A warm and unstable air mass led to the development of 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.
A warm and unstable air mass led to the development of 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 21, 11:41 AM CST, 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1241 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 .UPDATE...AVIATION AND AFTERNOON FORECAST DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... STILL EXPECTING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB TO NEAR 100 OVER MOST LOCATIONS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ENOUGH DRY AIR ALOFT WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE AND IT WILL HELP LOWER THE DEWPOINTS. HAVING SAID THAT...IT WILL STILL FEEL HOT. NO NEED TO BE OUTSIDE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. IF YOU HAVE TO BE OUT...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. FORECAST WISE...NO NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING. WILL GO AHEAD AND SEND A NEW ZONE FORECAST OUT MAINLY TO REMOVE THE MORNING WORDING. NO NEW GRIDS WILL BE SENT. 10/ARM && .AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION. HAZE THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE A LITTLE BETTER COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO MVFR AROUND 5Z. CONDITIONS COULD BE A LITTLE BETTER TOMORROW AS THE WIND ALOFT WILL BEGIN TO CLEAN UP SOME OF THIS POLLUTION. A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS COULD DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER...COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY...VERY ISOLATED. IMPACTS WILL BE VERY MINIMAL TO NONE AT ALL. 10/ARM && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 130 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 ALZ011>015-017>050-221830- 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- 130 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 8 PM...MAINLY ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEW WEST GREENE... ELLARDS...CLANTON...ALEXANDER CITY AND WHITE PLAINS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF UP TO 45 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA MAINLY BETWEEN NOON AND 10 PM. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF UP TO 45 MPH AND HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 10/ARM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 105 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 ALZ045-211830- MACON- 105 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR MACON COUNTY UNTIL 130 PM CDT... AT 1259 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR DAVISVILLE...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TUSKEGEE... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 4 MPH. WINDS UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 126 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 ALZ045-046-211900- BULLOCK-MACON- 126 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR BULLOCK AND MACON COUNTIES UNTIL 200 PM CDT... AT 125 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR GUERRYTON...OR NEAR HURTSBORO...MOVING SOUTH AT 14 MPH. WINDS UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two trees were blown down onto a road north of the Hannon Community.
A thunderstorm downburst produced a swath of damage in the Bluff Park and Riverchase areas of Hoover. A movie theater had its air conditioning unit blown off its roof, and their was additional minor damage to the roof. The roof of a furniture storm in the same area also received minor damage. A window was blown out in the atrium of the Riverchase Galleria mall. Several trees and a few power lines were blown down, and their was dome unspecified structural damage at an apartment complex.
A tree fell onto power lines along CR-11, north of Sand Rock.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, between Sand Rock and Cedar Bluff.
Several trees were blown down in the Tabor Road Community.
Part of the metal roof of a food store was blown across the road.
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: 127777, 127780, 127781, 127782, 127783, 127784.