A tropical air mass and weak disturbances moving north ahead of an approaching cold front produced strong thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall. Rainfall amounts in Lauderdale county varied from 3 to 5 inches.
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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 tropical air mass and weak disturbances moving north ahead of an approaching cold front produced strong thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall. Rainfall amounts in Lauderdale county varied from 3 to 5 inches.
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 Sep 17, 5:45 AM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 645 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2009 .UPDATE...FOR 12Z TAFS/AVIATION DISCUSSION && .AVIATION...SHRA...ALONG WITH A FEW EMBEDDED TSTMS...ARE XPCTED TO BE OFF AND ON THROUGH 00Z FRI AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER SE TX GRADUALLY BEGINS TO MOVE TOWARD THE NE. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY XPCTED TO PREVAIL ALTHOUGH BRIEF IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FOR TERMINALS IN AND NEAR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. && .DISCUSSION...THE SHOWERS THAT AFFECTED PARTS OF NW ALABAMA HAVE FOR THE MOST PART FADED. A LOOK AT METARS AND MESOSITE OBSERVATIONS THUS FAR SHOW UPWARDS OF 1.2 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THIS REGION. HOWEVER THERE OBVIOUSLY WERE HIGHER AMOUNTS...WHICH WILL BE NOTED LATER TODAY ON OUR DAILY TEMPS/PRECIP REPORT COMING OUT AROUND 10 AM... HUNOSOHUN OR SXUS54 KHUN PRODUCT. AS OF THE PRESENT...A BAND OF SHOWERS CONTINUED ALONG THE TN/AL BORDER FROM EAST OF SAVANNAH TO NORTH OF MERIDIANVILLE. OTHER SHOWERS WERE AFFECTING DEKALB COUNTY AND APPROACHING SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY. FORECAST WISE...NOT MANY CHANGES IN THE BIG PICTURE PATTERN FOR THE SHORTER TERM THROUGH SATURDAY. PESKY LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE TX/LA REGION INTO FRIDAY. A SOUTHERLY FLOW EAST OF THE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO FEED RICH GULF MOISTURE OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. THUS VERY GOOD/LIKELY CHANCES OF MORE SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED T-STORM WILL CONTINUE. WITH PRECIP WATER AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 1.7 TO OVER 2 INCHES PER NAM/GFS BUFFER SOUNDINGS...THERE WILL BE A RISK FOR LOCALLY HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL. GIVEN THE FLOODING THAT AFFECTED NW ALABAMA WED EVENING...HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THEM FOR TODAY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL PLUS A WET GROUND WILL CAUSE MORE RUNOFF/FLOODING PROBLEMS. THE LOW SHOULD FINALLY WEAKEN AND MOVE ACROSS MS/AL DURING LATE SATURDAY. THE 00Z GFS/ECMWF WERE RATHER SIMILAR WITH BIG PICTURE QPF COVERAGE/AMOUNTS THEN...HOWEVER THE EUROPEAN WAS A TAD WETTER. FURTHER OUT...RAIN CHANCES SHOULD DROP IN TO THE CHANCE RANGE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AND FIRST PART OF THE NEXT WORK WEEK. RESIDUAL MOISTURE/INSTABILITY APPARENTLY WILL NOT BE TO QUICK TO DEPART...DESPITE THE LOW BECOMING MORE DIFFUSE WITH TIME...SO CHANCES FOR SHOWERS CONTINUE. A COLD FRONT PASSAGE IS A POSSIBILITY IN ABOUT A WEEK. BOTH THE GFS/ECMWF HINT AT A FRONT NEARING THE AREA DURING THE WED/THU TIME FRAME. THE GFS WAS WEAKER AND DISPLACED SOMEWHAT FURTHER NORTH THAN THE MORE AGGRESSIVE ECMWF. THESE MODELS OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO HAVE REPEATEDLY ADVERTISED SOMETHING LIKE THIS FURTHER OUT. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY IN WHEN/IF A FRONT ARRIVES IS PROBLEMATIC...SO HAVE MADE THE LAST TWO PERIODS PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF CONVECTION. FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH...ASTRONOMICAL AUTUMN ARRIVES NEXT TUES AFTERNOON. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: COLBERT...FRANKLIN AL...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE. TN...NONE. && UPDATE...09 DISCUSSION..RSB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 813 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2009 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-171900- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 813 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NUMEROUS SHOWERS...SOME PRODUCING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL...WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS...WATER MAY QUICKLY BEGIN TO FILL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS. PONDING ON ROADWAYS IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY ESPECIALLY IN AND NEAR THE HEAVIER RAINS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING ON STREETS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. ISOLATED OR EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL THIS EVENING AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A SLOW MOVING STORM SYSTEM OVER SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WILL GRADUALLY MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA IN A VERY MOIST ENVIRONMENT ESPECIALLY AS THE STORM SYSTEM BEGINS TO MOVE ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. PROLONGED HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL MAINTAIN THE THREAT FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. ISOLATED OR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL...ESPECIALLY AS THE STORM SYSTEM BEGINS TO APPROACH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THIS WEEKEND. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS REMAIN THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY ANY REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING TO THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE IN HUNTSVILLE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
758 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0757 AM FLASH FLOOD 3 N KILLEN 34.90N 87.53W
09/17/2009 LAUDERDALE AL EMERGENCY MNGR
SEVERAL REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN THE KILLEN AREA AND NORTHWARD
TOWARD GREEN HILL.
&&
JEThe Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:13 UTC.
13 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Roads were reported flooded in the Waterloo community.
A mobile home in the Green Hill community on CR 94 had the roof partially peeled back. Trees were snapped also in the area.
County road 34 flooded on CR 34 near Greenhill.
County road 473 was closed due to flooding.
An observer measured intense rainfall rates of 2.99 inches in 90 minutes.
CR 130 at Dalton Bottoms was flooded near CR 8 in the Green Hill community.
Gresham Road was closed between Helton and Chisolm roads.
Flooding was reported on CR 65 just off highway 43 in the Bush Creek community of Killen.
One foot of water covered the road on a portion of Wood Avenue.
County road 24 between Parker Drive and Hazelwood Drive was flooded.
Public reported water covering several roads on the UNA campus. Some of these roads were impassable.
County road 379 was closed in the Green Hill community.
Fairground road was flooded near the Senior Center.
Flooding was reported on Florence Blvd near Meinke Blvd. Flooding was reported at the intersection of Creekwood and Mars Hill.
County road 76 flooded at the bridge just before CR 547 in the Anderson 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, September 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: 194602, 197622, 197627, 194572, 197659, 194577, 197632, 194591, 197633, 194574, 197634, 197635, 197637, 197642, 197644.