Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon heating and produced cloud to ground lightning.
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 during the afternoon heating and produced cloud to ground lightning.
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 20, 2:26 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 326 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014 .DISCUSSION... SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT HAS REMAINED SOMEWHAT LIMITED THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR ISOLATED SEVERE MICROBURSTS WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. THIS DIURNALLY-DRIVEN ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING. BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON THE MUCH ANTICIPATED UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL HAVE STRENGTHENED SUBSTANTIALLY WITH ANTICYCLONIC FLOW AND SUBSIDENCE SQUELCHING CONVECTION. HAVE LEFT A SILENT 10 POP IN ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA IN CASE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR VERY ISOLATED SHOWER OR STORM. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN RAIN-FREE FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THE HEAT IS THE MAIN CONCERN FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AS HIGHS CLIMB INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S. DECIDED TO GO WITH DEWPOINTS ON THE LOWER END OF THE GUIDANCE (MID TO UPPER 60S) FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON EACH DAY AS BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE MAY BECOME MORE LIMITED DUE TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW. THIS WOULD RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES IN THE 100-104F RANGE FOR MOST AREAS. IF DEWPOINTS END UP SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN FORECAST...HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA (105F OR GREATER) WOULD BE MET OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE CWA. MODELS HAVE BECOME RATHER CONSISTENT IN SHOWING A BACK DOOR FRONT MOVING WESTWARD FROM GEORGIA ON SUNDAY AS THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AMPLIFIES AND RETREATS TO THE NORTHWEST. HAVE INCREASED RAIN CHANCES ACROSS THE EAST FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH ACTIVITY SHIFTING WESTWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD DRIFT BACK CLOSER TO NORMAL FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH DEEP EASTERLY FLOW. 87/GRANTHAM && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. NO CHANGE TO FORECAST REASONING/DETAILS. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INCLUDE VCTS AT ANY OF THE TERMINALS AT THIS TIME. WINDS WILL PREVAIL FROM THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST THROUGH SUNSET...THEN TREND LIGHT FROM SW TO NW OVERNIGHT. EXPECT LIGHT W TO NW WINDS TOMORROW. JD/02 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 70 95 70 96 71 / 20 10 10 10 10 ANNISTON 71 95 71 96 72 / 20 10 10 10 10 BIRMINGHAM 73 97 73 97 74 / 10 10 10 10 10 TUSCALOOSA 72 97 72 98 73 / 10 10 10 10 10 CALERA 72 96 72 97 73 / 10 10 10 10 10 AUBURN 72 96 72 96 73 / 20 10 10 10 10 MONTGOMERY 72 97 73 98 74 / 20 10 10 10 10 TROY 71 96 71 97 72 / 20 10 10 10 10 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 87/02
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1258 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014 ALZ011>015-017>050-211800- MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE- CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA- CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA- CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON- BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR- 1258 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 60MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. AREAS WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 65. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. VERY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA ON FRIDAY...AND LAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE UPPER 90S TO NEAR 100 DEGREES FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS. HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE NEAR 105 DEGREES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. JD/02
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
204 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014
ALZ021-027-028-201945-
CLAY AL-CLEBURNE AL-TALLADEGA AL-
204 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EXTREME NORTHEASTERN TALLADEGA...
SOUTHWESTERN CLEBURNE AND NORTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM
CDT...
AT 202 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR MOUNT CHEAHA...OR 5 MILES SOUTH OF OXFORD...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.
LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
MOUNT CHEAHA...
DELTA...
CAMP SEQUOYAH...
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.
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.
&&
LAT...LON 3339 8565 3338 8574 3351 8589 3359 8581
3358 8579 3356 8579 3356 8575 3357 8574
3352 8564
TIME...MOT...LOC 1904Z 313DEG 17KT 3352 8578
JD/02PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
326 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0157 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 SE OXFORD 33.57N 85.78W
08/20/2014 CALHOUN AL EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ALONG MCINTOSH ROAD...NEAR
MELLON BRIDGE. ESTIMATED WINDS APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH.
&&
JTALLEYSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
418 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014
ALZ037-202200-
TALLAPOOSA AL-
418 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2014
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL TALLAPOOSA COUNTY UNTIL
500 PM CDT...
AT 418 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR JACKSONS GAP...OR NEAR ALEXANDER CITY...MOVING
SOUTHEAST 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...
DADEVILLE...
CAMP HILL...
JACKSONS GAP...
STILL WATERS RESORT...
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
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.
&&
LAT...LON 3272 8561 3271 8561 3271 8581 3291 8597
3296 8584 3297 8573 3295 8559 3273 8559
TIME...MOT...LOC 2118Z 308DEG 9KT 3289 8587The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 24 year old male sustained non-life threatening injuries when he was struck by lightning in his yard outside of his home.
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, August 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: 540934.