Thunderstorms developed in an unstable atmosphere as the result of a moist boundary layer and diurnal heating.
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 BMX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed in an unstable atmosphere as the result of a moist boundary layer and diurnal heating.
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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 11:48 AM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1248 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 .UPDATE...AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... WILL HAVE UPDATED FORECAST PRODUCTS OUT VERY SHORTLY...WITH JUST A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS. TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN RISING PRETTY MUCH ON SCHEDULE...AND HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S STILL LOOK REASONABLE. DEW POINTS WERE RUNNING A DEGREE OR TWO BELOW FORECAST VALUES...SO THAT SMALL TWEAK WAS MADE FOR THE AFTERNOON. ALSO MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE RAIN CHANCES TODAY...BASED ON THE CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND RECENT RADAR TRENDS. ESSENTIALLY WILL TIGHTEN THE GRADIENT OF POPS...INCREASING THEM IN THE SOUTHEAST AND NUDGING THEM DOWN A LITTLE NORTH AND WEST. /61/ && .AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION. TROPICALLY RELATED AND SLOW MOVING SURFACE LOW JUST NORTH OF MOBILE WILL CONTINUE TO HELP SPREAD INCREASING AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MORNING CLOUDINESS IN THE SOUTHEAST HAS LARGELY MIXED OUT...ALTHOUGH THE CUMULUS THERE IS GREATER IN COVERAGE THAN FARTHER NORTH. FAIRLY HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE OF GREATER COVERAGE TODAY COMPARED TO PREVIOUS DAYS. WILL KEEP VCTS IN THE TAFS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND MAKE AMENDMENTS TO PREDOMINANT OR TEMPO THUNDERSTORM CONDITIONS AS EVENTS WARRANT. MODELS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD LOW CLOUDS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...WITH IFR LEVEL CEILINGS. NOTICE...KEET TAF WILL HAVE (AMD LTD TO VIS WIND AND WX) AMENDED TO THE END OF THE FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF 2010. THE CEILOMETER DATA WILL BE GOING THROUGH NUMEROUS TESTS AND MONITORED FOR ACCURACY. /61/ && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH 7 PM CDT TODAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BLOUNT...CALHOUN...CHEROKEE...ETOWAH...FAYETTE...JEFFERSON...LAMAR... MARION...PICKENS...SHELBY...ST. CLAIR...TALLADEGA...TUSCALOOSA... WALKER...WINSTON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 332 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ALZ011>015-017>050-142030- AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE- CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE- JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY- PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA- TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON- 332 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES FROM 105 TO 110 DEGREES THROUGH THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THESE STORMS SHOULD DIMINISH IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE STARTING AROUND SUNSET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE COMBINATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY WILL AGAIN LEAD TO HEAT INDEX VALUES UP TO 110 DEGREES ON SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. ISOLATED STRONG STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AGAIN ON SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 61
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 319 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ALZ012-132100- LAMAR AL- 319 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN LAMAR COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM CDT... AT 315 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR DETROIT...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF SULLIGENT...MOVING WEST AT 10 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... PINE SPRINGS... TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. 27
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 321 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ALZ018-132100- ETOWAH AL- 321 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN ETOWAH COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM CDT... AT 320 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR REECE CITY...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF GADSDEN...MOVING WEST AT 5 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... NOCCALULA FALLS... SARDIS CITY... ATTALLA... ROCKLEDGE... MOUNTAINBORO... TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. 27
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:43 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees uprooted with partial roof damage at a residence on Bluff Road. Chicken houses also damaged.
Several trees down along Highway 278.
Lightning struck a house resulting in a fire.
Lightning struck a house on County Road 77 resulting in a fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, August 2010
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: 254517, 254510, 254513, 254515.