Several rounds of beneficial rainfall occurred at the end of November, helping to finally alleviate the worst drought conditions since 2007. While improvements are slow, they're steadily continuing to improve with each subsequent round of rainfall across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Several rounds of beneficial rainfall occurred at the end of November, helping to finally alleviate the worst drought conditions since 2007. While improvements are slow, they're steadily continuing to improve with each subsequent round of rainfall across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee. The first Drought Monitor (DM) issuance of December finally shows the improvement after no-change was made to the last 2 issuances of the DM in late November. Further improvements are expected heading into the end of the year.
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 Dec 5, 11:03 PM CST, 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1103 PM CST Mon Dec 5 2016 .UPDATE... For 06Z TAFS. && .NEAR TERM...(Tonight) Issued at 912 PM CST Mon Dec 5 2016 The wet wx continues across the cntrl TN Valley for the start of the new work week. Light to occasionally moderate rainfall continues to move ne across much of the area, as a low pressure system over sw LA begins to move nwd. As this system quickly moves into nrn MS/mid TN overnight, rainfall will likely increase over the local area. A few elevated/embedded tstms are possible as well after midnight, although most of the activity should remain as showers. Temp trends currently in the lower 50s for most locations will also remain fairly stagnant going into the early morning hrs, given the abundant cloud cover and precip. Other than lowering overnight lows a couple of degrees based on the latest readings, no major changes are needed to the afternoon forecast at this point. .SHORT TERM...(Tuesday through Wednesday) Issued at 221 PM CST Mon Dec 5 2016 The surface low should be north and east of the region after daybreak Tuesday. This should end the heavier showers and storms. The NAM was hinting at ducting/wake low formation occurring mainly just to our east. This could result in gusty easterly winds Tuesday morning over our far eastern areas. Shower activity otherwise should end from west to east during the course of the day. Rainfall amounts from this system should range from 1-2 inches, with locally higher amounts. The rain will definitely help with the drought situation most of the area has been under as of late. Somewhat greater hydrological response is possible from this next system; as the ground is a little wetter than before. Cloudy skies otherwise will continue with highs in the mid/upper 50s. Dry weather is forecast Tuesday night - with the area between systems. An Arctic cold front and clipper type system headed ESE from the Front Range region will bring more clouds and a chance of rain during Wednesday, mainly in the afternoon. Colder air from the northwest will filter in, bringing lows into the low/mid 30s. Some light snow may mix in with the rains over our northern areas before daybreak Thursday. Given a warm and wet ground, no accumulation issues are expected. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Sunday) Issued at 221 PM CST Mon Dec 5 2016 The Arctic front continues to track southeast across the area by 12z Thursday and the precip associated with it is looking drier with each model run. Both GFS/ECMWF this morning had maybe a few sprinkles across the area. Will keep the blended pops right now (chance in the SE counties to slight chance to the NW) but they are less than previous runs and it should probably continue to decrease as we get closer to the event. It should also be breezy with the frontal passage as the gradient tightens with wind gusts of 15-20 mph possible. Lows will be near normal and in the middle 30s. The front should be through the whole area by 00z Friday, earlier in the NW parts of the area. GFS is much quicker with the dry air and the colder air and is a few degrees colder than other models. This would lead to cooler high temps. It does look like the GFS is the slight outlier with the blends and other individual guidance a bit warmer so will stick with the blended temps at this time which puts highs in the lower 40s. Won't be surprised if it ends up colder thanks to strong cold advection that will be occurring. Thursday night will be the coldest we have seen this season with lows dropping to around 18-20 degrees. With a 5-10mph wind, the wind chills will drop to around 9-12 degrees. The cold air continues to move in Friday with the coldest highs of the year expected, in the middle 30s. The record minimum max temps are 30 degrees for both Huntsville and Muscle Shoals so that record does not look to be broken. Clear skies and light winds Friday night will help drop temps again to around 18-20 degrees but with light winds, the wind chills will only be a couple degrees cooler. Synoptic differences become evident starting Saturday with the location of a developing front over the midwest. This could bring showers and maybe thunderstorms Saturday night through Monday, depending on which model you choose. Given the uncertainty, kept the blended pops and kept all rain. With southerly flow returning though, a warming trend will start with highs back into the upper 50s by Monday. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Tuesday night) Issued at 1055 PM CST Mon Dec 5 2016 Reduced flying conds continue at both main terminals this late Mon evening, as additional ra/shra begin to move newd into the wrn half of the area. Very low clouds are well in place across most of the area, with IFR cigs aoa 500 ft. Precip is xpcted to linger into the morning hrs Tue, as upper disturbances continue to traverse newd across the region. Cloud cover may lift closer to 1K ft late in the morning period, as -shra taper off from the w. However, with abundant moisture thickness well in place, low cigs will prevail into the early evening hrs. Sfc winds also look to remain out of the SE near 10-12KT heading into the morning period. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...09 SHORT TERM...RSB LONG TERM...LN AVIATION...09 For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1030 PM CST MON DEC 5 2016 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-061130- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 1030 PM CST MON DEC 5 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...REMAINDER OF TONIGHT... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, BRINGING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION. WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH, SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ON THE ORDER OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN PONDING OF WATER ON SOME ROADWAYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... A STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY. ON THURSDAY NIGHT, WIND CHILLS WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS IN VALLEY LOCATIONS AND THE SINGLE DIGITS ATOP THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. 70/DD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Colbert County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Franklin County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Lauderdale County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Limestone County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Lawrence County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Madison County.
Extreme Drought (D3) Conditions removed from Morgan County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, December 2016
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: 663439, 663440, 663441, 663442, 663443, 663444, 663445.