Hail, Shelby
- When
- April 2, 12:03 PM CST to 12:05 PM CST
- Where
- Shelby County, 5.31 mi NE of Quito
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Social Media
- Coordinates
- 33.430, -86.680
Multiple reports of large hail.
Hail in Alabama, April 2, 2015
A weak upper level disturbance moved across north Alabama during the afternoon hours. The upper levels of the atmosphere were cold with steep mid level lapse rates.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 BMX wrote it up.
A weak upper level disturbance moved across north Alabama during the afternoon hours. The upper levels of the atmosphere were cold with steep mid level lapse rates. Isolated severe storms developed during the afternoon.
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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 2, 11:44 AM CST, 19 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 2, 11:44 AM CST, 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1244 PM CDT THU APR 2 2015 .UPDATE... FOR 18Z AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... A COUPLE OF WEAK SHORT WAVES TROFS ARE CURRENTLY TRACKING EASTWARD ACROSS THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION. THE LEADING IMPULSE MOVING ACROSS KENTUCKY HAS PRODUCED SOME LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS WEST ALABAMA. THE MORNING UPPER AIR SOUNDING HAS A FAIRLY DEEP DRY LAYER FROM 850MB TO 500MB...WHICH IS THE REASON THE SHOWERS HAVE DISSIPATED AS THEY TRACK EASTWARD TOWARDS I-65. ANOTHER IMPULSE OVER ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI WILL ALSO TRACK EASTWARD. THIS IMPULSE WILL BRING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN CHANCES WILL BE RAISED TO LIKELY FOR THE NW COUNTIES IN THE NEXT UPDATE. THE CLOUD COVER IS SLOWING DOWN THE RISE IN TEMPERATURES...BUT EXPECT SOME MORE BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-20. 58/ROSE && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. MAIN CONCERN THROUGH THE AFTERNOON IS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IMPACTING AREAS FROM KTCL EASTWARD TO KANB. ALREADY SEEING CONVECTIVE INITIATION AMENDMENTS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED. ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET. IFR CIGS COULD DEVELOP AROUND DAYBREAK AS THE BOUNDARY-LAYER MOISTENS. 87/GRANTHAM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 59 78 47 62 38 / 20 40 80 10 0 ANNISTON 59 79 49 62 39 / 20 20 80 10 10 BIRMINGHAM 61 79 47 63 40 / 20 30 80 10 0 TUSCALOOSA 63 80 48 66 41 / 20 40 80 10 10 CALERA 60 80 49 65 41 / 20 20 80 10 10 AUBURN 57 81 52 66 43 / 10 10 50 20 10 MONTGOMERY 58 83 54 68 43 / 10 10 50 20 10 TROY 58 84 55 68 44 / 10 10 30 20 10 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 58/87
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 2, 3:33 AM CST, 8 hours 30 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 433 AM CDT THU APR 2 2015 ALZ011>015-017>050-031245- 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- 433 AM CDT THU APR 2 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 11:58 AM CST, 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1258 PM CDT THU APR 2 2015
ALZ024-025-021845-
JEFFERSON AL-SHELBY AL-
1258 PM CDT THU APR 2 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EAST CENTRAL JEFFERSON AND
NORTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTIES UNTIL 145 PM CDT...
AT 1257 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
OVER MEADOWBROOK...OR NEAR VESTAVIA HILLS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10
MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
HOOVER...VESTAVIA HILLS...MOUNTAIN BROOK...LEEDS...INDIAN SPRINGS
VILLAGE...MOUNT LAUREL...VANDIVER...LAKE PURDY...BARBER MOTORSPORTS
PARK...GREYSTONE...BROOK HIGHLAND...MEADOWBROOK...THE SUMMIT...SHOPS
OF GRAND RIVER...CAHABA HEIGHTS...FOWLER LAKE...HIGHLAND LAKES...OAK
MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...SHOAL CREEK AND HOOVER VETERANS PARK.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
&&
LAT...LON 3352 8648 3350 8648 3350 8645 3346 8638
3346 8639 3334 8673 3342 8679 3358 8658
TIME...MOT...LOC 1757Z 234DEG 10KT 3341 8670
GRANTHAMThe radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:03 UTC.
Event by event
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, April 2, 2015
- Tornado and Hail in Kansas, April 2 to 3, 2015
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, April 2 to 8, 2015
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 2 to 3, 2015
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Kentucky, April 2 to 4, 2015
- Dust Storm and Hail in Kansas, April 2, 2015
- Tropical Storm in Guam, April 2 to 5, 2015
- Strong Wind in New York, April 2, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 2, 2015
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Indiana, April 2 to 4, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 2 to 3, 2015
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Minnesota, April 2, 2015
More
Every storm in Alabama in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 2015
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: 573904.