Scattered thunderstorms along a weak frontal boundary sparked morning and afternoon thunderstorms which produced flash flooding and isolated wind damage. Also, general flooding of creeks and streams was noted.
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 HUN wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms along a weak frontal boundary sparked morning and afternoon thunderstorms which produced flash flooding and isolated wind damage. Also, general flooding of creeks and streams was noted.
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 May 2, 10:09 AM CST, 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1109 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009
.UPDATE...TO INCREASE POPS/QPF GRIDS MAINLY. ALSO...ADJUSTED TEMPS
BASED ON LATEST TRENDS.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
FIRST WAVE OF PRECIP TODAY IS ABOUT TO EXIT OUR CWFA TO THE
EAST...WITH SOME PATCHES OF +RA AND AN ISOLD TSRA OR TWO PRIMARILY
IN JACKSON/DEKALB COUNTIES. WIDESPREAD PRECIP AMOUNTS THUS FAR
THIS MORNING HAVE BEEN AROUND ONE HALF INCH OR LESS WITH RADAR
ESTIMATED AMOUNTS UP TO AROUND AN INCH ALONG A SWATH FROM NORTHERN
COLBERT AND SOUTHERN LAUDERDALE COUNTIES THROUGH SOUTHERN FRANKLIN
COUNTY (TN). ANOTHER SWATH OF HEAVIER PRECIP WITH NEAR ONE INCH
AMOUNTS HAS OCCURRED MAINLY IN NORTHERN PORTIONS OF DEKALB COUNTY.
IN SPITE OF RECENT HEAVY RAINS...ONLY ONE REPORT OF FLASH
FLOODING IN THE HENAGAR/IDER ARES OF DE KALB COUNTY HAS BEEN
RECEIVED SO FAR THIS MORNING.
OTHERWISE...LATEST ANALYSIS SHOWS THE SFC FRONT HAS STALLED TO OUR
NW...GENERALLY THROUGH EAST CENTRAL OK...CENTRAL AR...INTO WEST
TN AND NORTH MIDDLE TN. AREAS OF DEEP CONVECTION CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT PRIMARILY FROM EAST OK INTO NRN
MISS...ALTHOUGH SAT TRENDS INDICATE RECENT WARMING OF CLOUD TOP
TEMPS IN ASSOC WITH CONVECTION IN THE NRN MISS/WRN TN AREAS. RADAR
TRENDS INDICATE MAINTENANCE OF DEEP CONVECTION HOWEVER ACROSS ERN
AR INTO NRN MISS...WITH CELLS DISPLAYING AN EWRD TENDENCY. VIS
IMAGERY ALSO INDICATES SOME CLEARING EXTENDING INTO PARTS OF
CENTRAL MISS/AL WHICH SHOULD HELP TO INCREASE THE TEMP/THETA-E
GRADIENT ACROSS THE REGION INTO THE AFTN. THIS SHOULD HELP TO
CAUSE FURTHER DESTABILIZATION TO THE SOUTH OF FRONT IN THE WARM
SECTOR...AND HELP TO REINVIGORATE CONVECTION LATER TODAY AS A
WEAK LOW-LVL JET STREAK AND UPR SHORT WAVE CROSS THE AREA.
SO...EXPECTING CONVECTION TO DEVELOP AGAIN LATER TODAY INTO THIS
EVENING AND FURTHER EXACERBATE THE POTENTIAL FLOODING SITUATION.
AS A RESULT OF THE RAINS RECEIVED SO FAR...AND THE POSSIBLE RAINS
STILL TO DEVELOP...HAVE ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE AREA UNTIL
MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 620 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009/
DISCUSSION...WENT WITH A BLEND OF GFS/NAM FOR THIS FCST PACKAGE.
CDFNT EXTENDS ACROSS CENTRAL AR...THUR WRN TN AND INTO ERN KY.
UPPER DISTURBANCE NOW OVER AR WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST FOR THE
REST OF TONIGHT. THIS UPPER WAVE/STALLED CDFNT WAS PRODUCING A MCS
OVER ERN AR/WRN TN. EXPECT THIS CLUSTER OF STORMS TO IMPACT OUR
CWA ARND SUNRISE WITH THE CHC OF MORE HEAVY RAIN.
TODAY/TONIGHT...AS FOR SVR WX...MODEL SOUNDINGS TODAY SHOW MOSTLY
HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREATS. WITH WET
BULBS ZERO ARND 12000 FT...WOULD ONLY EXPECT SMALL HAIL. LOW LEVEL
SHEAR IS LOW TODAY BUT DOES BEGIN TO INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SUNDAY...LOOKS TO BE THE BIG ONE FOR HEAVY RAIN AND SVR WX AS CDFNT
FINALLY APPROACHES THE CWA BY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. LOW LEVEL SHEAR
ARND 300 M2/S2 AND 8H WINDS OF 40-50 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE BY
SUNDAY AFTER/EVENING. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE MORE HEAVY RAIN ALONG
WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN AN ISOLATED TORNADO. AGAIN WET BULB
ZERO/FREEZING LEVELS ARE ARND 12000 FT SO LARGE HAIL DOES NOT LOOK
TO BE A BIG PROBLEM ATTM.
WX GETS BETTER BY MONDAY AS CDFNT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA. REMOVED
PCPN MONDAY NIGHT THRU TUESDAY.
REST OF FCST...CONFIDENCE IS REAL LOW THIS FAR OUT...BUT ANOTHER
UPPER WAVE WILL APPROACH THE AREA WITH MORE RAIN. FOR NOW JUST
BROAD BRUSHED A CHC POP FOR WEDNESDAY THRU FRIDAY.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
COLBERT...CULLMAN...DEKALB...FRANKLIN AL...JACKSON...
LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MARSHALL...
MORGAN.
TN...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...MOORE.
&&
DISCUSSION...KDW
PREV DISCUSSION...SSHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 400 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-021800- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 400 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY AND PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TRANSLATING INTO POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY ON ROADWAYS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING THREAT...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY APPROACH SEVERE THRESHOLDS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH SOME WITH THE ONSET OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD ON SUNDAY AS ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE OUTLOOK AREA FROM THE WEST. THE STRONGER STORMS ONCE AGAIN WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME RESULTING IN POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING. IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING THREAT...SOME STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF REACHING SEVERE THRESHOLDS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO LAST FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY BEFORE A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA LATER MONDAY MORNING. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT IS THEN EXPECTED TO END MONDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS ANOTHER SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES BEGIN TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE REQUESTED LATER TODAY TO ASSIST IN SEVERE WEATHER/FLASH FLOODING OPERATIONS. IN ADDITION...FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER REPORTS AND UPDATES.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 716 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009 TNZ096-097-021315- FRANKLIN-LINCOLN- 716 AM CDT SAT MAY 2 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FRANKLIN AND LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 815 AM CDT... AT 714 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR COWAN AND WINCHESTER...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... COWAN...WOODS RESERVOIR. ALTO...SHERWOOD. SEWANEE...ST. ANDREWS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:16 UTC.
2 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash flooding on occurred on CR 739 near the intersection with CR 651, causing the the roadway to become impassable.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines along 7th street in Red Bay.
Extensive flash flooding was reported in the Red Bay area. Particularly hard hit were locations along 4th Avenue SW, Gober Road, and Mccarthy Road.
A tree was blown down along Gandy's Cove Road west of Oden Ridge.
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, May 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: 169213, 169216, 169214, 169218.