A weak mid level trough moved across northwest Alabama, with a couple of strong to severe storms occurring in the afternoon.
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 HUN wrote it up.
A weak mid level trough moved across northwest Alabama, with a couple of strong to severe storms occurring in the afternoon.
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 Aug 22, 1:45 PM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 245 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015 .DISCUSSION... LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS SHOWING AN UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS AS WELL AS WEAK RIDGING OVER THE NE GULF OF MEXICO HELPING TO KEEP THE STREAM OF MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE AREA. AS WELL...A CONVECTIVE COMPLEX IS MOVING E-SE ALONG THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED WAVE. WITH SOME CLEARING THAT OCCURRED EARLIER TODAY...INSTABILITY HAS INCREASED (SFC BASED AND MUCAPE IS AROUND 2- 3K J/KG) AND SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE STARTING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE CWA. THINKING IS THAT AS THE WAVE GETS CLOSER TO THE AREA ALONG WITH THE HIGHER INSTABILITIES AND 20-25KT OF 0-1KM SHEAR....SOME STORMS ARE GOING TO BE STRONG WITH THE CHANCE ONE OR TWO GO SEVERE. SHORT TERM GUIDANCE IS REALLY STRUGGLING ON TO HANDLE THE DECAYING MCS AND THE INTERACTION OF THE WAVE WITH SURFACE BOUNDARIES. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THE MAIN LIFT WILL NOT GET HERE IN TIME TONIGHT TO REALIZE THE ENHANCED INSTABILITY/SHEAR AND JUST GET SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OUT OF IT. ANY STRONG STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS WELL AS STRONG WINDS. THERE PROBABLY WILL BE A BREAK OVERNIGHT IN THE RAINFALL AS THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED PRECIP COMES TO AN END. WINDS START TO SHIFT TO THE NW SUNDAY MORNING BEHIND WHAT LOOKS TO BE A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH OF SOME SORT WHICH COULD USHER IN SOME SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR AHEAD OF THE MAIN FRONT. HOWEVER...THINKING IS THAT THERE IS STILL ENOUGH MOISTURE REMAINING AND SUFFICIENT LIFT TO WARRANT KEEPING SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST. THE TRUE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH BY 6-12Z MONDAY WITH JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ALONG IT MONDAY MORNING AS THE FRONT WEAKENS SIGNIFICANTLY BEFORE IT GETS TO THE LOCAL AREA. ONE OF THE BIG FORECAST QUESTIONS WILL BE CLOUD COVER FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS THIS WILL IMPACT TEMPERATURES. AT THIS POINT...WITH THE WAVES MOVING ALONG THE BASE OF THE TROUGH AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE REMAINING...WILL STICK WITH A PARTLY/MOSTLY CLOUDY FORECAST THROUGH MONDAY. THIS SHOULD ALSO HELP LIMIT ANY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. ONCE THE FRONT GOES THROUGH...MUCH DRIER AND COOLER AIR WILL FILTER IN AND SKIES SHOULD QUICKLY CLEAR OUT. THEREFORE WENT SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN GUIDANCE WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S SUN AND MID 80S ON MONDAY. LOWS TONIGHT AND SUNDAY WILL BE THE WARMEST OF THE WEEK...UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70. AFTER MONDAY...THE FORECAST LOOKS PRETTY SPECTACULAR AND FALL-LIKE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. DEEP UPPER RIDING DEVELOPS OVER THE WEST ON TUESDAY AND SLOWLY PUSHES ITS WAY EAST WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES WITH NO RAIN EXPECTED. THIS WILL KEEP A DRY AND COOL NORTHWEST FLOW THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE LOWER 80S AND RISE TO THE MID 80S BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. LOWS WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 50S FOR NORTHERN LOCATIONS AND LOWER 60S ELSEWHERE AND RISE INTO THE MID 60S BY FRIDAY. LN && .AVIATION... /ISSUED 1245 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015/ FOR 18Z TAFS... SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. IN TAFS...HAVE CONTINUED VCTS INTO THE EVENING FOR BOTH KMSL/KHSV. HAVE TEMPO VIS/CIG REDUCTIONS TO MVFR IN THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...COINCIDING WITH THE MOST INSTABILITY AND CHANCES FOR STORMS. ANOTHER DISTURBANCES SHOULD BRING MORE RA/TSRA DURING THE OVERNIGHT. A COLD FRONT PUSHING IN FROM THE NW SHOULD BRING A WIND SHIFT TO THE WEST SUN AM...WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY ENDING LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD. RSB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... HUNTSVILLE 70 89 70 86 / 30 40 20 10 SHOALS 70 88 70 85 / 30 40 20 10 VINEMONT 69 86 69 84 / 30 40 20 20 FAYETTEVILLE 68 85 68 82 / 30 40 20 10 ALBERTVILLE 70 86 69 85 / 30 40 20 20 FORT PAYNE 68 85 68 84 / 30 40 20 20 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 210 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-231100- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 210 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THROUGH THE EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE GUSTY WINDS... LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING SUNDAY...AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL END EARLY MONDAY...AS THE FRONT EXITS TO THE SOUTHEAST. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. RSB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
315 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015
ALZ001-002-004-222100-
LAUDERDALE AL-LAWRENCE AL-COLBERT AL-
315 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN LAUDERDALE...
NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE AND EAST CENTRAL COLBERT COUNTIES UNTIL 400 PM
CDT...
AT 315 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF KILLEN...OR 14 MILES EAST OF FLORENCE...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 20 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ROGERSVILLE...ANDERSON...OLIVER...RED BANK...ELGIN...CENTER STAR...
WHITEHEAD AND KINGTOWN.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY
LEAD TO MINOR FLOODING ON ROADS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE
YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
&&
LAT...LON 3497 8721 3481 8722 3478 8728 3476 8726
3468 8745 3483 8754 3497 8726
TIME...MOT...LOC 2015Z 242DEG 13KT 3481 8742
73The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:26 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An outdoor shed and several trees were downed by thunderstorm winds.
A few trees and power lines were downed and a tree was downed onto a car just north of Highway 72 in Rogersville, Alabama.
A few trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds at Lee street in Rogersville, Alabama.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, August 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: 598378, 598379, 598377.