A cold front moved through the region on 1/13/13 with a line of thunderstorms producing scattered wind damage in northwest Alabama. Excessive rainfall developed across north Alabama as the cold front began to slowly stall out across the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 cold front moved through the region on 1/13/13 with a line of thunderstorms producing scattered wind damage in northwest Alabama. Excessive rainfall developed across north Alabama as the cold front began to slowly stall out across the area. Much colder air filtered into the region behind the front. This shallow cold air mass, combined with over-running precipitation across the area, resulted in periods of freezing rain across much of north 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 Jan 13, 11:56 AM CST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1156 AM CST SUN JAN 13 2013 .UPDATE... FOR 18Z TAFS && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1033 AM CST SUN JAN 13 2013/ THE LATEST 16Z SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTHEAST CLOSER TO THE FORECAST AREA. THE COLD FRONT WAS SITUATED FROM A FEW MILES EAST OF OWENSBORO KENTUCKY... EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO BETWEEN CLARKSVILLE AND NASHVILLE TENNESSEE...THEN FURTHER SOUTHWEST BETWEEN OXFORD AND TUPELO MISSISSIPPI. THERE IS A SHARP TEMP CONTRAST AHEAD AND BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH AS MUCH AS A 25-30 DEGREE DIFFERENCE NOTED. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT FLASH FLOOD WATCH WORDING FOR MY NORTHWEST ALABAMA COUNTIES...AS AREAS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD BEGIN TO OVERSPREAD THIS AREA BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPS WILL FALL QUICKLY WHERE THE COLD FRONT PASSES...SO EXPECT THE SHOALS AREA TO SEE A QUICK TEMP DROP BY LATE AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING TIME PERIOD. WITH HIGH PWAT VALUES AND EXPECTED HEAVY RAINFALL...WILL BE MONITORING THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA AND THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA CLOSELY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. WILL ONLY MAKE MINOR WORDING AND TEMP CHANGES FOR THIS FORECAST UPDATE. TT && .AVIATION... FOR 18Z TAFS...HAVE CONTINUED BASICALLY WITH IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MOST OF THE FORECAST AS LOW CLOUDS AND RAIN SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA. HAVE IMPROVED CONDITIONS AT MSL AFTER 10Z...AS EXPECT SOME BREAKS IN THE LOWER CLOUDS BETWEEN 10Z TO 14Z. TT && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR ALZ001>005. TN...NONE. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 224 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-141000- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 224 PM CST SUN JAN 13 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA...ELEVATING THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. PLEASE CONSULT THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THAT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT AREA FOR MORE INFORMATION. IN ADDITION...THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT...ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...AS IT MOVES INTO THE AREA. WIND GUSTS FROM 30 TO 40 MPH...LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS WILL HEIGHTEN THE POSSIBILITY FOR AREAL AND RIVER FLOODING. AS COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO FILTER INTO THE REGION...THERE IS A SMALL RISK OF SLEET FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ON MONDAY...MAINLY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA. AT THIS TIME...NO ACCUMULATION OF SLEET IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT THROUGH MONDAY. TT
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:45 UTC.
8 winter weather, 7 flash flood, 3 flood, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A few large limbs were downed by thunderstorm winds on Veterans drive.
A few trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.
Several inches of water covered the road along Cannon road near Fort Hampton road just northwest of Athens, due to heavy rain.
Several road intersections in the vicinity of Decatur were covered with several inches of water.
Flash flooding occurred as the creek under highway 69 was slightly overflowing.
Flash flooding was occurring with water depth several inches deep across the road and mid way up the driver door of a truck.
Flash flooding was occurring with six inches to a foot of water reported over County Road 47 between Thomas and Poole Circle and along County Road 50 and Alabama Highway 75.
Numerous county roads were closed due to at least several inches of water reported over the roads. The roads closed included: County roads 151, 354, 177, 31, 453, 117, 45, 9, 142 and highway 65 near the Paint Rock Valley High School.
Flash flooding was occurring with several inches of water reported over County Roads 27, 112, 116.
Numerous reports of flooding were received as several roads were covered by water several inches deep across Limestone County.
Flooding was occurring with several inches of water over numerous roads in vicinity of Decatur.
A light glaze of ice was reported on trees only near the corner of Triana and Elkwood Section road, about three miles north of Hazel Green, Alabama.
A light glaze of ice was reported at the corner of Highway 99 and Tillman Mill road.
Nearly a quarter of an inch of ice was estimated to have accumulated in the trees in downtown Rogersville, Alabama.
Big Wills creek was at the top of its banks and highway 227 at County Road 51 was underwater with several inches of water over the road. Flooding was also occurring along County roads 371, 739, 386 and 30, with portions of the roadways washed out.
It was estimated that around a tenth of an inch of freezing rain had accumulated on trees and power lines about eight miles northwest of Athens.
Light freezing rain was occurring with a light glaze of ice reported to be on trees and power lines along highway 33 at Courtland Mountain, about five miles southeast of Courtland, Alabama.
Freezing rain was occurring with two trees reported to be downed just west of Russellville due to the weight of ice and saturated soil. The total ice accumulation on the downed trees was estimated to be at around an eighth of an inch.
Light freezing rain was occurring with ice glazing and accumulating on elevated surfaces, power lines and estimated to be at around a tenth of an inch.
Light freezing rain was occurring with a light coating of ice estimated at around three hundredths of an inch, was on trees and power lines in the Union area, about 10 miles east of Somerville, Alabama, on Brindlee Mountain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, January 2013
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: 431271, 431273, 431278, 431309, 431630, 431637, 432747, 432769, 432750, 431304, 431310, 432757, 432760, 432762, 432763, 432764, 432765, 432766, 432767, 432768.