A cold front pushing through the southeastern states brought several rounds of severe thunderstorms to central Alabama. The storms produced widespread damaging winds and two tornadoes.
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 cold front pushing through the southeastern states brought several rounds of severe thunderstorms to central Alabama. The storms produced widespread damaging winds and two tornadoes.
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 2, 11:50 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1250 PM CDT THU APR 2 2009 .UPDATE...FOR 18Z AVIATION. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ACTIVE WEATHER PERIOD EXPECTED AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ENTIRE AREA OUTLOOKED FOR MODERATE RISK. MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS ALREADY IN PLACE AND UPPER SUPPORT WILL MOVE IN LATER IN THE DAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. WE COULD SEE ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ANYWHERE THIS MORNING...WITH MORE ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER LATER IN THE DAY. FOR BETTER TIMING OF ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER WE USED OUR LOCAL WRF MODEL...EXPECT WESTERN SECTIONS UNDER THE GUN FROM 3 PM UNTIL 7 PM...CENTRAL SECTIONS 6 PM UNTIL 10 PM...THEN EASTERN SECTIONS 9 PM UNTIL 1 AM AND THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH SQUALL LINE (COLD FRONT). PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS... LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES. ACTIVITY WILL SHIFT QUICKLY TO OUR EAST BY 2 AM AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. BE SURE TO HAVE A WEATHER ACTION PLAN READY AS WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED. HIGHS TODAY IN THE 70S...LOWS TONIGHT IN THE 50S. LAKE WIND ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM NOON UNTIL MIDNIGHT. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MUCH QUIETER AND DRIER PERIOD EXPECTED AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA. SUNDAY AND MONDAY...ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY AND SHIFTS TO THE EAST ON MONDAY. MODELS HAVE TRENDED STRONGER WITH THIS SYSTEM AND BETTER UPPER SUPPORT IS INDICATED. A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM ON SUNDAY. DRIER AIR EXPECTED LATER MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE AREA. RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS ON WEDNESDAY WITH NEXT SYSTEM EXPECTED JUST BEYOND THIS PERIOD. && .AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION. EXPECT SCT SH/TS DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON...AFFECTING ALL SITES...WITH GENERALLY MVFR CEILINGS. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KTS. AS A FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST TONIGHT...EXPECT THE COVERAGE OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TO INCREASE...GOING FROM SCATTERED ACTIVITY TO A BROKEN SQUALL LINE ALONG THE FRONT. SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE STATE...ENDING BY 03-05Z ACROSS THE WEST...AND 05-06Z ACROSS THE EAST. BEHIND THE FRONT...BR AND LOW CLOUDS AT 1KFT IS EXPECTED. 14 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ALL AREAS FROM NOON UNTIL MIDNIGHT. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1158 AM CDT THU APR 2 2009 ALZ011>015-017>050-030100- 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- 1158 AM CDT THU APR 2 2009 ...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AHEAD OF AND ALONG A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL PASS THROUGH ALABAMA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS...ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL...PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH. BY 2 PM CDT...A SQUALL LINE WILL BE APPROACHING THE ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE. THESE STORMS SHOULD AFFECT THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF ALABAMA FROM 2 PM UNTIL 5 PM...THE CENTRAL COUNTIES OF ALABAMA BETWEEN 4 PM AND 8 PM...AND THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF ALABAMA BETWEEN 8 PM AND MIDNIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL CARRY WITH THEM THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A STRONG TORNADO. RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES FOR SEVERAL COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. PLEASE REFER TO RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS REGARDING YOUR AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RIVERS WILL REMAIN IN FLOOD THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY EVENING FOR SEVERAL COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. PLEASE REFER TO RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS REGARDING YOUR AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...LASTING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL LIKELY BE NECESSARY ON TODAY. 27
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1225 PM CDT THU APR 2 2009 ALZ018-019-025-026-021815- CALHOUN-ETOWAH-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR- 1225 PM CDT THU APR 2 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CALHOUN...ETOWAH...SHELBY AND ST. CLAIR COUNTIES UNTIL 115 PM CDT... AT 1225 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR RIVERSIDE...OR NEAR PELL CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... RIVERSIDE. NEELY HENRY DAM. OHATCHEE. WILLIAMS. MARKTON. SOUTHSIDE. 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.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:39 UTC.
49 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down near Detroit.
Several trees were blown down on CR-13, near AL-19. An old store had its walls blown down.
Several trees were blown down in and around the city of Hamilton.
A public official observed a brief tornado touchdown on AL-17, near the Hightogy community. Subsequent investigation revealed no known damage.
A few trees were blown down on Paul Mills Road, east of the Echola community.
A few trees were blown down on Sawmill Road, west of Lake Tuscaloosa.
