A low pressure system in the northern Gulf of Mexico brought some heavy rain to a portion of Central Alabama.
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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 low pressure system in the northern Gulf of Mexico brought some heavy rain to a portion of 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 Dec 18, 6:10 AM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 610 AM CST FRI DEC 18 2009 .UPDATE...FOR AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... GULF LOW CURRENTLY TRUCKING NEWD ACROSS NRN GULF JUST S OF MOUTH OF MS RVR...MS/AL COAST...AND WILL CONTINUE NEWD INTO FL/GA DURING THE DAY TODAY AND ON THE ATLANTIC COAST OVERNIGHT. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE MORNING ACROSS C AL...THEN TAPER OFF FROM SW TO NE ACROSS THE AREA AS LOW MOVES OUT. HAVE EXPANDED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO MOST OF THE CWA TO ACCOUNT FOR MORE WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL. WITH TIGHT GRADIENTS BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY. LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATES THIS AREA WILL BE MAINLY ACROSS THE SRN C AL COUNTIES...CLOSER TO LOW FOR THIS MORNING. HAVE ADJUSTED WIND ADVISORY ACCORDINGLY. STILL NOT LOOKING FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO BE MUCH OF A FACTOR AS THE LOW SHOULD STAY TO THE S...BUT INSTEAD A COLD RAIN EVENT. FRI NT WILL BE COOLER WITH NW FLOW AS THE SYSTEM EXITS...WITH ONLY A CHANCE OF LINGERING RAIN NE SECTIONS THIS EVENING. MOISTURE WILL BECOME LIMITED AT THIS TIME. MAIN UPPER LOW WILL DIG AND MOVE ACROSS THE C/NE U.S. TODAY INTO SAT...BRINGING A COUPLE OF IMPULSES ACROSS THE AREA FOR SAT/SAT NT. AGAIN...MOISTURE WILL REMAIN SOMEWHAT LIMITED SAT/SAT NT...WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A LIGHT RAIN DURING THE DAY AND POSSIBLY SOME FLURRIES FOR SAT NT BEFORE OUR UPPER SYSTEM COMPLETELY PULLS OUT TO OUR NE. NOT EXPECTING MUCH IF ANY ACCUMULATION. IF ANY FROZEN PRECIPITATION FALLS IT SHOULDNT BE A HAZARD OR MEASURABLE. LOOKING AT A BREAK FOR SUN THRU TUE AS A REINFORCING SHOT OF COOL AIR MOVES THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WORK WEEK. AS WE MOVE INTO MID WEEK LOOKING FOR HIGH PRESSURE TO WEAKEN AND OUR NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS AL. MODELS ARE WARMER FOR MID WEEK PRECIPITATION SO LESS LIKELY FOR WINTER WEATHER AND MORE LIKELY FOR STORMS. ONLY HAVE RAIN IN AS FOR NOW...MAY NEED TO ADD TS TO GRIDS AS WE GET CLOSER SINCE LOW MAY TRACK FURTHER ACROSS AREA. POST FRONTAL BY THE END OF THE WEEK AND OUR EXTENDED TOWARD CHRISTMAS (CHRISTMAS EVE)...CONFIDENCE IS LOWER AS MODELS TEND TO BE GENEROUS WITH WRAP AROUND MOISTURE IN THE EXTENDED THEN TAKE IT AWAY. SO NOT COUNTING ANY FLAKES TILL SOME I CAN SEE A LITTLE CONSISTENCY. && .AVIATION...12Z TAF DISCUSSION. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE FOR ALL TAF SITES THIS MORNING...AND WENT WITH PREVAILING MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS FOR MGM AND TOI DUE TO LOW STRATUS THAT WILL PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE DAY TODAY. ELSEWHERE...CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL DROP FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THIS MORNING ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVIER RAINFALL THAT WILL BE MOVING OVER THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE...AND MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED. AS THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...WINDS WILL SHIFT AROUND TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST...AND IFR STRATUS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FOR ALL SITES DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 47 34 44 29 45 / 100 30 30 20 10 ANNISTON 47 34 45 28 46 / 100 20 20 20 10 BIRMINGHAM 47 34 47 29 47 / 100 20 20 20 0 TUSCALOOSA 52 36 48 30 50 / 90 10 10 10 0 CALERA 48 35 47 30 48 / 100 10 20 10 0 AUBURN 46 34 47 29 49 / 100 10 10 10 0 MONTGOMERY 51 38 50 30 52 / 100 10 10 10 0 TROY 51 37 50 29 52 / 100 10 10 10 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 619 AM CST FRI DEC 18 2009 ALZ011>015-017>050-191219- 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- 619 AM CST FRI DEC 18 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN TO CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON ON FRIDAY. LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND IS VALID UNTIL NOON ON FRIDAY. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO DEVELOP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 15 MPH WITH A FEW GUSTS OF 30 MPH POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THESE WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SELMA...TO MONTGOMERY ...TO AUBURN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AREA RIVERS WILL LIKELY REMAIN SWOLLEN INTO THE WEEKEND AND SOME RIVER STAGES WILL REMAIN ABOVE ACTION STAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NECESSARY TODAY. 27
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A prolonged period of rain caused a portion of AL-70 to become impassable due to high water, in the city of Columbiana.
A prolonged period of rainfall caused a portion of Alabama Avenue to become flooded, in the city of Sylacauga.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, December 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: 208707, 208708.