A strong cold front moved through the area on January 11th. Limited instability precluded a more widespread outbreak of severe storms, but low level winds and shear were very strong, and some storms did produce straight line wind damage with mainly trees being blown down.
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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 TAE wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved through the area on January 11th. Limited instability precluded a more widespread outbreak of severe storms, but low level winds and shear were very strong, and some storms did produce straight line wind damage with mainly trees being blown down.
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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 11, 8:14 AM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
914 AM EST Sat Jan 11 2014
...Slight Risk of Severe Storms Continues...
.Near Term [Through Today]...
The 12z KTAE sounding reveals a stable layer from the surface up to
around 1300 ft. Although we have seen some impressive velocities at
low levels this morning on the area radars, winds are not completely
mixing down, likely due to this shallow stable layer. Peak gust
we have seen measured so far has been 33 knots at Apalachicola.
Nevertheless, as pre-frontal convection to the west organizes and
moves towards the area later today, there remains a slight risk of
severe storms if the stable layer seen in the TAE sounding can
erode. There also may be less of a stable layer across the western
half of the area, and several reports of straight line wind damage
have been received up in central Alabama. In fact, we have
recently seen velocities greater than 55 knots dip below a
thousand feet on EVX radar with convection moving ashore near the
Walton/Bay county line. Low level shear is very strong with 0-1 km
shear recently up to 50 knots on the EVX VAD wind profile.
Hodographs are rather straight though, so we think the main threat
would be damaging winds with the tornado threat remaining low
locally.
&&
.Aviation...
[Through 12z Sunday] Rain and thunderstorms will move from west to
east across the area today. Conditions should return to VFR at
DHN/ECP around 20z and finally VLD around 23z with west to northwest
winds up to 15 knots.
&&
.Prev Discussions [355 AM EST]...
.Short Term [Tonight Through Monday]...
The upper level pattern will remain progressive across the region
with one trough exiting east of the area tonight and another
reaching the Lower Mississippi Valley by Tuesday evening. The cold
front should exit southeast of the Lower Suwannee by 02-03z. We have
included slight to low chance PoPs roughly along and east of the
Aucilla and Withlacoochee Rivers. High pressure will then build east
along the Gulf Coast on Sunday clearing skies. Temperatures will be
cooler behind the front, but remain a few degrees above normal with
morning lows in the upper 30s to mid 40s and afternoon highs
generally in the mid 60s. The high will move off the Southeast U.S.
coast on Monday with return flow returning increasing moisture off
the Gulf of Mexico. High temps will reach the upper 60s in most
areas with lower 70s in the eastern FL Big Bend. As the next frontal
system approaches, rain chances will return to the forecast with
likely PoPs far west and chance PoPs elsewhere. With so little time
between fronts, we do expect sufficient instability to become
established to mention thunder anywhere except over the marine area
on Monday at this time.
.Long Term [Monday Night Through Saturday]...
Very little change from our previous fcst over the extended period,
as the mean trough will remain entrenched over the eastern half of
the U.S. throughout the period. This will allow a series of
shortwaves to dig southeastward into our region and reinforce the
main trough, which should result in a lengthy period of below
climo (but not extreme) temps beginning on Tuesday. While the
first in this series of shortwaves will be very active with
numerous showers and thunderstorms ending by Tuesday morning, the
remaining ones are expected to be dry, and only serve to reinforce
the cool to potentially cold temperatures, especially as indicated
by the ECMWF.
.Marine...
Sea fog is expected to continue over the cooler shelf waters east
of Apalachicola through the morning and possibly into the
afternoon. Southerly winds will increase today ahead of an
approaching cold front. At this time, we expect winds and seas to
peak mainly at cautionary levels, although a brief period of
marginal advisory conditions cannot be ruled out. Winds will shift
to the west behind the front which will enter the western waters
this morning an exit east of the area this evening. Winds will
then become northwest overnight possibly reaching cautionary
levels once again. High pressure will build east Sunday through
Monday with winds becoming light and veering to onshore by Sunday
night. The next front will cross the waters Monday night into
Tuesday morning. Winds will once again reach cautionary to
marginal advisory criteria ahead of and behind this boundary. A
third front will sweep quickly across the waters Tuesday night.
Seas and offshore winds behind this front are likely to reach
advisory levels.
.Fire Weather...
After a wet day today, much drier conditions are expected on Sunday
in the wake of a cold front but red flag conditions are not expected.
Rain returns to the region on Monday.
.Hydrology...
Rainfall totals with today's frontal system will generally range
from about an inch and a half in Walton County to 3/4 of an inch in
Dixie with most areas in between around an inch. Another system on
Monday and Monday night is expected to produce roughly a half to 3/4
of an inch. While these events should cause minor rises on some area
rivers, flooding is not expected at this time.
&&
.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
Tallahassee 76 42 65 40 69 / 90 10 0 0 40
Panama City 75 46 64 48 67 / 100 0 0 0 60
Dothan 73 41 63 43 67 / 100 0 0 0 50
Albany 75 41 64 40 67 / 100 10 0 0 40
Valdosta 77 44 64 40 69 / 100 20 0 0 30
Cross City 77 46 67 38 72 / 100 30 0 0 30
Apalachicola 75 46 62 47 66 / 90 10 0 0 50
&&
.TAE Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
FL...None.
GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...Dense Fog Advisory until 4 PM EST this afternoon for Apalachee
Bay-Coastal waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola
FL out to 20 NM-Coastal waters from Suwannee River to
Keaton Beach FL out 20 NM-Waters from Suwannee River to
Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 NM.
&&
NEAR TERM...DVD
SHORT TERM...WOOL
LONG TERM...GOULD
AVIATION...DVD
MARINE...WOOL
FIRE WEATHER...BARRY
HYDROLOGY...WOOLSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 801 AM EST SAT JAN 11 2014 FLZ016-017-026-027-111345- LEON FL-GADSDEN FL-INLAND WAKULLA FL-LIBERTY FL- 801 AM EST SAT JAN 11 2014 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR GADSDEN...LEON... LIBERTY AND WAKULLA COUNTIES IN THE FLORIDA BIG BEND... * UNTIL 845 AM EST AT 757 AM EST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 17 MILES SOUTH OF BLOUNTSTOWN...OR NEAR JENSEN PLACE... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. PEOPLE IN CENTRAL LIBERTY...GADSDEN...NORTHWESTERN WAKULLA AND SOUTHWESTERN LEON COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF QUINCY...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT (8 5 0) 9 4 2 8 8 3 3...OR CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT. LAT...LON 3065 8459 3044 8436 3008 8483 3026 8502 TIME...MOT...LOC 1301Z 230DEG 40KT 3024 8492 17-GOULD
The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:47 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down at the intersection of US 231 and AL 51 in Dale county.
A tree was blown down near Ariton.
A tree was blown down near Beamon.
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, January 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: 483105, 483108, 483107.