The tornado touched down near the intersection of Lesueur Road and Old Fayette Road, near the Samantha community. It then moved northeastward for about one half of a mile, and lifted just north of Brady Montgomery Road. The most significant damage occurred as the tornado crossed Brady Montgomery Road. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were snapped off and uprooted.
Penny sized hail was reported at the intersection of Watermelon Road and Lock 15 Road.
A few trees were blown down near the intersection of Watermelon Road and Lock 15 Road.
Thunderstorm winds produced sporadic, isolated, tree damage in several locations of northern Walker County, from near the area around the Walker County Airport, northeastward to the Fall City Road area near the Winston County line. Single trees were reported blown down at each location.
Numerous trees and signs were blown down in and around Sulligent.
A large swath of damaging winds, with peak gusts estimated around 80 mph, swept across a large portion of Marion County, from near the Mississippi state line and Lamar County line, eastward to near the Winston County line. The heaviest damage was in a swath from near the Detroit community, to east of Hamilton. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted. Several of the trees landed on both mobile homes and permanent site homes, as well as several vehicles. Two people in the Byrd community were injured when a tree fell on their mobile home. A restaurant near Guin had its windows blown out and its roof partially removed. A metal billboard structure was bent to the ground, and several other business signs were damaged by the wind. At least one small barn sustained major damage.
Windows were blown out, a ball field dugout, and a baseball batting cage, all sustained damage at Haleyville High School. About 50 students and adults, preparing for the school's prom in the gym, heard about the oncoming storm from a police officer. They took shelter in the basement/locker room area under the gym, and were not injured. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down around the rest of the city of Haleyville. Power lines landed on a vehicle, and briefly trapped its occupants. A tree fell onto a mobile home, slightly injuring one occupant. At least two other homes sustained damage from fallen trees.
Numerous trees were blown down in the city of Fayette.
Several trees were blown down on CR-77 and AL-18, completely blocking the road.
Trees were blown down in the Ashbank community. One of the trees landed on a vehicle, and the occupant suffered a compound fracture.
An 18-wheeler was overturned on future Interstate 22, near Jasper.
One tree was blown down and blocked Alabama Avenue.
A tree was blown down on US-278, and an 18-wheeler then drove into it. No injuries were reported.
Trees were blown down on Valley Trail, near the Smokerise community.
Trees were blown down onto US-31 near Blount Springs.
Trees were blown down near the intersection of Taylor's Ferry Road and Lock 17 Road, between Sylvan Springs and Oak Grove.
Trees were blown down on Morris-Glenwood Road, near Sam Thomas Road, in Morris.
A large tree was blown down and blocked the road, at CR-55 and US-231, near Blountsville.
Power lines were blown down across Hargrove Road, 63rd Avenue East, and Huntland Drive, between Tuscaloosa and Duncanville.
Power lines were blown down on Wire Road, near Vance.
A tree was blown onto a power pole near the Lake View community.
A large tree fell onto and damaged a home.
Two trees were blown down at the Birmingham Zoo, destroying a bridge, walkway, and light pole.
A few trees were blown down on Pine Hill Road.
Trees and power lines were blown down onto a vehicle on Pine Nountain Road, near Remlap.
Trees were blown down on Mountain View Road, near Springville.
Several trees were blown down, between Pinson and Clay.
Trees were blown down on AL-25 in Vandiver.
Trees were blown down on CR-55, in Sterrett.
Trees were blown down at several locations in the city of Ashville.
Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph in Maylene.
A metal roof was blown off a residence at US-411 and Loop Road, east of Ashville.
Trees were blown down on AL-25, near Harpersville.
The porch of a house was damaged on Sunset Drive, near Ragland.
Several trees were blown down on Lakefront Drive, the Southside community near Gadsden. At least 4 homes and several vehicles were damaged by falling trees.
Several trees and power lines were blown down near Leota Drive, and on AL-77, near the Southside community.
Trees and power lines were blown down on US-411, near Gaston School.
Trees and power lines were blown down in Lincoln.
In the city of Talladega, a power line was blown down and caused a minor fire, on Hill Street. Trees and power lines were also blown down in several other locations around the city.
Trees and power lines were blown down in Childersburg.
A large awning was blown off a service station, and several trees were blown down, in the city of Centre. Single trees were blown down at several other locations across the county.
A tree was blown down on Overhill Road, and a tree was blown down on Goodwater Highway, in Sylacauga.
Power lines were blown down in several locations in the city of Anniston.
A tree was blown down and landed on the roof and deck of a home, in Oxford.
Trees were blown down in Munford.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2009Warnings in Alabama, April 2009
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: 163069, 163070, 163071, 163072, 163073, 163074, 163075, 163077, 163078, 163410, 163079, 163080, 163087, 163270, 163271, 163272, 163275, 163276, 163278, 163279, 163280, 163285, 163287, 163288, 163289, 163290, 163291, 163292, 163293, 163294, 163295, 163296, 163297, 163298, 163299, 163311, 163447, 163300, 163448, 163301, and more.