A warm front pushed northeast from Mississippi into northern Alabama producing widespread rainfall during the afternoon of the 9th. A squall line then produced another round of heavy rainfall, along with several small bow echoes.
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 HUN wrote it up.
A warm front pushed northeast from Mississippi into northern Alabama producing widespread rainfall during the afternoon of the 9th. A squall line then produced another round of heavy rainfall, along with several small bow echoes. One of these stronger bow echoes resulted in an EF-2 tornado in Jackson County after midnight on the 10th.
Widespread rain amounts of 3 to 5 inches, locally near 6 inches, fell in Madison, Limestone, Morgan, and Lawrence counties resulting in widespread river and local flash flooding.
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 9, 5:48 PM CST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
548 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008
.UPDATE...00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION.
&&
.AVIATION...MVFR TO OCCASIONALLY IFR CIGS/VISBYS ARE EXPECTED
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. LINE OF SHRA/TSRA HAS REACHED MSL AND WILL
APPROACH HSV WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. AFTER THE ONSET OF
RA...VISBYS WILL QUICKLY FALL INTO MVFR RANGE AND CIGS WILL
GRADUALLY FALL INTO MVFR RANGE OVERNIGHT. TEMPORARY REDUCTIONS TO
IFR/LIFR VIS ARE POSSIBLE IN +RA. PRECIP IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST
THROUGH THE ENTIRE TAF PERIOD...WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL BREAKS. +RA AND
TSRA CANNOT BE RULED OUT DURING THE DAY WED...BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO
LOW TO INCLUDE IN TAF ATTM. LLWS WILL BE A CONCERN THRU
DAYBREAK...THEN 2 KFT WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SLACK OFF.
&&
.DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 354 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008/
A BUSY WEATHER PATTERN IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE NORTH AMERICAN DOMAIN.
ANALYSIS OF EARLIER 12Z UPPER DATA INDICATED A POWERFUL 500MB JET AT
105 KTS OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA ROUNDING THE BOTTOM OF SYNOPTIC SCALE
TROUGHING EXTENDED FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO THE DESERT SW. EAST
OF THIS TROUGH...A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM THE GREAT LAKES TO THE
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND BIG BEND REGION. A WARM FRONT EXTENDED FROM
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO NEAR THE EASTERN MISSISSIPPI GOLDEN
TRIANGLE TO SE ARKANSAS.
LOCALLY...VERY WARM...MUCH WARMER THAN NORMAL AND RECENT
TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN NOTED THUS FAR ACROSS THE AREA. 3 PM TEMPS
HAVE RISEN TO THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70...WITH CORRESPONDING
DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHERLY WINDS IN THE 15-25 MPH RANGE
HAVE BEEN COMMON ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...WITH 25-35 MPH WINDS WITH
HIGHER GUSTS IN THE MOUNTAINS. THUS A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED
MAINLY FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NE ALABAMA AND FRANKLIN COUNTY
TENNESSEE THROUGH 4 AM WED MORNING.
THIS MUCH WARMER THAN AVERAGE WARMTH...MOISTURE...AND THE APPROACH
OF THE COLD FRONT IS SETTING THE STAGE FOR A WET NIGHT ACROSS THE
REGION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1-3 INCHES ON THE BIG PICTURE HAVE BEEN
PRETTY CONSISTENT IF YOU CONSIDER THE PAST FEW DAYS MODEL OUTPUT.
THIS WILL HOLD FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS THE BULK OF THE RAIN AND
STORMS AFFECT THE AREA. A FEW ITEMS TO CONSIDER WITH HEAVY RAINS AND
POSSIBLE FLOODING...
- THE AREA IS STILL IN A DROUGHT...WE CAN TAKE A BOUT OF MODERATE TO
HEAVY RAINFALL.
- BUT TRAINING OF CELLS OVER A SAME AREA WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS.
- MANY OF THE AREAS DECIDUOUS TREES HAVE SHED THEIR LEAVES...WHICH
COULD CAUSE CLOGGING OF STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND CONTRIBUTE TO
PONDING OF WATER AND SLOW RUNOFF.
