An advancing cold front and deepening low pressure system brought a period of gusty winds to portions of central Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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 BMX wrote it up.
An advancing cold front and deepening low pressure system brought a period of gusty winds to portions 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 Feb 11, 2:50 AM CST, 7 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 250 AM CST WED FEB 11 2009 .SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ACTIVE WEATHER EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. SQUALL LINE WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN SECTIONS BY 9 AM...APPROACH THE INTERSTATE 65 CORRIDOR NEAR NOON AND BE ACROSS THE EASTERN SECTIONS BY 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG UPPER JET AND LOW LEVEL JET WILL SHIFT ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. IN ADDITION...MODELS FORECASTING VERY IMPRESSIVE HELICITY AND SHEAR VALUES WITH THE NAM NOW FORECASTING MUCH BETTER INSTABILITY. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS THE ENTIRE AREA OUTLOOKED FOR SLIGHT RISK TODAY WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT DAMAGING WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME ISOLATED TORNADOES. IT LOOK LIKE THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT IS FOUND ACROSS THE AREA NEAR NOON TIME. THIS WILL BE A VERY QUICK EVENT GIVEN THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF THE SQUALL LINE. WILL CONTINUE WITH CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS THE NORTH AND LIKELY POPS SOUTH TODAY. IN ADDITION WILL CONTINUE WITH THE WIND ADVISORY ACROSS THE NORTH AND LAKE WIND ADVISORY SOUTH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF OF AN INCH. HIGHS TODAY 65 TO 70 NORTH AND 70 TO 75 SOUTH. FOR TONIGHT WILL CARRY LOW POPS ACROSS THE EAST DURING THE EVENING HOURS WITH MUCH DRIER AIR OVERSPREADING THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT. LOWS UPPER 30S NORTHWEST TO MID 40S SOUTHEAST. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE ON THURSDAY WILL PROVIDE FOR A NICE AND DRY DAY BUT THIS WILL BE VERY SHORT LIVED. THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP QUICKLY TO OUR SOUTHWEST LATER ON THURSDAY AND THEN MOVES INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY WHERE NEAR AS STRONG AS THE SYSTEM TODAY. WILL FORECAST SHOWERS LIKELY AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGHS IN THE 60S ON THURSDAY AND 55 TO 65 FRIDAY. SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...QUIET AND DRY WEEKEND ON TAP AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS THE AREA. MOISTURE INCREASES FROM THE SOUTHWEST MONDAY AND TUESDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT SYSTEM. SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND THEN CHANCE POPS TUESDAY. HIGHS MAINLY 55 TO 65 WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS MAINLY 35 TO 45. && .AVIATION...06Z TAF DISCUSSION. LOWER CLOUDS WITH BASES NEAR 3500 FEET HAVE DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA THE PAST FEW HOURS AND EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS BY 09Z ALONG WITH SOUTH WINDS 10-15 KNOTS. CIGS SHOULD LOWER OVERNIGHT AS LOW LEVELS MOISTEN BUT LIKELY STAY ABOVE 1000 FEET DUE TO STRONG BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS. SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO NEAR 20 KNOTS BY 15Z DUE TO TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AHEAD OF SURFACE FRONT...WITH GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS. EXPECT LINE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS TO REACH TCL BY 17Z AND I-65 CORRIDOR BY 18Z. LCL SVR STORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA DUE TO HIGH SHEAR VALUES. RAIN SHOULD BE MOSTLY EAST OF ALABAMA BY 00Z WITH CLEARING ABOUT 2 HOURS AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. 58/ROSE && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 67 41 65 40 59 / 90 20 10 10 50 ANNISTON 69 40 67 40 60 / 80 20 0 10 60 BIRMINGHAM 69 40 67 40 60 / 90 10 10 10 60 TUSCALOOSA 69 41 68 43 61 / 90 10 0 10 70 CALERA 69 42 67 41 60 / 90 10 0 10 60 AUBURN 70 42 68 40 60 / 70 20 0 10 60 MONTGOMERY 73 45 70 45 63 / 70 10 0 10 70 TROY 71 45 70 44 63 / 60 20 10 10 60 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY NORTHERN HALF UNTIL 6 PM WEDNESDAY. LAKE WIND ADVISORY SOUTHERN HALF UNTIL 6 PM WEDNESDAY. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 809 AM CST WED FEB 11 2009 ALZ011>015-017>050-121400- 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- 809 AM CST WED FEB 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY BETWEEN 9 AM AND 6 PM. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH A SQUALL LINE MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA. HOWEVER...A FEW SHORT LIVED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO WESTERN ALABAMA AROUND 9 AM...APPROACH JASPER...TUSCALOOSA AND LIVINGSTON BY 11 AM...AND BIRMINGHAM BY 1 PM BEFORE ACCELERATING EASTWARD. LOCATIONS AROUND MONTGOMERY AND ANNISTON SHOULD BE IMPACTED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 PM AND THE SQUALL LINE SHOULD MOVE OUT OF CENTRAL ALABAMA BY 7 PM. SOME GRADUAL WEAKENING OF THE LINE IS EXPECTED AFTER 3 PM. STAY TUNED TO FURTHER UPDATES CONCERNING THE TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THE EXPECTED THUNDERSTORMS. WIND ASSOCIATED WITH THE SQUALL LINE COULD REACH 70 MPH. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TODAY. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH...WITH A FEW GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH. TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS THAT COULD BECOME PROJECTILES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE NEEDED TODAY...DUE TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 61
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees around various parts of Marion County, including the Hamilton, Brilliant, and Guin areas.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees around various parts of Winston County, including the Haleyville and Lynn areas. A home in Lynn also sustained minor roof damage.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees around and near the city of Vernon.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees around Lake Tuscaloosa.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees near Springville.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down trees in several locations around metro Birmingham.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down several trees near and south of Gadsden.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down trees at several locations around Cherokee County, including near Centre and Spring Garden.
Wind gusts estimated up to 50 mph blew down a tree that fell onto a house, near the Locust Fork community.
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, February 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: 156076, 156077, 156078, 156079, 156081, 156080, 156082, 156083, 156084.