Scattered thunderstorms continuing to train over ground saturated from overnight rainfall produced flash flooding, primarily in the Florence community.
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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.
Scattered thunderstorms continuing to train over ground saturated from overnight rainfall produced flash flooding, primarily in the Florence community.
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 16, 5:30 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 630 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 .UPDATE...FOR 12Z TAFS && .AVIATION...WITH 8H WIND CONVERGENCE/WEAK SFC BOUNDARY OVER SRN MO AND INTO KY AND NO TELLING HOW MANY OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...THERE WILL BE SEVERAL TRIGGERS TO KICK OFF SHRA/TSRA ACROSS THE CWA THIS MRNG AND INTO THE EVENING. DAMAGING WINDS/HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN SVR WX THREATS. EXPECT A BREAK IN THE PCPN TONIGHT...MAINLY AFTER 00Z. HOWEVER A STRONG CDFNT WILL APPROACH THE CWA BY FRIDAY MRNG WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHRA/TSRA. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 352 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009/ DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS FOR THE SHORT TERM CENTER ON THUNDERSTORMS TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...AS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES MOVE NEAR THE AREA IN A PROGRESSIVELY MORE AMPLIFIED UPPER PATTERN. FOR THE IMMEDIATE SHORT TERM...THE REMNANTS OF THURSDAY EVENINGS THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX HAVE MOSTLY CLEARED THE AREA...WITH SOME LIGHT SHRA STILL REGISTERING ON THE HTX RADAR IN EXTREME NORTHEAST ALABAMA. WHILE THERE ARE A FEW /ISOLATED/ THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE AL/TN LINE...THERE IS A MORE SIGNIFICANT COMPLEX /AT LEAST AT THIS HOUR/ THAT HAS DEVELOPED IN FAR WEST TN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS. THIS EXTREMELY SLOW MOVING SYSTEM HAS GENERALLY DRIFTED SSE...AND THE MAIN PUNCH SHOULD NOT DIRECTLY IMPACT THE CWFA. HOWEVER...WHEN YOU LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER UPSTREAM...FORECAST PROBLEM BECOMES OBVIOUS: THE SHORTWAVE/MCS TRAIN TRACKS BACK INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. SHORT AND MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ALL SHOW THE SAME GENERAL SOLUTION THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK...INCREASINGLY MORE AMPLIFIED NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE CWFA...WITH SEVERAL SHORTWAVES PUSHING THROUGH THE AREA. WHAT IS LESS CLEAR IS TIMING FROM THESE IMPULSES...AND THEN HOW QUICKLY THE CLEARING FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. TIMING FOR THUNDERSTORMS IS QUESTIONABLE FOR TODAY...SO CANT SAY WITH MUCH CONFIDENCE WHEN/WHERE STORMS WILL DEVELOP...BUT CONVECTION SHOULD INCREASE IN COVERAGE BY LATE THIS MORNING AS A SHORTWAVE DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. WITH PWATS SOARING ABOVE 2.0 INCHES...HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG/SEVERE WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS TODAY. IF STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE AS SLOWLY AS THEY CURRENTLY ARE UPSTREAM...LOCAL FLASH FLOODING MAY BECOME A CONCERN. EXPECTING A SECOND ROUND OF STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING ALONG A LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AXIS AND SHORTWAVE ALOFT. AGAIN...WITH LITTLE APPRECIABLE CHANGE TO FORECAST SOUNDINGS...MAIN THREATS WILL AGAIN BE HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG TO SEVERE WINDS. STORMS THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE CERTAINLY SHOWN THAT TREES ARE FALLING WITH SUB-SEVERE WIND GUSTS...AND WITH SOILS POSSIBLY SATURATING...ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF DOWNED TREES WITH SUB- SEVERE WIND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE. WE MAY SEE A BIT OF A BREAK BETWEEN SYSTEMS LATE TONIGHT...BUT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES ON FRIDAY...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. INSTABILITY MAY BE HAMPERED SOMEWHAT BY ADDITIONAL CLOUD COVER EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...BUT STRONG /POSSIBLY SEVERE/ WIND GUSTS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN STILL A THREAT AS PWATS REMAIN ABOVE 2.0 INCHES. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH THROUGH LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...AND THAT SHOULD SIGNAL THE END OF THE SEVERE THREAT FOR THE WEEK AS A MUCH COOLER /AND MORE STABLE/ AIRMASS FLOWS INTO THE REGION FOR THE WEEKEND. IN FACT...BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT...FORECAST LOWS ARE 10-12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE COOLER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WITH PRETTY GOOD CONTINUITY BETWEEN THE 00Z ECMWF/GFS/GEFS...WILL CONTINUE A DRY FORECAST THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY WITH TEMPERATURES FINALLY WARMING INTO THE LOW 90S THURSDAY. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && 007
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 845 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-161815- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 845 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG OR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. IN ADDITION...SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL HAVE A TENDENCY TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY...OR REDEVELOP AND PROPAGATE OVER THE SAME AREAS. THIS WILL RESULT IN LOCALIZED INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD TAPER OFF LATER TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...WITH ANOTHER CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAIN SEVERE THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE FLASH FLOODING. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA BY FRIDAY EVENING...ENDING THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED TODAY. SS/KDW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 642 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 ALZ001-005-161245- LAUDERDALE-LIMESTONE- 642 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAUDERDALE AND LIMESTONE COUNTIES UNTIL 745 AM CDT... AT 638 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE TENNESSEE/ALABAMA BORDER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN. HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... CENTER STAR. KINGTOWN...ELGIN. WHITEHEAD. ANDERSON...ROGERSVILLE. OLIVER. GOOD SPRINGS...COXEY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THIS MAY RESULT IN RUNOFF PROBLEMS AND PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. SS
AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 928 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 ALZ002-161500- COLBERT- 928 AM CDT THU JUL 16 2009 ...AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED AN AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING FOR... NORTHWEST ALABAMA REGIONAL AIRPORT (IN MUSCLE SHOALS) /MSL/ * UNTIL 1000 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING THREATS... * CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WITHIN 5 MILES OF THE AIRPORT. KTW
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:01 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several inches of water covered the Coffee Road underpass in Florence. At least one car stalled while trying to drive through the flooded roadway.
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: 187466.