A cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms pushed east across northern Alabama during the afternoon hours producing isolated wind damage in Lauderdale and Morgan counties. During the mid to late afternoon hours this cluster of strong to severe storms developed into a well established line of convective activity.
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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 HUN wrote it up.
A cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms pushed east across northern Alabama during the afternoon hours producing isolated wind damage in Lauderdale and Morgan counties. During the mid to late afternoon hours this cluster of strong to severe storms developed into a well established line of convective activity.
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 Jul 12, 11:44 AM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1244 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 .UPDATE...FOR 18Z TAFS. && .AVIATION... NARROW LINE OF CONVECTION CURRENTLY ENTERING NWRN AL WILL FACTOR INTO TERMINAL FCSTS OVER THE NEXT SIX HOURS. MDT CONFIDENCE THAT SHRA/TS WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT KMSL BY 20Z...AND KHSV BY 23Z. HOWEVER...HAVE LESS CONFIDENCE IN CONVECTION REACHING KHSV SINCE IT WILL BE LEAVING BETTER UPR LEVEL SUPPORT. MVFR VIS SHOULD BE PREDOM AT KMSL BY 03Z...AND POSSIBLY BEFORE...OWING TO MOISTENING OF THE BOUNDARY LYR. HAVE PEGGED TIMING OF ARRIVAL OF NEXT BOUT OF CONVECTION ARND 09-10Z...HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING REMAINS LOW. NEVERTHELESS...MOVEMENT OF MCS INTO AREA IS LIKELY BY 12Z...WITH POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST IFR VIS/MVFR CIGS. && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1042 AM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009/ CONVECTION HAS MOSTLY DISSIPATED ACROSS OUR CWFA LATE THIS MORNING...WITH REMNANTS NOW CONFINED TO DEKALB COUNTY AND AREAS TO OUR EAST. VIS SAT IMGRY EVEN SHOWS A LARGE OPENING IN THE CLOUD CANOPY EXTENDING OVER MUCH OF NWRN AL...ALTHOUGH TRANSLUCENT CIRRUS PROBABLY REMAIN OVER THE AREA. REGIONAL RADARS DO INDICATE ISOLD/SCT CONVECTION UPSTREAM IN PARTS OF WRN TN...MOVING ESEWRD ON THE NOSE OF A LOW/MID LVL JET. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY MOVE INTO WRN PORTIONS AL BY THIS AFTN...BUT MODEL SOLNS SUGGEST A WEAKENING/RETRACTION OF THE LOW/MID LVL FLOW THROUGH THE EARLY AFTN. LARGE SCALE FORCING MECHANISMS (FRONTAL BOUNDARY/UPR WAVE) STILL REMAIN DISPLACED MAINLY TO OUR W-NW. THUS...AM A LITTLE TEMPTED TO REDUCE POPS IN SOME AREAS...ESPECIALLY SE. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE PRESENCE OF UBIQUITOUS SMALLER SCALE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM EARLIER CONVECTION AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY DUE TO DIURNAL HEATING...WILL LEAVE POPS MOSTLY AS IS FOR NOW. I DID TAPER QPF FROM HIGHER VALUES NW TO LOWER S...TO INDICATE WHERE THE BEST CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL MAY BE. OWING TO GREATER INSOLATION THAN PREV THINKING...DID INCREASE TEMPS IN MOST AREAS A DEGREE OR TWO. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /250 AM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009/ WENT WITH NAM FOR SHORT TERM FCST...GFS/ECMWF COMBO FOR THE EXTENDED FCST. MONDAY...BOTH NAM/GFS ARE HINTING AT A MCS/UPPER WAVE SMACKING OUR CWA ARND 12Z AND LASTING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. ATTM MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW A MAINLY HEAVY RAIN EVENT (SATURATED SOUNDING) ON MONDAY WITH PWS OVER 2 INCHES. SINCE SPC HAS OUR CWA IN A SLIGHT RISK...WILL GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE DAMAGING WINDS IN HWO AS WELL. UPPER WAVE WILL BE OVR CENTRAL GA BY LATE EVENING WHICH MEANS THE PCPN CHC WILL TAPER OFF ACROSS THE CWA BY EVENING. TOOK OUT POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT. TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY...CONFIDENCE BEGINS TO DROP OFF THIS FAR OUT...BUT GFS HINTS THAT THIS PERIOD MAY BE DRY OR AT LEAST THE CHC OF PCPN WILL BE LOW ENOUGH TO LEAVE OUT OF ZONES/GRIDS. THURSDAY THRU SATURDAY...BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS SHOWS A STRONG UPPER TROF THAT IS PROGGED TO DRAG A CDFNT THRU THE CWA BY FRIDAY. SO INCLUDED CHC POPS FOR THURSDAY/FRIDAY. NEXT WEEKEND LOOKS DRY...BEHIND THE CDFNT...WITH HIGH TEMPS IN THE MID 80S. BOTTOM LINE...UNSETTLED WX PATTERN FOR TODAY/MONDAY WITH A CHC OF SOME GOOD SOAKING RAIN...ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY. THEN LITTLE OR NO PCPN ON TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY BUT WARM WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW/MID 90S. ANOTHER CDFNT APPROACHES THE AREA BY THE END OF THE WEEK WITH MORE SHRA/TSRA ON THURSDAY/FRIDAY. NEXT WEEKEND IS SHAPING UP TO BE NICE WITH DRY WX...MILD TEMPS (MID 80S) AND LOWER HUMIDITY. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && AVIATION...03 PREV DISCUSSION...07
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 102 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-130030- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 102 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH. A COOL FRONT WILL MOVE CLOSER TO THE AREA TONIGHT...AS AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM PUSHES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. TOGETHER...THESE SHOULD CAUSE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND ISOLATED INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE INTO MONDAY AS A WEAK FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE FROM LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. HOWEVER...STRONG OR DAMAGING WINDS WILL ALSO BE A THREAT IN ANY STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THEN RETURN TO THE OUTLOOK AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. KDW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 107 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 ALZ002-003-121845- COLBERT-FRANKLIN- 107 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COLBERT AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 145 PM CDT... AT 106 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MT HESTER...OR ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF CHEROKEE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. WINDS UP TO 30 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... BARTON. RED ROCK...SRYGLEY CHURCH. POSEY LOOP. CROOKED OAK...NEW BETHEL. 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. KDW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 125 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 ALZ001-002-004-121900- COLBERT-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE- 125 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COLBERT...LAUDERDALE AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL 200 PM CDT... AT 125 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING...MAINLY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF LAUDERDALE AND COLBERT COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERALLY MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. PEOPLE IN EASTERN COLBERT...LAUDERDALE AND NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF KILLEN...FORD CITY...LEXINGTON...MUSCLE SHOALS...ELGIN AND RED BANK...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. THESE THUNDERSTORMS 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. KDW
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:01 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down over a road in the Anderson community.
A tree was blown down near Mud Tavern on Kirby Bridge road.
A tree was blown down across Kirby Bridge road.
A tree, weakened by a lightning strike, was blown down onto a home. Eight windows were destroyed and other minor damage to the house.
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, July 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: 177576, 177603, 177579, 177595.