. WIND AND CLOUD COVER WILL SOMEWHAT LIMIT OVERALL COOLING. WILL KEEP THE TREND OF THE COLDEST MORNING FOR TUESDAY..WITH A FEW READINGS JUST BELOW FREEZING IN THE NORMALLY COOLER SPOTS NORTHWEST AND EAST CENTRAL. ONCE AGAIN DUE TO CLOUDS...HIGHS DO NOT INCH OUT OF THE 50S UNTIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES BACK TO NORMAL BY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. GFS HAS SHIFTED TOWARD THE OLDER RUNS OF THE ECMWF KEEPING JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE AND LIFT AROUND FOR A FEW SHOWERS SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY. RE-INTRODUCED THE 20 POPS EACH PERIOD WITH VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MEASURING. TO KEEP CONSISTENCY WITH COLDER TEMPS SURFACE AND ALOFT...MENTIONED SNOW SHOWERS NORTH AND EAST. A FEW FLAKES MAY BE MIXED IN AT TIMES...BUT OVERALL NO PROBLEMS. THIS IS NOT FAVORED DUE TO CLIMATOLOGY...BUT MODELS HAVE BEEN CONVERGING TOWARD THIS COLD SOLUTION. 75/LINHARES && .AVIATION...12Z TAF DISCUSSION. SCT TO BKN CLOUDS STREAMING NORTHWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS MORNING. CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO VARY BETWEEN 1500 AND 5000 FT. SOUTH WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST AND GUSTY TO 20 AND 25 KTS LATER IN THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP BETWEEN 19Z AND 00Z WITH PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING. && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. && 88/75/88
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 110 PM CDT THU APR 10 2008 ALZ011>015-017>050-111805- 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- 110 PM CDT THU APR 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE BREEZY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS IN RESPONSE TO AN APPROACHING STRONG STORM SYSTEM. THROUGH MIDNIGHT...AREAS NEAR AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 WILL EXPERIENCE WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH. ELSEWHERE...OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ON FRIDAY...STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. A WEAKENING PRE-FRONTAL SQUALL LINE WILL APPROACH NORTHWEST ALABAMA NEAR SUNRISE FRIDAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS. AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...THE LINE IS EXPECTED TO REFORM AND STRENGTHEN AS THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE STATE. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE STATE FROM WEST TO EAST...THE POSSIBILITY FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BEGIN BY NOON IN THE WEST AND CONTINUE THROUGH 10 PM IN THE EAST. THESE STORMS COULD CARRY WITH THEM THE POTENTIAL FOR HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. AFTER THIS STORM SYSTEM PASSES LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED. WINDS WILL LIKELY BE SUSTAINED BETWEEN 12 AND 18 MPH ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 25 MPH. MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNINGS...COLD TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. SOME LOCATIONS MAY SEE TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO FREEZING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NECESSARY ON FRIDAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1255 PM CDT FRI APR 11 2008 ALZ011-111830- MARION- 1255 PM CDT FRI APR 11 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR MARION COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM CDT... AT 1255 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TREMONT...OR 12 MILES EAST OF FULTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 30 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... SHOTSVILLE. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. JONES/90
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:57 UTC.
14 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Thirty to forty pine trees were uprooted and fell onto power lines along AL-195.
Several trees were blown down near the state line.
Thunderstorm winds caused damage at two closely located areas along CR 53, south of the Bazemore Community. A large tree was uprooted, which fell on both a home and a shed. Damage to the home's roof was minor, but the shed was destroyed. Several other trees were snapped and uprooted. The wind speed was estimated to be around 75 mph.
Multiple pine trees were uprooted, one of which fell on and destroyed a carport.
Quarter sized hail covered the ground.
Wind gusts were estimated around 70 mph.
The tornado briefly touched down in the Rock Creek area near Glaze Drive and the Rock Creek Baptist Church. Damage was limited to a small grove of snapped and uprooted pine trees.
Sporadic uprooted and snapped trees were found along a 4.5 mile distance in the city of Gadsden. Some of the downed trees fell on houses and out buildings causing structural damage. Other damage included lost shingles and siding. One older brick building in the downtown area lost a portion of a wall. The Etowah County EOC measured a wind gust to 86 mph.
At the Colonial Grand Apartments, mulitple trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado moved northeast and caused more damage at the Cedar Brook Apartments. Multiple trees were snapped off and major roof damage occurred when a brick fire wall used to separate units collapsed.
Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported at several locations, for several minutes, in the southern suburbs of Birmingham, including Hoover and Vestavia Hills.
Very large hail was reported on Ruffner Road, in Irondale.
Trees and power lines were blown down in the Royal Oaks subdivision.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2008Warnings in Alabama, April 2008
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: 98284, 98098, 98099, 98100, 98101, 98102, 98103, 98104, 98105, 98106, 98107, 98108, 98109, 98110, 98111, 98112, 98113, 98114, 98115, 98285, 98116, 98117, 98118.