Hail in Alabama, October 8, 2014

Name: Hail in Alabama, October 8, 2014
Start: 2014-10-08T15:05
End: 2014-10-08T18:31
Location: Alabama

October 8, 2014 · NWS HUN · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Another strong upper level storm system moved through the Tennessee valley region with a few severe hail reports in northern Alabama.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS HUN wrote it up.

Another strong upper level storm system moved through the Tennessee valley region with a few severe hail reports in northern Alabama.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 8, 2:12 PM CST, 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 8, 2:12 PM CST, 53 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 8, 10:26 AM CST, 4 hours 39 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 8, 2:08 PM CST, 57 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Oct 8, 2:35 PM CST, 30 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lawrence

When: October 8, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Wren
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.430, -87.280

Penny sized hail was reported.

Hail, Morgan

When: October 8, 3:34 PM CST to 3:35 PM CST
Where: Morgan County, 2 mi SSE of Somerville
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.443, -86.787

Baseball sized hail was reported by Morgan county sheriff's office from cutoff road at HIghway 36 to Hhighway 36 and Highway 67 intersections.

Hail, Cullman

When: October 8, 4:00 PM CST to 4:01 PM CST
Where: Cullman County, 3 mi N of West Pt
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 34.273, -86.950

Nickel sized hail was reported along county road 1282, about three miles north of West Point, Alabama.

Hail, Limestone

When: October 8, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Limestone County, 2 mi E of Holland Gin
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 34.970, -86.865

Nickel sized hail was reported on Sweet Springs road, about two miles east of Holland Gin, Alabama.

Hail, Limestone

When: October 8, 6:30 PM CST to 6:31 PM CST
Where: Limestone County, 6 mi SSE of Ardmore
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 34.920, -86.809

Quarter sized hail was reported.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, October 2014

Sources

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: 544711, 544712, 544713, 544714, 544715.