A strong thunderstorm produced frequent lightning strikes in western Franklin County during the late afternoon hours. Lightning strikes caused three separate power outages in the Red Bay area.
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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 strong thunderstorm produced frequent lightning strikes in western Franklin County during the late afternoon hours. Lightning strikes caused three separate power outages in the Red Bay area.
Other strong storms occurred in Cullman and Dekalb counties which downed some larger limbs and downed one tree.
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 Aug 3, 11:52 AM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1252 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010
.UPDATE...FOR 18Z TAFS
&&
.AVIATION...UPPER HIGH OVER THE SERN US...WILL KEEP ONLY AN
ISOLATED CHC OF SHRA/TSRA ACROSS THE CWA THRU WEDNESDAY. SINCE THE
CHC OF PCPN IS SO SLIM...WILL NOT MENTION IN TAFS ATTM. OTHERWISE
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FOR BOTH KMSL/KHSV TAFS THRU THE
PERIOD.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 859 AM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010/
UPDATE...ADDED SLIGHT POPS TO NWRN AL ZONES.
DISCUSSION...LOOKS LIKE A WEAK MID LEVEL TROF WAS BEGINNING TO
KICK OFF A FEW ISOLATED SHRA ACROSS NWRN AL. WENT AHEAD AND DID A
QUICK UPDATE TO GRIDS/ZONES TO ADD A SLIGHT CHC OF SHRA/TSRA TO
OUR NWRN ZONES. OTHERWISE REST OF FCST LOOKS ON TRACK ATTM.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 AM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010/
UPDATE...12Z AVIATION.
AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED THRU 12Z/03.
CANNOT TOTALLY RULE OUT BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS AT KHSV THIS MORNING
WITH LOW CLOUDS/FOG POISED JUST TO THE EAST...BUT THEY HAVE ERODED
OR RETREATED OVER THE LAST HR SO IMPACTS WILL BE LIMITED TO SMALLER
AIRPORTS IN NE AL. A FEW SHRA/TSRA ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTN OVER NE
AL...BUT COVERAGE WILL BE LIMITED AND SHOULD REMAIN WELL E OF KHSV.
DISCUSSION...ISSUED 345 AM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010...
THE INCREDIBLE HEAT WAVE ACROSS THE REGION CONTINUES TO BE THE
CRITICAL ELEMENT TO THE MORNING FORECAST PACKAGE. STRONG UPPER
RIDGING CONTINUES TO BUILD ACROSS THE LOWER MS AND TN VALLEY REGIONS
TRANSLATING INTO NEAR TRIPLE DIGIT HIGH TEMPS FOR MUCH OF THE
FORECAST AREA...WITH ASSOCIATED HEAT INDICES IN SOME AREAS
APPROACHING 110 DEGREES. XPCT LITTLE CHANGE IN THIS PATTERN TODAY
WITH NORTH CNTRL AND NW AL EXPERIENCING THE WARMEST CONDITIONS.
LIKEWISE...NO CHANGE WILL BE MADE WITH THE CURRENT EXCESSIVE HEAT
WARNING AND HEAT ADVISORY CURRENTLY IN EFFECT. WHILE RECORD HIGH
TEMPS FOR KHSV (104 IN 1957) AND KMSL (102 IN 1930) LOOK TO BE SAFE
FOR NOW...AFTERNOON HIGHS AGAIN CLIMBING INTO THE UPPER 90S TO NEAR
100 DEGREE RANGE WILL BE THE MAIN STORY...WITH HEAT INDEX READINGS
PREDOM AROUND 105 TO 110 DEGREES.
THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THE FORECAST TODAY WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY FOR
SOME ISOLATED CONVECTION...MAINLY FOR NE AL CLOSER TO THE ERN EDGE
OF THE UPPER RIDGE PATTERN...AS WEAK EMBEDDED UPPER DISTURBANCES
TRAVERSE SWD ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE TN AND OH VALLEYS. GIVEN THE
DEGREE OF SFC BASED INSTABILITY ACROSS THE AREA...ANY CONVECTION
THAT DEVELOPS COULD QUICKLY BECOME QUITE STRONG WITH THE POTENTIAL
FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. THE
STRENGTH OF THE RIDGE PATTERN ALOFT THOUGH WILL RESULT IN PRECIP
COVERAGE REMAINING FAIRLY ISOLATED.
THE OVERALL PATTERN ACROSS THE SE REGION LOOKS TO CONTINUE WELL INTO
WED...WITH SOME OF THE WARMEST TEMPS XPCTED. THE RIDGE THEN FINALLY
LOOKS TO BEGIN A GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND STARTING THU ALTHOUGH
XPCTED AFTERNOON TEMPS/HEAT INDICES WOULD STILL LIKELY REQUIRE THE
CONTINUATION OF HEAT ADVISORIES. BY FRI THOUGH...THE LATEST SUITE OF
MODELS ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE
AREA...WITH SCT SHOWERS/TSTMS DEVELOPING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE SFC
BOUNDARY. THIS WOULD ALSO TRANSLATE INTO COOLER TEMPS SOMEWHAT
CLOSER TO SEASONAL TRENDS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND PERIOD. ANY
RELIEF FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT THOUGH MAY BE SHORT LIVED WITH THE
NWP MODELS HINTING AT THE RIDGE PATTERN STRENGTHENING AGAIN ACROSS
THE REGION GOING INTO THE NEW WORK WEEK.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
DEKALB...JACKSON.
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: COLBERT...CULLMAN...FRANKLIN AL...LAUDERDALE...
LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MARSHALL...MORGAN.
TN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...MOORE.
&&
007HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1255 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-040600- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 1255 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE TODAY. HEAT INDEX READINGS WILL REACH 110 DEGREES ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON...WHILE HEAT INDICES OF 105 TO 110 ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA. ANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... THE DANGEROUS HEAT WAVE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. THE HOTTEST DAY IS EXPECTED TO BE WEDNESDAY...WHEN HEAT INDICES MAY EXCEED 110 DEGREES IN PARTS OF NORTH ALABAMA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST THURSDAY ...ALONG WITH SOME RELIEF FROM THE HEAT...AS A WEAK DISTURBANCE DRIFTS INTO THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
139 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010
ALZ001-002-031930-
COLBERT-LAUDERDALE-
139 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2010
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COLBERT AND LAUDERDALE COUNTIES
UNTIL 230 PM CDT...
AT 134 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ZIP CITY...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF
UNDERWOOD-PETERSVILLE...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
CLOVERDALE...THREET.
UNDERWOOD-PETERSVILLE...SAINT FLORIAN.
OAKLAND.
FLORENCE...SHEFFIELD.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
&&
LAT...LON 3501 8762 3501 8759 3469 8762 3473 8792
3502 8782 3502 8763
TIME...MOT...LOC 1839Z 010DEG 11KT 3496 8772
SSThe Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:57 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts to 45 mph and downed large tree limbs around 2 inches in diameter were reported in the Cullman community.
Lightning caused three power outages.
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: 256443, 258798.