Thunderstorms developed on the eastern side of an upper ridge during the afternoon heating. One of the storms produced a microburst over Jefferson County.
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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.
Thunderstorms developed on the eastern side of an upper ridge during the afternoon heating. One of the storms produced a microburst over Jefferson County.
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 Sep 5, 11:33 AM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1233 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2015 .UPDATE... FOR 18Z AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... A BROAD UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL SLIDE WESTWARD FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST THIS WEEKEND...RESULTING IN INCREASED POPS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. IMPULSES WILL ROTATE AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE LOW...AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. AS THE LOW ROTATES ACROSS SOUTHEAST CENTRAL ALABAMA EARLY NEXT WEEK...TS COVERAGE AREA WILL FLUCTUATE DEPENDING ON EXACT TRACK OF THE LOW AND WHERE A MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS SETS UP. GENERALLY...BETTER COVERAGE WILL BE IN THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST ON SUNDAY. MOISTURE CONTINUES TO INCREASE WITH PW VALUES NEAR 2 INCHES LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD...AS A MID LEVEL TROUGH AND SURFACE FRONT APPROACH FROM THE WEST. AS MOISTURE POOLS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WILL MAINTAIN INCREASED POPS FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. WITH INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND POPS...HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 80S AND LOWS IN THE 65-72F RANGE. CURRENTLY...LOOKING AT A FRONTAL PASSAGE FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK...WITH COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS BEHIND THE FRONT. 14 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. SHOWERS AND STORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP...WITH MORE ACTIVITY IN THE SOUTH RIGHT NOW. ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THE EAST AFTER 20Z. WENT WITH VCTS AND WILL AMEND FOR ANY PERSISTENT THUNDERSTORM FOR A SITE. WENT WITH PATCHY MVFR BR FOR THE MAIN TROUBLE SPOTS...MGM...TOI...ANB...EET AND TCL. ANY MVFR WOULD BURN OFF BY 14Z. 16 && .FIRE WEATHER... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH THE BETTER CHANCES IN THE EAST EACH DAY. RH VALUES WILL REMAIN ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLD VALUES. NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 14 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 69 86 68 86 68 / 30 30 20 10 10 ANNISTON 70 86 69 86 69 / 30 30 20 10 10 BIRMINGHAM 72 88 70 88 70 / 30 30 20 10 10 TUSCALOOSA 72 92 71 90 71 / 30 20 20 20 10 CALERA 71 88 71 88 70 / 30 30 20 20 10 AUBURN 70 85 70 86 70 / 40 40 20 30 20 MONTGOMERY 72 90 71 90 71 / 40 40 20 30 20 TROY 71 87 69 88 70 / 40 40 20 30 20 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 552 AM CDT SAT SEP 5 2015 ALZ011>015-017>050-061400- 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- 552 AM CDT SAT SEP 5 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...OUTLOOK THROUGH TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
126 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2015
ALZ027-051900-
TALLADEGA AL-
126 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TALLADEGA COUNTY UNTIL 200 PM
CDT...
AT 125 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER
ALPINE...OR NEAR TALLADEGA...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 30 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
TALLADEGA...SYLACAUGA...CHILDERSBURG...WILSONVILLE...TALLADEGA
SPRINGS...LINCOLN...MUNFORD...WALDO...FAYETTEVILLE...SYCAMORE...
ALPINE...GRANT TOWN...WINTERBORO...LOGAN MARTIN LAKE...LAY LAKE...
CEDAR CREEK...OVERBROOK...MIGNON...HOWELLS COVE AND IRONATON.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
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 3330 8603 3329 8612 3319 8612 3320 8617
3310 8618 3311 8648 3313 8646 3318 8650
3320 8649 3320 8646 3324 8646 3326 8642
3328 8643 3327 8641 3329 8636 3334 8637
3335 8634 3337 8635 3355 8616 3354 8591
TIME...MOT...LOC 1825Z 037DEG 26KT 3337 8618The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:43 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees uprooted and power lines downed along Brooklane Road near Davey Allison Boulevard. Large metal garage door blown out of a business.
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, September 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: 602849.