A line of strong thunderstorms moving through north Alabama produced some isolated lightning strikes and damage in Madison County.
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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 line of strong thunderstorms moving through north Alabama produced some isolated lightning strikes and damage in Madison County.
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 13, 1:55 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 255 PM CDT SAT AUG 13 2011 .SYNOPSIS...THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN OVER NORTH AMERICA WILL CONTINUE CHANGING WITH A SHORTWAVE OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND AND RIDGE LOCATED OVER THE WESTERN U.S. MEANWHILE...A SFC COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS CURRENTLY LOCATED FROM LAKE MICHIGAN TOWARDS N KY SW OVER SOUTHERN MO/NW AR. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP OVER N MS AND PORTIONS OF N AL. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING IN THE VICINITY OF A STATIONARY FRONT OVER CENTRAL AL AND THE PREVAILING WESTERLY FLOW. && .DISCUSSION...AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH RAPIDLY DEEPENS OVER THE NEXT 12-18 HOURS, THE SFC COLD FRONT WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTHWARD TONIGHT BRINGING AN ADDITIONAL CHC FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE INSTABILITY IS MAINLY ELEVATED WITH ANY OF THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP. HOWEVER, AS MENTIONED WITH PREVIOUS SHIFT, THERE IS STILL A LAYER OF MID LEVEL DRY AIR THAT IS EXPECTED TO ENTRAIN ACROSS THE REGION WHICH MAY ASSIST IN ANY STORMS HAVING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. PWATS ARE STILL HIGH WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN STILL EXISTS. AT THIS TIME, THE SEVERE THREAT LOOKS TO BE MORE ISOLATED IN NATURE DUE TO WEAK SHEAR AND LACK OF A STRONG FRONT. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER THE REGION BTWN 09-15Z WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY LINGERING THROUGH THE DAY (ESPECIALLY OVER NE AL) AS THE UPPER TROUGH CROSSES AND THEN EXITS THE SOUTHEAST. ONCE THE TROUGH PASSES OVER THE REGION, EXPECTING ANY REMAINING CONVECTION TO END RAPIDLY AS STRONG COOL/DRY AIR ADVECTION BEGINS IN EARNEST ON SUNDAY EVENING. DEWPOINTS SHOULD DROP INTO THE MID 60S SUNDAY EVENING AND NIGHT WITH FURTHER DROPS INTO THE LOW 60S LATER ON MONDAY. DAYTIME HIGHS WILL BE NOTICEABLY COOLER ON MONDAY WITH READINGS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. SUSTAINED NW/N WINDS ARE LIKELY TO BE IN THE 10-15 MPH RANGE WITH MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS. AFTER SUNSET, OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP IN THE LOW TO MID 60S MONDAY NIGHT. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL BE A BIT HIGHER IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S DUE TO LIGHT WINDS AND SUNNY CONDITIONS. MEANWHILE, THE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE U.S. WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN BY MONDAY NIGHT AND BE SHUNTED WEST BY MID WEEK. AS THIS OCCURS, A SFC HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE ATLANTIC WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT WESTWARD OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. SENDING WEAK LOW LEVEL SOUTHERLY FLOW - INCREASING TEMPS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE WEAKNESS IN THE RIDGE, SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS TOWARDS THE TN VALLEY ON WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF A STRONGER SHORTWAVE (LOCATED OVER THE U.S./CANADA BORDER NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR). THIS STRONGER SHORTWAVE WILL PUSH A SFC COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD TOWARDS THE TN VALLEY ON THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE MODELS ARE SLOWING THIS SYSTEM DOWN AND THE SFC COLD FRONT (LIKELY DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WELL TO THE NORTH). SO, ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TIMING OF THE FRONT/THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE MADE AT A LATER TIME. IT IS A LITTLE EARLY TO PINPOINT THE EXACT THREATS WITH THIS SYSTEM, BUT IT DOES APPEAR THAT STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH HEAVY RAINFALL. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... HUNTSVILLE 71 89 67 87 66 / 40 20 10 10 0 SHOALS 69 89 66 87 65 / 40 20 10 10 0 VINEMONT 70 89 67 87 64 / 40 20 10 10 0 FAYETTEVILLE 69 88 64 86 63 / 50 20 10 10 0 ALBERTVILLE 69 89 68 87 65 / 50 20 10 10 0 FORT PAYNE 70 89 65 87 62 / 50 20 10 10 0 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && SL.77
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 345 PM CDT SAT AUG 13 2011 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-141000- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN- MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 345 PM CDT SAT AUG 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY TO BRIEF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN MORE GENERAL IN NATURE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. THUNDERSTORMS WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF THROUGH MIDDAY SUNDAY AS THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MAINLY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM ANY STORMS. .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
503 PM CDT SAT AUG 13 2011
ALZ005>008-132300-
LIMESTONE-MADISON-MARSHALL-MORGAN-
503 PM CDT SAT AUG 13 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LIMESTONE...MADISON...MARSHALL
AND MORGAN COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
AT 502 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM MADISON TO
VALHERMOSO SPRINGS TO EVA...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
CAPSHAW...TRIANA.
TRIANA...MADISON.
VALHERMOSO SPRINGS...FLORETTE.
VALHERMOSO SPRINGS.
LACEYS SPRING...REDSTONE ARSENAL.
RYAN CROSSROADS.
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.
&&
LAT...LON 3477 8658 3456 8649 3431 8655 3432 8684
3451 8686 3479 8694
TIME...MOT...LOC 2203Z 262DEG 17KT 3472 8680 3452 8675
3435 8677The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:41 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A line of strong thunderstorms moved through Madison county, Alabama. Lightning associated with the thunderstorms, struck three homes, producing minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, August 2011
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: 345202.