A strong low pressure system tracking northeast into the Great Lakes brought a powerful cold front through the region. Thunderstorms and showers were followed by gusty and at times damaging non-thunderstorm northwest winds behind the front during the evening hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 episode as NWS HUN wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system tracking northeast into the Great Lakes brought a powerful cold front through the region. Thunderstorms and showers were followed by gusty and at times damaging non-thunderstorm northwest winds behind the front during the evening hours.
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 Jan 29, 7:50 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
750 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
COLD FRONT IS NOW IN THE HUN FORECAST AREA...AND DAMAGE REPORTS HAVE
BEEN RECEIVED ALONG THE LINE. HIGHEST MEASURED WIND GUST HAS BEEN 47
MPH AT MUSCLE SHOALS. UPDATED ARRIVAL TIMES FOLLOW.
ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL FOR SOME OF OUR LARGER COMMUNITIES...
MOULTON AROUND 800 PM...
ATHENS AROUND 800 PM...
DECATUR AROUND 815 PM...
FAYETTEVILLE AROUND 815 PM...
DOWNTOWN HUNTSVILLE AROUND 830 PM...
CULLMAN AROUND 845 PM...
WINCHESTER AROUND 845 PM...
ARAB AROUND 900 PM...
GUNTERSVILLE AROUND 900 PM...
SCOTTSBORO JUST AFTER 900 PM...
BOAZ AROUND 915 PM...
FORT PAYNE JUST AFTER 930 PM...
FROM THE TIMES LISTED ABOVE FOR AT LEAST TWO TO THREE HOURS... WINDS
SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 60 MPH...ARE
EXPECTED. THESE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE THE FALLING OF
DROUGHT-WEAKENED TREES AND COULD ALSO DAMAGE POWER LINES...LOOSE
OUTDOOR OBJECTS...AND CAUSE MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE ESPECIALLY TO
OUTBUILDINGS.
I THINK THE GREATEST THREAT FOR EXTREMELY HIGH WIND GUSTS IS IN
OUR HIGHER ELEVATIONS. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW WINDS OF 40 MPH OR
GREATER AT 2 KFT UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THESE AREAS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE
AFFECTED WITH THE HIGHEST GUSTS AND HIGHEST SUSTAINED WINDS.
ALL OF THIS SHOULD END AROUND MIDNIGHT...THOUGH SOME WINDS OF 25
MPH SUSTAINED ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FOR A
FEW MORE HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: COLBERT...CULLMAN...DE KALB...FRANKLIN AL...
JACKSON...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...
MARSHALL...AND MORGAN.
WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY TO 3 AM WEDNESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: DE KALB...JACKSON...MADISON...AND
MARSHALL.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...AND MOORE.
WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY TO 3 AM WEDNESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: FRANKLIN TN.
&&
JE/23HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 620 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-300600- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 620 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...RESULTING IN EXTREMELY GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT RANGE FROM 25 TO 30MPH...AND WILL RANGE FROM 45 TO 55 MPH BEHIND THE FRONT. A HIGH WIND WARNING WAS ISSUED AT 6PM...AND WILL RUN THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO HIGHLIGHT THE GUSTY CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT UNTIL 3AM WEDNESDAY FOR EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. THE COLD FRONT WILL ENTER NORTHWEST ALABAMA AROUND 630PM AND WILL AFFECT I65 AROUND 730PM. THE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH EASTWARD AND AFFECT EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA AROUND 830PM TO 9PM. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT BUT WILL REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU WILL BE PRONE TO STRONGER WIND GUSTS THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... ON THURSDAY...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN AND WINDY CONDITIONS...ALONG WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL HAS ALREADY BEEN REQUESTED TONIGHT...AND MAY BE NECESSARY FOR THURSDAY. MP
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
711 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0705 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG CHEROKEE 34.76N 87.97W
01/29/2008 COLBERT AL EMERGENCY MNGR
FEW TREES DOWN IN CHEROKEE.
&&
JEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
725 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0720 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG CLOVERDALE 34.94N 87.77W
01/29/2008 LAUDERDALE AL BROADCAST MEDIA
TREE FELL ON A POWERLINE IN CLOVERDALE.
&&
JEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
727 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0726 PM NON-TSTM WND GST MUSCLE SHOALS 34.74N 87.67W
01/29/2008 M47 MPH COLBERT AL ASOS
MEASURED AT 725 PM CST.
&&
JEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
732 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG UNDERWOOD-PETERSVILLE 34.87N 87.69W
01/29/2008 LAUDERDALE AL BROADCAST MEDIA
TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN.
&&
JEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
739 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0705 PM NON-TSTM WND GST FLORENCE 34.83N 87.67W
01/29/2008 M46 MPH LAUDERDALE AL MESONET
MEASURED WIND GUST IN DOWNTOWN FLORENCE.
&&
JEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
752 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0740 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG RED BAY 34.44N 88.14W
01/29/2008 FRANKLIN AL EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 19.
&&
JEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High winds blew down numerous trees and powerlines across the county leaving power outages.
High winds blew down numerous trees and power lines across the county leaving power outages.
High winds blew down numerous trees and power lines across the county leaving power outages. A 4 foot diameter tree was blown down at Tims Ford Reservoir.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, January 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: 77105, 77106, 77107.