A line of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding across portions of southwest Alabama.
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 MOB wrote it up.
A line of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding across portions of southwest 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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 27, 1:16 AM CST, 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
216 AM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009
.UPDATE...UPDATED THE ZONE PRODUCT TO INCLUDE WEATHER WATCH 74...IN
EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM CDT. REGULARLY SCHEDULED DISCUSSION FORTHCOMING
SHORTLY. /10
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MOBILE 76 65 72 45 / 100 90 80 10
PENSACOLA 76 66 72 49 / 100 90 90 10
DESTIN 74 68 71 50 / 90 80 90 20
EVERGREEN 74 64 73 45 / 100 90 90 10
WAYNESBORO 76 62 67 41 / 100 90 70 10
CAMDEN 74 64 71 45 / 100 90 90 10
&&
.MOB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 AM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
BUTLER...CHOCTAW...CLARKE...CONECUH...COVINGTON...
CRENSHAW...ESCAMBIA...LOWER BALDWIN...LOWER MOBILE...
MONROE...UPPER BALDWIN...UPPER MOBILE...WASHINGTON...AND
WILCOX.
FL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 AM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
COASTAL ESCAMBIA...COASTAL OKALOOSA...COASTAL SANTA ROSA...
INLAND ESCAMBIA...INLAND OKALOOSA...AND INLAND SANTA ROSA.
MS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 AM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
GEORGE...GREENE...PERRY...STONE...AND WAYNE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
COASTAL WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL OUT 20 NM...
COASTAL WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS OUT 20
NM...MOBILE BAY...WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL FROM
20 TO 60 NM...AND WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS
FROM 20 TO 60 NM.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 200 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009 ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-GMZ630-650-655-670-675-MSZ067-075-076-078- 079-271900- CHOCTAW-WASHINGTON-CLARKE-WILCOX-MONROE-CONECUH-BUTLER-CRENSHAW- ESCAMBIA-COVINGTON-UPPER MOBILE-UPPER BALDWIN-LOWER MOBILE- LOWER BALDWIN-INLAND ESCAMBIA-COASTAL ESCAMBIA-INLAND SANTA ROSA- COASTAL SANTA ROSA-INLAND OKALOOSA-COASTAL OKALOOSA-MOBILE BAY- COASTAL WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM-WAYNE-PERRY- GREENE-STONE-GEORGE- 200 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THE ADJACENT GULF COASTAL WATERS OF ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA. PLEASE SEE THE ACCOMPANYING GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HWO/INDEX.PHP. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEVERAL PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY AS A FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY OVER THE AREA AND A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVE EASTWARD ALONG IT. ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED AGAIN LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY AS A SERIES OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS PERIODICALLY MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGHOUT THE REGION. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS COULD BE UP TO 8 INCHES OVER SOME LOCALES. MOST AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE AT LEAST THREE INCHES ENDING SATURDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT. IN ADDITION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALL POSSIBLE TONIGHT. MODERATE TO STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL MAINTAIN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT THROUGH THURSDAY...AND A CONTINUED HIGH RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL PREVAIL ALONG AREA BEACHES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND POTENTIALLY AN EVEN GREATER THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM. OUR LATEST FORECAST IS FOR CONTINUED TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ENDING SATURDAY. ISOLATED AREAS MAY RECEIVE EVEN MORE RAINFALL. DUE TO THE LONG DURATION OF FORECAST HEAVY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA...FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS...SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE WEEK. SEVERAL AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE ALREADY AT ELEVATED LEVELS AND THIS RAINFALL WILL LIKELY CAUSE MANY RIVERS ACROSS THE AREA TO GO ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY SATURDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. A MODERATE TO OCCASIONAL STRONG SOUTHERLY WIND WILL CONTINUE...ALONG WITH SEAS OF 6 TO 9 FEET. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. A RISK FOR DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL CONTINUE ALONG AREA BEACHES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THROUGH SATURDAY FOR FLASH FLOODING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES. PLEASE SEE THE ACCOMPANYING GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HWO/INDEX.PHP.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1027 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0655 AM TORNADO 1 E APPLETON 31.22N 87.11W
03/26/2009 ESCAMBIA AL NWS STORM SURVEY
EF1 TORNADO DESTROYED A SMALL BARN...CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE
TO SEVERAL HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS...AND SNAPPED NUMEROUS
LARGE PINES.
0800 AM TSTM WND GST 1 NE ONYCHA 31.22N 86.27W
03/26/2009 E90 MPH COVINGTON AL NWS STORM SURVEY
TWO MOBILE HOMES DESTROYED AND SEVERAL OTHER STRUCTURES
DAMAGED...INCLUDING HOMES AND METAL BUILDINGS.
&&
JOHNPThe Mobile radar (KMOB), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:36 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Slow moving thunderstorms produced 3 to 5 inches of rain that flooded many roads in Citronelle.
Heavy rains from slow moving thunderstorms flooded roads in McIntosh.
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, March 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: 160581, 160582.