A wave of strong and gusty winds pushed across north central Alabama around sunrise. The winds knocked down multiple trees in Morgan County, knocking out power in some areas.
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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 wave of strong and gusty winds pushed across north central Alabama around sunrise. The winds knocked down multiple trees in Morgan County, knocking out power in some areas.
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 Mar 28, 5:20 AM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 620 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2009 .UPDATE...FOR 12Z TAFS/AVIATION DISCUSSION && .AVIATION...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONTINUES TO SPREAD NEWD ACROSS MUCH OF THE TN VALLEY THIS MORNING WITH CEILINGS GRADUALLY FALLING PREDOM INTO THE MVFR CAT. SFC WINDS ARE ALSO BEGINNING TO INCREASE OUT OF THE SE AOA 10 TO 15 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS PATTERN SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HRS...ALTHOUGH WOULD NOT RULE OUT A FEW EMBEDDED TSTMS WITH VARIABLE WIND GUSTS AND REDUCED VIS. COLD FRONT SHOULD STILL SWEEP THROUGH THE TN VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON WITH A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPING ALONG/AHEAD OF THE SFC BOUNDARY. IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THE TSTMS ALTHOUGH THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VARIABLE WINDS AOA 25 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 35 KTS OR HIGHER COUPLED WITH VIS AOA 1 MI. SFC WINDS WILL BE SHIFTING TOWARD THE WSW AOA 10 TO 15 KTS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING WITH SHOWERS AND TSTMS COMING TO AN END AS THE COLD FRONT PASSES TO THE E OF THE AREA. && .DISCUSSION...A BUSY DAY WEATHER-WISE IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY...AS A POWERFUL SPRING STORM MOVES FROM THE EASTERN GREAT PLAINS TO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES REGION OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THE SURFACE REFLECTION OF THIS SYSTEM WAS ELONGATED FROM EASTERN OKLAHOMA TO SW MISSISSIPPI...WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF WEATHER IN PROGRESS. BLOWING SNOW WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WERE NOTED ACROSS PARTS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS REGION...WHILE STRONG TO SEVERE T-STORMS AND EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WAS AFFECTING LOCATIONS CLOSER TO THE GULF COAST. REGIONAL RADAR INDICATED A WIDE SWATH OF SHOWERS WITH SOME EMBEDDED THUNDER EXTENDING FROM WESTERN AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE SOUTH ACROSS MOST OF ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. A VERY COMPLEX FRONTAL PATTERN EXISTS WITH THIS SYSTEM. LOCAL OBSERVATIONS ACROSS THIS PORTION OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...WITH DEWPOINTS TO 60F (COMPARED TO MID 50S OVER MID TENNESSEE) IS INDICATIVE OF A WARM FRONT EXTENDING EAST OF A TRIPLE POINT OVER SE ARKANSAS TO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. DEEPER MOISTURE HOWEVER WAS LOCATED FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE GULF COAST...WITH STORMS IN PROGRESS TO OUR SOUTH INTERCEPTING SOME OF THAT POTENTIAL MOISTURE FROM MAKING THIS FAR INLAND. THE STRONGEST STORMS PER RADAR AND LIGHTNING WERE ALONG A SQUALL LINE THAT PRECEDED THE COLD FRONT...OR FROM SOUTH OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE TO NE LOUISIANA....WITH OTHER SEVERE STORMS AFFECTING FAR SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. LASTLY...THE COLD FRONT WAS CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SOUTH OF GREENVILLE... EXTENDING NW INTO CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THE DEEPER MOISTURE NOTED ABOVE WILL GRADUALLY ADVECT FURTHER NORTH THROUGH THE REST OF TONIGHT. THIS MOISTURE...A STRENGTHENING LOWER LEVEL JET AND THE APPROACH OF THE MAIN COLD FRONT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A POTENTIALLY STORMY AFTERNOON FOR THESE PARTS. THE NAM/GFS BOTH INDICATE A SQUALL LINE WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER (WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT) ARE POSSIBLE AS THE UPPER TROUGH BECOMES MORE NEGATIVELY TILTED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANOTHER RISK IS FLOODING/FLASH FLOODING FROM LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. MODEL/HPC RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THIS EVENT TODAY ON THE BIG PICTURE SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT 3/4 OF AN INCH FOR THE WESTERN AREAS TO 1.25 INCHES EAST...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OF COURSE POSSIBLE. A WET GROUND WHICH HAS TIME TO RECOVER SOMEWHAT ON FRIDAY CAN TAKE A LITTLE MORE RAIN. ALSO A DURATION OF HEAVY RAINFALL SHOULD NOT BE LONG...SO WILL HOLD OFF ON A FLOOD OR FLASH FLOOD WATCH. WITH THAT BEING SAID...CANNOT RULE OUT THE NEED FOR SOME TYPE OF FLOOD WARNING BEFORE THE DAY IS OUT. STREAM LEVELS ACROSS THE AREA SHOULD CONTINUE HIGHER THAN AVERAGE FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON...AND SHOULD BE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY SUNSET. SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL WIND DOWN AS COLDER AIR USHERS INTO THE REGION. FORTUNATELY...THE AIR WILL NOT BE AS COLD AS IT IS OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. HAVE KEPT LOW TEMPERATURES IN THIS FORECAST ABOVE FREEZING. ONLY MADE MINOR CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED. AS ALLUDED TO IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS...UNSETTLED WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND T-STORMS RETURNING MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && AVIATION...09 DISCUSSION...RSB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 345 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-281800- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 345 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NUMEROUS SHOWERS...ALONG WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS...ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA THIS MORNING. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY CONTAIN LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AS IT SPREADS NORTHEASTWARD. LATER THIS AFTERNOON...A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP THROUGH THE OUTLOOK AREA. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING SURFACE BOUNDARY AS IT MOVES EASTWARD THROUGH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THIS LINE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. IN ADDITION...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT BREAK AWAY FROM THE MAIN LINE. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO END BY THIS EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. IN ADDITION TO THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT...THE GROUND REMAINS QUITE SATURATED ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA WHERE HEAVIER RAINS FELL EARLIER THIS WEEK...ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 231. MANY CREEKS...STREAMS...AND RIVERS ARE RUNNING NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. THUS...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE FOR FLASH FLOODING AND RENEW THE RISK OF RIVER FLOODING. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE POSSIBILITY OF RIVER FLOODING...PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD WARNINGS OR STATEMENTS FOR RIVERS THAT ARE IN OR NEAR FLOOD STAGE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... AN UNSETTLED PATTERN IS EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK...WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN BY MID WEEK. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE REQUESTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER THREAT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds knocked down trees in numerous locations throughout the county, including Decatur, Hartselle and Hulaco. As a result, power was knocked for a period of time.
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: 158780.