- THE HEAVIEST RAINS ARE EXPECTED FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY
MORNING AS THE STORMS MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST.
THE OTHER ITEM OF CONCERN IS A SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL. THE SPC
OUTLOOK HAS BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS...KEEPING
THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF THIS AREA. HOWEVER
WITH HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION AND CORRESPONDING INSTABILITY...
CANNOT ENTIRELY RULE OUT SEVERE WEATHER. SEVERE WEATHER MODE THIS
EVENING WILL BE FROM STRONG TO MARGINALLY SEVERE WINDS. A BRIEF
TORNADO SPIN UP IS POSSIBLE TOO. STRONG WINDS 50KTS OR HIGHER...
MIXING DOWN FROM BOUNDARY LAYER TO A FEW THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE
AVERAGE GROUND LEVEL THIS EVENING AND DURING MUCH OF THE OVERNIGHT.
WITH THESE WINDS...STORM RELATIVE HELICITIES STAY ABOVE 400 M/S
THROUGH DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY...PRECEDING THE FRONT. THE FORECAST AREAS
MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED ARE MAINLY NW ALABAMA AND CULLMAN COUNTY.
THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS NW ALABAMA AFTER MIDNIGHT...REACH THE
HUNTSVILLE AREA BEFORE DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY...AND REACH NE ALABAMA
DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT WILL PRETTY MUCH END
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. HOWEVER...RAINS WILL CONTINUE ESPECIALLY
ACROSS OUR EASTERN AREAS.
A VERY TOUGH FORECAST ARISES ON THE DIFFERENT MODEL HANDLING OF NEW
LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER THE GULF (IN PART GENERATED BY THE STRONG JET
EXITING THE DESERT SW)...AND WHAT ROLE IT WILL HAVE HERE. THE 12Z
NAM WAS THE FASTEST MOVING THE FRONT AND RAINS EAST OF THE REGION BY
WED EVENING...WHILE THE GFS AND ESPECIALLY NGM WERE MUCH SLOWER. THE
EARLIER 00Z ECMWF WITH ITS FASTER TRACK WAS MORE PREFERRED...HOWEVER
THE NEWER 12Z RUN HAS SLOWED DOWN SOMEWHAT TO SOMETHING LIKE THE
GFS. THUS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GULF LOW...TRACKING TOWARD THE
MID ATLANTIC AND COLD AIR PLUS DYNAMIC COOLING...THERE IS A RISK OF
THE RAIN MIXING WITH OR BECOMING SNOW DURING THURSDAY. THE NEW 18Z
NAM IS TAKING A SLOWER LEAD WITH THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF THE GULF LOW.
HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE FORECAST. DO NOT
THINK ACCUMULATIONS ARE IN THE WORKS AT THIS TIME. A LOW CONFIDENCE
IN THIS PART OF THE FORECAST...STAY ABREAST FOR NEW UPDATES ON THIS.
DRYING SHOULD FINALLY TAKE PLACE DURING FRIDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE FROM
THE WEST MOVES EAST. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE NEAR SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES FOR THE REGION. ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVING TOWARD THE REGION
FROM THE NW WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE AREA FOR
NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
CULLMAN...DE KALB...JACKSON...MADISON...MARSHALL...MORGAN.
TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
FRANKLIN TN.
&&
AVIATION...DL
DISCUSSION...RSBHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 851 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-101100- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 851 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL OCCUR AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 40 MPH IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA THIS EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG... CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND BRIEF WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH DAYBREAK...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS UNDER TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS. PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND MINOR FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY PERSISTENT HEAVY RAIN. FOR MORE INFORMATION...PLEASE SEE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH /HUNFFAHUN/. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES EASTWARD...THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIT EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL TENNESSEE VALLEY EARLY WEDNESDAY. COLDER AND DRIER AIR WILL FILTER INTO THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM DIGGING INTO THE GULF COASTAL REGION...IS FORECAST TO TRACK FROM THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST STATES WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER BATCH OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW THURSDAY. UNCERTAINTY REMAINS QUITE HIGH WITH REGARDS TO STRENGTH AND TIMING OF THIS PARTICULAR STORM. RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO MONITOR FUTURE UPDATED FORECASTS AS THIS SYSTEM DEVELOPS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY STORM DAMAGE OR RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE. AMP/DJN/JLL
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:20 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 2 lightning, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe thunderstorm winds knocked down utility poles in the Red Bay area.
