A cold front became stationary across Central Alabama, causing a several day period of isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms.
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 became stationary across Central Alabama, causing a several day period of isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms.
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 Jul 26, 1:49 PM CST, 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 249 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. DIFFERENTIAL HEATING PROVED TO BE THE WINNER TODAY. MENTIONED IN THE MORNING DISCUSSION THE HIGH CLOUD DECK THAT SET UP ACROSS THE NW COUNTIES THIS MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE KEPT THAT DECK IN PLACE...ALLOWING FOR THE EARTHS SURFACE TO WARM JUST ENOUGH TO GET CONVECTION INITIATED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE REST OF THE STATE. THE MAJORITY OF THE CONVECTION WILL REMAIN SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 THIS AFTERNOON...AND THESE STORMS WILL CARRY WITH THEM THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND A THREAT OF SMALL HAIL AS 500MB TEMPERATURES HAVE MANAGED TO REACH -8 DEGREES...UNSEASONABLY COOL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR THIS ACTIVITY IS AHEAD OF A FAIRLY WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE STATE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING. MODELS LOOK TO BE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE BOUNDARY WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME MAKING IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CWA...SO THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE WITH US YET AGAIN MONDAY AS THE AIR HEATS UP. FOCUS SHOULD BE ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...WHERE EVER IT SETS UP...BUT ANY OUTFLOWS FROM TODAYS ACTIVITY WILL CREATE A FOCUS FOR LIFT MONDAY AFTERNOON AS WELL. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. OVERALL PATTERN IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH...WITH TROUGHING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES AND HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATING THE WEATHER FORECASTS OUT WEST. THE MAIN FEATURE WE WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE MONITORING FOR MID WEEK WILL BE THE BERMUDA HIGH AND HOW FAR INLAND IT WILL PUSH. THIS WILL BE THE ONE OF...IF NOT THE...FACTOR IN HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION CENTRAL ALABAMA RECEIVES THIS WEEK. THE FURTHER IT BUILDS TO THE WEST...THE LESS LIKELY IT WILL BE FOR US TO SEE ANY REAL ORGANIZED ACTIVITY. FOR NOW...THE WETTEST DAYS STILL LOOK TO BE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS MULTIPLE SHORTWAVE TROUGHS SWING AROUND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PARKED OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. CAN EXPECT THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG STORMS EACH DAY AS LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE JUST ABOUT DRY ADIABATIC AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE WILL BE AROUND. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT LIKELY BE AN ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD AS THE COMBINATION OF CLOUDS AND GENERAL TROUGHINESS ALOFT WILL KEEP US AROUND CLIMO PLUS OR MINUS TWO DEGREES. 27 && .AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION. DECAYING CONVECTIVE COMPLEX THAT MOVED SSE ACROSS MS MERGED WITH DEVELOPING OUTFLOW STORMS AND HAS FORMED NEW AREA OF TSRA GROWTH. THIS SHOULD REMAIN ACROSS MS AND NOT AL. HOWEVER...AMPLE HEATING ACROSS MOST SE 2/3 OF AL IS CAUSING RAPID CU FIELD DEVELOPMENT WHICH WILL AIDE IN TSRA DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING WITH ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES EXPECTED TO AFFECT AL. ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO BE STAIR-STEPPED WITH ONSET...TAPERING OFF AFTER MIDNIGHT EXCEPT MGM/TOI AS SYSTEM SWINGS EWD THROUGH BASE OF UPPER TROUGH. NOTE...TECHNICIANS ARE AWAITING ADDITIONAL ASOS PARTS. THEREFORE...KEET CEILOMETER WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUT UNTIL AT LEAST MONDAY. DEPENDING ON ONSET OF ACTIVITY. TAF MAY NEED TO BE GIVEN A NIL LATER TODAY. AS FOR NOW AMD NOT SKED IS BEING APPENDED TO TAF. 08 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 71 88 71 87 72 / 40 30 10 50 60 ANNISTON 70 88 69 87 70 / 40 40 10 50 60 BIRMINGHAM 70 88 70 86 71 / 40 30 20 50 60 TUSCALOOSA 72 91 71 88 72 / 40 30 20 60 60 CALERA 71 88 70 86 71 / 40 40 20 60 60 AUBURN 70 89 68 87 70 / 50 50 20 50 50 MONTGOMERY 73 90 72 87 72 / 50 50 30 60 50 TROY 72 90 70 89 71 / 50 50 30 60 40 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 27/08
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 110 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 ALZ011>015-017>050-271300- 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- 110 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED STRONG...AND A FEW ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 59 WHERE GREATEST HEATING AND INSTABILITY HAS DEVELOPED. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE MAY BE STRONG STORMS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT AS HIGH AT THIS POINT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NECESSARY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST INTERSTATE 59 BY LATE AFTERNOON. 08
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Unspecified roof damage occurred to a couple of homes on the east side of the city of Tallassee.
Winds damaged a sign on Interstate 65, near exit 179.
At least 10 trees were blown down around the city of Selma, including a few that fell onto homes and caused significant damage. At least one of the homes' occupants was briefly trapped, but was otherwise uninjured.
Winds estimated around 45 mph blew a tree down onto a power line, west of Selma.
Winds estimated around 50 mph blew down trees on CR-146, southeast of Auburn.
Winds estimated up to 50 mph blew down isolated trees and tree limbs at several locations around the city of Tuscaloosa. One tree blocked a roadway, and another landed on a vehicle.
Winds estimated around 50 mph peeled some tin roofing off a building.
A few trees were blown down near the Glen Allen community.
Power lines and at least two trees were blown down, near the intersection of AL-171 and Camp Comfort Road.
Winds estimated around 45 mph blew a tree down onto a power line, near Arley.
Winds were estimated around 70 mph in the town of Addison.
Several trees were blown down in the Detroit 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, 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: 191253, 191254, 191267, 191255, 191257, 191256, 191258, 191259, 191260, 191261, 191262, 191263, 191264, 191265, 191266.