Widespread rainfall spread across Central Alabama on Friday, April 18, as a surface low slowly moved across the northern Florida panhandle and an upper level trough strengthened to a closed low while tracking along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast. 5 to 4 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 BMX wrote it up.
Widespread rainfall spread across Central Alabama on Friday, April 18, as a surface low slowly moved across the northern Florida panhandle and an upper level trough strengthened to a closed low while tracking along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast. Rainfall amounts across southeast Central Alabama ranged from 1.5 to 4 inches. A wake low developed behind the exiting and diminishing area of rain. With saturated ground conditions, wind speeds of 30-50 mph knocked down trees across several counties. In addition, pressure readings at TOI and MGM indicated quick pressure drops of just under 3 MB as the wake low moved through with maximum wind gusts of 38mph and 33 mph, respectively. A wind gust of 31mph was recorded at the Auburn AWOS as well.
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 Apr 18, 5:38 AM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 638 AM CDT FRI APR 18 2014 .UPDATE... FOR 12Z AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... A RATHER DREARY DAY IS SHAPING UP FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA ESPECIALLY EAST OF INTERSTATE 59 AS A LARGE RAIN SHIELD SPREADS NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF. SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS IN THE NORTHERN GULF HAS OCCURRED IN RESPONSE TO A DIGGING AND DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE REGION. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS TIGHTENED AS A SURFACE RIDGE AXIS OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES NOSED ITS WAY INTO GEORGIA... CREATING A COOL WEDGE. THIS WEDGE WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM RISING MUCH TODAY IN THE PRESENCE OF WIDESPREAD CLOUDS AND RAIN. TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN STEADY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA...WHICH IS ABOUT 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. THE RAIN SHIELD WILL BE A BIT SLOW TO MOVE OUT OF OUR EASTERN AREAS AS A TROWAL DEVELOPS AROUND A CLOSED UPPER. TOTAL RAINFALL SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 85 COULD REACH 2-3 INCHES...BUT THE RAINFALL RATES SHOULD NOT BE HIGH ENOUGH TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING. ANY LEFTOVER LIGHT RAIN WILL LIKELY COME TO AN END NEAR THE AL/GA STATE LINE BY LATE SATURDAY MORNING. DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE MID 60S EAST TO MID 70S WEST. WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED INTO SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS WE AWAIT THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM ON LATE MONDAY. THAT SYSTEM WILL NOT BE AS DYNAMIC AS THE ONE WE ARE CURRENTLY DEALING WITH...BUT THE ASSOCIATED WEAK COLD FRONT SHOULD TRIGGER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL LEAD TO DRIER CONDITIONS FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. 87/GRANTHAM && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. WITH RAIN AND CLOUDS COVERING UP A GOOD CHUNK OF THE AREA...WENT A VERY PESSIMISTIC FORECAST FOR THIS SET OF TAFS. THE LOW IFR DECK HAS MOVED INTO TOI AND MGM AND WILL SLOWLY MOVE NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. EXPECT THE CIGS TO LIFT A TAD AND BE GENERALLY LOW END MVFR BY 14 TO 15Z. WENT WITH PERSISTENT RAIN AND LOW CLOUDS FOR MGM AND TOI THROUGH THE PERIOD...BUT STARTED CLEARING OUT THE NORTHERN 4 BY 3 TO 6Z AS THE TROUGH PUSHED EASTWARD THROUGH THE STATE. NOTE...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE ISSUING SEASONAL TERMINAL FORECASTS FOR THE TALLADEGA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KASN) IN TALLADEGA...ALABAMA. THE FORECASTS WILL BE ISSUED FROM APRIL 20TH 00Z THROUGH AT LEAST MAY 8TH 00Z. DUE TO THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF OBSERVATIONS...KASN TAF WILL HAVE AMD NOT SKED APPENDED TO THE END OF THE FORECAST. 16 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 57 50 71 49 76 / 100 50 10 0 0 ANNISTON 56 50 69 50 76 / 100 60 20 0 0 BIRMINGHAM 58 50 73 50 77 / 90 40 10 0 0 TUSCALOOSA 62 50 76 50 79 / 70 20 10 0 0 CALERA 57 51 73 51 77 / 100 40 10 0 0 AUBURN 54 48 65 50 73 / 100 80 20 10 0 MONTGOMERY 57 50 70 51 77 / 100 60 10 0 0 TROY 56 49 67 50 75 / 100 60 20 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 AM CDT FRI APR 18 2014 ALZ011>015-017>050-191130- 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- 630 AM CDT FRI APR 18 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. MINOR FLOODING CONTINUES ON THE LOWER TOMBIGBEE RIVER. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON THE LOWER TOMBIGBEE RIVER THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
With saturated ground conditions and strong winds, trees were knocked down in several communities across Elmore County, including Tallassee, Friendship, and Eclectic.
With saturated ground conditions and strong winds, several trees were knocked down in Troy. Winds were estimated to be between 40-50mph, while the ASOS at Troy Municipal Airport measured a gust of 38mph.
With saturated ground conditions and strong winds, trees were knocked down across Barbour County.
With saturated ground conditions and strong winds, trees were knocked down across Macon County, including along Highway 199 and County Rd 60 near Tallassee.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 2014
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: 519150, 519151, 519152, 519153.