A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) composed of a few mini-supercell thunderstorms produced several reports of downed trees across northern 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 HUN wrote it up.
A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) composed of a few mini-supercell thunderstorms produced several reports of downed trees across northern 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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 9, 11:20 AM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1220 PM CDT FRI OCT 9 2009
.UPDATE...FOR 18Z TAFS/AVIATION DISCUSSION
&&
.AVIATION...LINE OF SHRA WITH A FEW EMBEDDED TSRA CONTINUES TO WORK
ITS WAY ACROSS WRN TN/NRN MS. SWLY GRADIENT WIND IS ALREADY GUSTING
OVER 25 KT AND SFC WINDS COULD RUN SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN AND NEAR THE
APPROACHING LINE. CEILINGS SHOULD ALSO HOVER NEAR MVFR LEVELS
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HRS BEFORE LOWERING BELOW 3K FT AFTER 01Z SAT.
SOME LIGHT TO MOD RESIDUAL RAINFALL IS ALSO XPCTED THROUGH THE
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HRS HELPING TO SOLIDIFY MVFR CONDITIONS.
&&
.DISCUSSION...LINE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS CONTINUES TO MAKE ITS WAY
EWD ACROSS WRN TN AND TOWARD THE CNTRL TN VALLEY AREA. WHILE THE
BETTER INSTABILITY FOR NOW LOOKS TO BE DISPLACED S AND W OF THE
AREA...ANY BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER OVER THE NEXT FEW HRS COULD
RESULT IN THE TSTMS APPROACHING FROM THE W BECOMING BETTER
ORGANIZED. GIVEN THE SLOW PROGRESSION OF THE PRECIP EWD COUPLED WITH
A GOOD AMOUNT OF RESIDUAL RAINFALL BEHIND THE INITIAL LINE...THE
FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL CERTAINLY REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON/EVENING HRS. AS SUCH...NO UPDATES TO THE FORECAST ARE
PLANNED AT THIS TIME.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: CULLMAN...DEKALB...JACKSON...MARSHALL.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: COLBERT...FRANKLIN AL...LAUDERDALE...
LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MORGAN.
TN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...MOORE.
&&
09HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1200 PM CDT FRI OCT 9 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-101000- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 1200 PM CDT FRI OCT 9 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL TENNESSEE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP ALONG OR AHEAD OF THIS LINE. ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. AS SUCH...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL ALONG WITH AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED TO BE ONGOING INTO SATURDAY. THE RAINFALL THOUGH IS EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED IF THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD. FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES ARE ALSO REQUESTED TO RELAY ANY REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:46 UTC.
21 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were reported down on CR 189.
Trees were reported down at Stewartsville Church on Highway 20.
Tress and powerlines were reported down on CR 8.
Several trees were blown down south of Pumpkin Center.
Trees were reported down on Kirby Ridge Road and Liberty Road.
A tree was blown down on a trailer on Guyer Brown Private Drive. People in the trailer were trapped in the trailer and later rescued.
Several trees were blown down and a trailer was damaged near Neel School Road.
A tree was uprooted and blown onto a house on McMeans Blvd. Minor damage to the roof occurred.
A tree was reported down Mcculley Mill road north of Highway 72.
Several large trees were blown down.
A tree was reported down on a house on Ashwood Drive.
Trees were blown down along Highway 146.
A tree was blown down on County Line Road between Highway 72 and Capshaw Road.
A utility pole and power lines were knocked down on Highway 278.
Trees were blown down at the intersection of Nance road and Mcrary road.
Trees were blown down on Nance road and Mercury Lane.
Powerlines and a large tree were knocked down on Blake Bottom Road near Highway 53 and onto two cars. Miraculously no serrious injuries were reported. The extent of the damage to the cars is unknown.
A tree was blown down on Vogel Drive.
A tree was blown down on Venson Street.
Trees were blown down on Snograss road.
Trees were blown down on Gant road.
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, October 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: 198842, 198859, 198858, 199633, 198862, 198864, 199631, 199649, 198897, 199635, 198869, 199638, 198899, 199637, 199658, 199636, 198898, 198900, 199641, 199639, 199640.