A cluster of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall developed over Etowah County during the overnight hours. The thunderstorms were nearly stationary across the county for a few hours, with measured rainfall totals of two to four inches.
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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 BMX wrote it up.
A cluster of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall developed over Etowah County during the overnight hours. The thunderstorms were nearly stationary across the county for a few hours, with measured rainfall totals of two to four inches.
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 Jul 14, 5:15 PM CST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 615 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER EASTERN NORTH AMERICA WILL ROTATE A LARGE SHORTWAVE TROUGH INTO THE EASTERN HALF OF THE U.S. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS WILL HELP PUSH AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG COLD FRONT ALL THE WAY INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA DURING THIS TIME. MID-AFTERNOON MESOSCALE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE COLD FRONT IS STILL QUITE A WAYS AWAY...BUT A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH/WIND SHIFT WAS HELPING TO SPARK SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN SEVERAL CLUSTERS FROM ARKANSAS TO TENNESSEE. FIRST CRITICAL PART OF THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT IS TRYING TO DETERMINE THE TIMING AND POTENTIAL STRENGTH OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED STORMS GETTING INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA. RECENT RADAR LOOPS SUGGEST THE STORMS HAVE MORE OF A EASTWARD COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT THAN SOUTHWARD...AND THEY INITIALLY COULD VERY WELL STAY TO OUR NORTH. BUT AS THE UPPER TROUGH STARTS DIGGING IN...AND THE COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH...WE ARE BOUND TO EVENTUALLY DEAL WITH AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. INSTABILITY SHOULD REACH ITS MAXIMUM DURING THE NEXT 3-4 HOURS...ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE SOME RESIDUAL INSTABILITY AROUND THROUGH THE NIGHT. ITS POSSIBLE THAT THE STORMS GOING ON NOW IN AR AND TN COULD CONSOLIDATE AND FORM AN EXTENDED COLD POOL QLCS TYPE SYSTEM THAT COULD TAP SOME OF THAT INSTABILITY OVERNIGHT. SO THERE IS AN OUTSIDE SHOT OF A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS TONIGHT. BUT THE FEELING I GET IS THAT THAT WOULD BE MORE THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE. WILL MAINTAIN THE LOW CONFIDENCE MENTION OF SEVERE (WIND GUSTS) IN THE HWO...JUST OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE TIME OF YEAR AND THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD FRONT. LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW A RAPID ADVANCE OF THE FRONTAL SHOWERS AND STORMS THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY...LEAVING THE AREA FREE FROM RAIN STARTING LATE TUESDAY AND LASTING INTO WEDNESDAY. THE COOLEST MORNING WILL PROBABLY BE WEDNESDAY MORNING IN THE NORTH...AND THURSDAY MORNING IN THE SOUTH. LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDS ARE NOT LIKELY WEDNESDAY MORNING...DUE TO HAVING TO CONTEND WITH LOW TEMP RECORDS FROM 1967. THURSDAY MORNING'S RECORD LOWS SEEM TO BE MORE ACHIEVABLE. THE POST-FRONTAL COOL DOWN AND DRY PERIOD WILL LIKELY BE SHORT- LIVED HOWEVER. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN THE WESTERLIES WILL SWING THROUGH THE OH/TN VALLEYS THE END OF THE WEEK. MODELS ARE IN QUITE GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE GENERAL IDEA OF ANOTHER BATCH OF RAIN AND STORMS COMING THROUGH THE STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS UPPER TROUGH. /61/ && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF DISCUSSION. EVEN AS WE APPROACH THE GO HOUR FOR THE INBOUND FRONTAL BOUNDARY...THERE IS STILL A LOT OF DISCREPANCIES AS TO WHAT WILL ACTUALLY OCCUR AS THE CONVECTIVE LINE MOVES FURTHER SOUTH INTO ALABAMA. LOOKS LIKE CURRENTLY THAT A DECENT PREFRONTAL CONVERGENCE LINE HAS FORMED ACROSS THE NORTHERN QUARTER OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...BUT MAY HAVE AN INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TIME MOVING SOUTHWARD. WENT AHEAD AND LEFT IN THE POSSIBILITY OF CONVECTION AT NORTHERN TAF SITES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT...ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS NOT ALL THAT HIGH. HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE SHOWERS AND RA FOR LATER TONIGHT AND THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE DAY TOMORROW. SITES SHOULD CLEAR NEAR THE END OF THE PERIOD AS THE ACTUAL FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURS. 17/KLAWS && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 752 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014 ALZ011>015-017>050-160100- 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- 752 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ENTER ALABAMA LATE TONIGHT. STRONG STORMS AS WELL AS A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...GENERALLY NEAR AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. THESE STORMS MAY GAIN SOME INTENSITY AFTER 11 PM THIS EVENING AND THEN SLOWLY WEAKEN TOWARD DAYBREAK. DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT GENERALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
639 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014
ALZ018-020-150030-
CHEROKEE AL-ETOWAH AL-
639 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN ETOWAH AND NORTHERN
CHEROKEE COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT...
AT 637 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM GAYLESVILLE TO REECE
CITY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
LITTLE RIVER CANYON NATIONAL PRESERVE...
GAYLESVILLE...
TABOR ROAD...
SAND ROCK...
BLANCHE...
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 3446 8549 3426 8546 3395 8610 3420 8611
3421 8585 3425 8584 3424 8582 3426 8581
3426 8578 3438 8563 3444 8559 3449 8558
3453 8552
TIME...MOT...LOC 2339Z 229DEG 2KT 3430 8562 3412 8598
17/KLAWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
834 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 ENE GADSDEN 34.01N 86.01W
07/14/2014 ETOWAH AL LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES DOWN NEAR LEETH GAP ROAD AND DUCK SRPINGS ROAD.
WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 50 MPH.
&&
08PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
838 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 ENE GADSDEN 34.01N 86.01W
07/14/2014 ETOWAH AL LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES DOWN NEAR LEETH GAP ROAD AND DUCK SRPINGS ROAD.
WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 50 MPH.
&&
08The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:00 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several streets in the city of Gadsden were flooded and impassable.
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, July 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: 535026.