Afternoon heating caused several severe thunderstorms 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.
Afternoon heating caused several severe thunderstorms 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 Jul 12, 10:11 AM CST, 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1111 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 .UPDATED...FOR TODAY. && .DISCUSSION... ONGOING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MADE ADJUSTMENTS FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT TO MUCH OF THE AREA. WILL CONTINUE TO SEE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. UPDATES HAVE BEEN SENT. && .AVIATION...12Z TAF DISCUSSION. PATCHY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS WILL AFFECT TERMINALS THROUGH 13Z. DO NOT EXPECT VISIBILITIES TO DROP BELOW MVFR. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AREAWIDE. INCLUDED CB AT EACH TERMINAL. GREATER COVERAGE IS EXPECTED IN THE SOUTH...SO INCLUDED VCTS WORDING FOR MGM AND TOI. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET. FOR ANY TERMINAL WHICH EXPERIENCES A THUNDERSTORM...EXPECT FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. 14 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 16/14
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ALZ011>015-017>050-131130- 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- 655 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA GENERALLY FROM NOON THROUGH 8 PM. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA SUNDAY...GENERALLY FROM 1 PM THROUGH 10 PM. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 65 MPH... LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. BUT A FEW SEVERE STORMS MAY REQUIRE WARNINGS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. 75
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1107 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ALZ025-027-036-121645- COOSA-SHELBY-TALLADEGA- 1107 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COOSA...SHELBY AND TALLADEGA COUNTIES UNTIL 1145 AM CDT... AT 1107 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR WILSONVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 16 MPH. WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... WILSONVILLE. BEESWAX AT LAY LAKE. VARNONS. SHELBY SHORES AT LAY LAKE. FAYETTEVILLE. THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. TG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1114 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ALZ026-027-121700- ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA- 1114 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR ST. CLAIR AND TALLADEGA COUNTIES UNTIL NOON CDT... AT 1110 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR PELL CITY...MOVING EAST AT 16 MPH. WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... ST. CLAIR COUNTY AIRPORT. LINCOLN. HOWELLS COVE. JACKSON SHOALS. TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY. TALLADEGA. THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. TG
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:47 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike caused a tree to fall onto a vehicle, briefly trapping its occupant. There were no injuries reported.
Two trees were blown down at the intersection of Hollingsworth Road and AL-9, northeast of Jacksonvlle.
Several trees were blown down on AL-14, just east of the Claud Community.
At least two mobile homes received considerable roof damage. One home and one church also received minor shingle damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, July 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: 127762, 127763, 127764, 128354, 127765.