A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across the region on April 19th, bringing with it tornadoes, straight line wind damage, and significant flash flooding across portions of southeast Alabama.
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 TAE wrote it up.
A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across the region on April 19th, bringing with it tornadoes, straight line wind damage, and significant flash flooding across portions of southeast Alabama.
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 Apr 19, 2:53 AM CST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
453 AM EDT SUN APR 19 2015
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY...
.NEAR TERM [THROUGH TODAY]...
AN AREA OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED
EARLY THIS SUNDAY MORNING OVER OUR CWA. LATER THIS MORNING AND
AFTERNOON, A SQUALL LINE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING JUST WEST OF NEW
ORLEANS WILL PUSH FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE
STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE AND SPC HAS THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE REGION
HIGHLIGHTED FOR SLIGHT RISK. THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THESE STORMS
WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS, ALTHOUGH HAIL AROUND 1" IN DIAMETER
AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO CAN ALSO NOT BE RULED OUT.
ADDITIONALLY, WITH THE DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE IN PLACE, MODERATE
TO HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 1- 2", WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED
AREAS RECEIVING 3-6" OF RAIN, WHICH COULD CAUSE SOME FLASH
FLOODING. THE FLASH WATCH WATCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING
FOR ALL BUT THE VALDOSTA REGION AND THE EASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND.
POPS WILL BE NEAR 100% ALL ZONES TODAY.
.SHORT TERM [TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY]...
OUR AREA SHOULD SEE A LULL IN CONVECTION TONIGHT WITH SUBSIDENCE
BEHIND A DEPARTING CONVECTIVE SYSTEM, AND LARGE SCALE 800-300MB
QG DIVERGENCE (ALSO IMPLYING SUBSIDENCE) BETWEEN 00 UTC AND 12
UTC. WE MAINTAINED A 15 PERCENT "SLIGHT CHANCE" OF SHOWERS AND
STORMS AS A FEW MODELS DO DEPICT SOME LIGHT QPF, BUT THAT MAY BE
GENEROUS. LOOKING AHEAD TO MONDAY, THE SYNOPTIC SURFACE COLD FRONT
ARRIVES AND THE FORCING APPEARS STRONGER ON THE 00Z SET OF MODEL
RUNS THAN IN PREVIOUS RUNS. THE NAM AND GFS BOTH INDICATE SOME QPF
DURING THE DAYTIME ON MONDAY AS WEAK-MODERATE QG CONVERGENCE
DEVELOPS IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A 140KT UPPER LEVEL JET. IT
DOES APPEAR THAT CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WOULD LIKELY BE ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED - MORE ISOLATED THAN TODAY. ANY CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
WOULD BE ON THE CUSP OF A PLUME OF STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES,
WHICH WOULD LIKELY CONTRIBUTE TO MODERATE INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE
COLD FRONT. WHEN COMBINED WITH AROUND 50 KNOTS OF DEEP LAYER
SHEAR, A FEW SEVERE STORMS ARE WITHIN THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY.
LARGE HAIL WOULD BE A POTENTIAL HAZARD, ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS.
RAIN CHANCES SHOULD THEN QUICKLY COME TO AN END MONDAY NIGHT AS
DRIER AIR ADVECTS IN BEHIND THE SURFACE COLD FRONT.
WITH MORE WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION ON MONDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE
COLD FRONT, A RELATIVELY WARM DAY IS EXPECTED WITH HIGHS POSSIBLY
PUSHING INTO THE MID 80S. LOWS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL BE
COOLER, BUT STILL AROUND 5-10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON MONDAY
NIGHT, WITH HIGHS ON TUESDAY NEAR NORMAL (80 DEGREES).
.LONG TERM [TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY]...
HIGH PRESSURE ON WEDNESDAY, LEADING TO A DRY DAY OVERALL, WILL
QUICKLY ERODE WITH RAIN CHANCES RETURNING FROM THURSDAY INTO THE
WEEKEND. THE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON SATURDAY,
WHERE THERE IS DECENT AGREEMENT FROM THE GFS AND ECMWF ON SOME
HIGHER QPF AMOUNTS WITH A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. HIGHS LOOK TO
BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL (LOW-MID 80S), WITH LOWS CONTINUING TO BE
WELL ABOVE NORMAL (60S).
&&
.AVIATION...
[THROUGH 12Z MONDAY] CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER INTO MVFR TO
IFR RANGE AT ALL TAF SITES BY DAYBREAK. A SQUALL LINE IS
EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE ECP-DHN CORRIDOR AROUND SUNRISE AND
PROGRESS EASTWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
IMPACT ALL TERMINALS WITH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE.
&&
.MARINE...
SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING, AND THERE IS DECENT
AGREEMENT AMONGST RAW MODEL GUIDANCE TO PUT WINDS IN THE 15-20
KNOT RANGE ACROSS MUCH OF THE COASTAL WATERS. A SCEC HEADLINE WAS
ADDED TO THE FORECAST, AND ONE COULD BE NEEDED INTO MONDAY. AS A
RESULT OF THE ONSHORE WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS, SURF HEIGHTS SHOULD
BE AROUND 3 FEET TODAY AND MONDAY. A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WAS
POSTED FOR WALTON, BAY, AND GULF COUNTIES.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT LEAST THROUGH THE MIDDLE
OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
RAINFALL THIS WEEK HAS RESULTED IN A RISE OF AREA RIVERS WITH MANY
REACHING ACTION OR BANK FULL STAGE. THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER IS
FORECAST TO REACH MINOR FLOOD STAGE AT CARYVILLE LATER TODAY AND
AT BRUCE ON MONDAY. WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN
EXPECTED TODAY, AND ISOLATED TOTALS OF 3-6" POSSIBLE, OTHER RIVERS
MAY APPROACH MINOR FLOOD STAGE THIS WEEK AND FLASH FLOODING MAY BE
POSSIBLE WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OCCURS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TALLAHASSEE 82 69 85 62 81 / 100 20 30 20 10
PANAMA CITY 79 73 79 64 76 / 100 20 20 10 10
DOTHAN 80 68 83 58 77 / 100 20 30 10 10
ALBANY 77 67 83 58 78 / 100 20 30 20 10
VALDOSTA 80 68 86 61 78 / 100 20 30 20 10
CROSS CITY 83 70 83 63 82 / 100 20 40 20 10
APALACHICOLA 80 73 81 66 77 / 100 20 20 20 10
&&
.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR CALHOUN-CENTRAL
WALTON-COASTAL BAY-COASTAL FRANKLIN-COASTAL GULF-COASTAL
WAKULLA-GADSDEN-HOLMES-INLAND BAY-INLAND FRANKLIN-INLAND
GULF-INLAND WAKULLA-JACKSON-LEON-LIBERTY-NORTH WALTON-SOUTH
WALTON-WASHINGTON.
HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR COASTAL BAY-
COASTAL GULF-SOUTH WALTON.
GA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR BAKER-BEN HILL-
CALHOUN-CLAY-COLQUITT-DECATUR-DOUGHERTY-EARLY-GRADY-IRWIN-
LEE-MILLER-MITCHELL-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SEMINOLE-TERRELL-
THOMAS-TIFT-TURNER-WORTH.
AL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR COFFEE-DALE-GENEVA-
HENRY-HOUSTON.
GM...NONE.
&&
NEAR TERM...BARRY
SHORT TERM...LAMERS
LONG TERM...LAMERS
AVIATION...BARRY
MARINE...LAMERS
FIRE WEATHER...LAMERS
HYDROLOGY...WESTON/MOOREThe Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:41 UTC.
14 flash flood, 13 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large trees were blown down in the Coffee Springs area.
Around a dozen streets were flooded in Enterprise. There was one water rescue of an SUV that stalled in high water. More than a foot of water entered the downtown fire station requiring sandbags and moving furniture. Flash flooding also occurred along a creek along Dixie Drive. Water entered some homes and some residents were evacuated briefly in that area. Damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down on Antler Drive.
A short EF1 tornado track was surveyed just southwest of Abbeville, AL with max winds estimated at 110 mph. Eight railroad cars were flipped off their tracks along Alabama Highway 173 just south of a pulpwood plant. Otherwise, damage was confined to trees on the remainder of the path. A media article reported that it would cost around $1 million to turn the railroad cars upright again.
A tree was blown down on Myrtle Road.
Several power lines were blown down around Abbeville.
Several power lines were blown down around Abbeville.
A tree was blown down on Deese Road.
A tree was blown down along Logan Road.
A tree was blown down along Pebble Creek Road.
Walker Road was flooded.
Trees and power lines were blown down along County Road 47 in Shorterville.
County Road 513 was washed out at Merriweather Road. Damage was estimated.
Mose Ware Road near Faust Avenue was washed out with a large sinkhole. Damage was estimated.
County Road 333 also known as Morgan Church Road washed out.
Portions of Highway 34 were flooded.
Flooding was reported near the intersection of Deese and Camilla Road.
Portions of Dogwood Circle were flooded.
Portions of Country Club Drive were flooded.
The intersection of County Road 50 and Jernigan Road was flooded.
Flooding occurred along portions of Matthews Road.
This is a continuation of the long track tornado that started in Jackson county, FL. Along the Houston county portion the track, numerous trees and power lines were blown down. One home in the Cottonwood area was damaged by a tree falling on the structure. In the Pansey area, a large metal outbuilding was destroyed with some of the debris removed from the foundation. The damage path began to widen at this point while approaching the Chattahoochee River and entering Early county, GA. The Alabama portion of the tornado track was rated EF1.
Trees were blown down near Highway 231 south near the state line.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in the Cottonwood area.
Trees were blown down at South Rocky Creek Road and Womack Road.
Trees were blown down along Bodiford Road near Pansey.
Water was covering the road near the intersection of Highway 173 and 27.
County Road 8 was washed out near County Road 16.
Flash flooding occurred in Abbeville with a picture on social media of water surrounding a house.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2015Warnings in Alabama, April 2015
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: 569974, 567186, 569975, 567138, 569976, 569977, 569978, 569979, 569980, 569981, 569967, 569982, 567193, 567195, 567196, 569968, 569969, 569970, 569971, 569972, 569973, 567128, 569983, 569984, 569985, 569986, 567191, 567194, 567192.