A tree was blown down across highway 101 in the Hatton area near mile marker 2.
Some trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm winds along Underwood Mountain road near Colbert Heights.
A trained spotter reported heavy rainfall causing ditches and creeks to flood in and near the city of Cherokee.
Some trees were blown down by severe thunderstorms winds along highway 724 near Russellville. Time estimated by radar.
Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding under the overpass of US highway 43 and State highway 20 in Florence.
Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding over portions of highway 101 near Town Creek and Moulton and along portions of county road 222.
Four to Six inches of rainfall produced flash flooding on several roads in Morgan County. Some of the roads which were flooded included the followed: Ipsco, Mud Tavern, Gum Springs Cutoff, Ruth Mountain, Foreman Bottom, Six-Mile Creek, Pleasant Valley, Wilson and River Loop. A few of the roads were washed out.
Widespread flash flooding was reported over portions of western and northwestern Madison County. Flood waters were most prevalent in Harvest, Toney, Madison, and central and northern portions of Huntsville. Flood reports began at 11:45 PM on the 9th, lasting into morning rush hour. Roads that experienced significant flash flooding included: Old Railroad Bed road, Ford Chapel Road, Production Road at Huntsville International Airport, Wall Triana Highway, County Line Road, Pulaski Pike, Moores Mill Road near Winchester Road, the intersection of Kelly Springs Road and Bob Wade Lane, and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. Several vehicles stalled out in flood water around 1:00 AM at the intersection of Nick Fitchard Road and Highway 53. Flood waters forced the evacuation of a trailer park at the intersection of Trademark Drive and James Record Road in Huntsville around 4:25 AM on the 10th. Several cars were underwater at this location. Between 3 and 6 inches of rain fell in these areas in less than 12 hours.
Several house fires were sparked by lightning strikes in Huntsville. A transformer was damaged by a direct lightning strike just off Winchester Road in north Huntsville.
Limestone County 911 center reported flash flooding occurring throughout the entire county, especially in the Belle Mina area.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree across county road 1261.
Thunderstorm winds snapped a treetop off near a house east southeast of Bethel.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree across county road 109.
Thunderstorm wind knocked down a tree across county road 38.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree across highway 91 near the American Protein Plant.
Heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in portions of Tuscumbia. Cave street was officially closed due to flash flooding near Deshler High School.
A tornado struck portions of central Jackson county around 1 AM CST Wednesday morning. This tornado initially snapped several cedar trees near county road 21, before toppling three TVA high voltage power line towers near Pikeville Alabama. It then rapidly proceeded northeast snapping trees, collapsing several barns, and ripping off roofs before lifting near the end of county road 34. According to Jackson County Emergency Management, the tornado and adjacent straight-line winds were to blame for up to twenty homes being damaged. Three mobile homes were destroyed and seven more were damaged. Nine barns were destroyed and three were damaged. The maximum wind speed with this tornado was estimated at 125 mph.
Nickel sized hail was reported at the intersection of Highway 231 and Highway 69.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on a road in Alder Springs and another in Grant. Time estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on a road in Alder Springs and another in Grant. Time estimated.
The mayor of the city of Hollywood, also a volunteer fire fighter was knocked down by a lightning strike in front of the City Hall building while preparing to go out on an emergency call. The victim was examined by medical personnel but was found to be not injured. However, a hole was carved out in his office wall.
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, December 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: 139888, 139890, 139891, 139939, 139892, 140002, 139938, 145790, 139986, 145784, 139996, 139893, 139894, 139905, 139906, 139907, 139942, 139887, 139889, 145717, 145719, 141184.