A potent storm system which produced a large tornado in central Alabama remained active through early Wednesday. While thunderstorm activity was very minor in North Alabama, heavy and persistent rainfall caused some minor flash flooding concerns.
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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 HUN wrote it up.
A potent storm system which produced a large tornado in central Alabama remained active through early Wednesday. While thunderstorm activity was very minor in North Alabama, heavy and persistent rainfall caused some minor flash flooding concerns. Reports of 3 of rain in several location with high soil moisture caused small creeks and poor drainage areas to flood. A flash flood warning was issued for Franklin, Morgan, and Lawrence Counties.
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 Feb 2, 9:22 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 922 PM CST TUE FEB 2 2016 .UPDATE... ADJUSTED POPS FOR OVERNIGHT. && .DISCUSSION... CDFNT IS NOW ALONG THE MS RIVER AND SHOULD SLOWLY MOVE EAST OVERNIGHT. NAM MAYBE TO SLOW WITH THE CDFNT MOVEMENT. THUS MY BEST GUESS WITH THE TIMING OF THE CDFNT LOOKS LIKE ARND 07Z IN EXTREME NW AL...BY 09Z IN THE HUN AREA AND OUT OF NE AL BY 11Z. ATTM WE ONLY ISSUED ONE SVR TSRA WARNING EARLY THIS EVENING. AS THE TSRA MOVE NORTH INTO OUR CWA...THEY HAVE WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY. WILL COORDINATE WITH SPC AND SURROUNDING OFFICES TO SEE IF WE WILL NEED TO CONTINUE THE TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF OUR CWA. HOWEVER LOOKS LIKE LOCATIONS SOUTH OF OUR CWA MAY HAVE THE BEST CHC OF HAVING THE TORNADO WATCH EXTENDED. OVERALL MY FEELINGS IS THAT WE WILL TRANSITIONS TO A HVY RAIN EVENT AFTER MIDNIGHT. STAY TUNED. OTHERWISE WILL NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO FCST ATTM...WILL LIKELY HAVE TO UPDATE THE FCST AGAIN IN A FEW HOURS. ALSO WILL KEEP THE WIND ADVISORY IN AFFECT UNTIL 09Z. 007 && .AVIATION... /ISSUED 523 PM CST TUE FEB 2 2016/ FOR 00Z TAFS...A STRONG CDFNT...NOW ALONG THE MS RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THE CDFNT WAS A LARGE AREA OF SHRA/TSRA...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ALL MODES OF SVR WX MAINLY THIS EVENING. THE THREAT OF SVR WX WILL TAPER OFF OVER KMSL ARND 06Z AND KHSV BY 09Z...AS THE CDFNT MOVES EAST OF THE TAF SITES. CURRENT VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD QUICKLY DROP TO MVFR BETWEEN 03Z AND 04Z AND CONTINUE THRU 16Z. AFTER 16Z EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PERIOD. 007 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 353 PM CST TUE FEB 2 2016/ A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONVECTIVE SITUATION CONTINUED TO SETUP ACROSS THE REGION...AS A POWERFUL SURFACE LOW CONTINUED TO DEEPEN OVER THE NW MISSOURI REGION. A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTHWARD OF THIS LOW EXTENDED SSW ACROSS CENTRAL LOUISIANA EAST OF LAKE CHARLES. THE UPPER SUPPORT OF THIS SYSTEM...A NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH SETUP WITH THE UPPER LOW (AT LEAST ITS 500MB REFLECTION) WAS DISPLACED WEST OF ITS SURFACE LOW NEAR THE KS/NE BORDER. A DECENT MID/UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENT PATTERN WAS IN PLACE FROM EASTERN TEXAS TO THE OHIO VALLEY. A SHORT PERIOD OF SOLAR INSOLATION MOST OF THE AREA HAD EARLIER EXPERIENCED TODAY HAS HELPED WARM HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW/MID 70S. A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AROUND THE DEVELOPING CYCLONE... AND APPROACH OF THE FRONT HAS PRODUCED BREEZY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION. A WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE LATE NIGHT. CONVECTION WISE...TORNADO WATCH #11 WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF OUR FORECAST/WARNING AREA THROUGH 10 PM THIS EVENING. AS OF THIS WRITING...THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN PROGRESS IN TWO LINES...ONE FROM SW MISSISSIPPI TO NORTH OF JACKSON...AND MORE DISCRETE CELLS NOTED IN NORTH/SOUTH ORIENTATION FROM WEST OF COLUMBUS AFB AND MERIDIAN. FORECAST WISE...THE AREA WILL BE AFFECTED BY WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE IN INTENSITY. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THIS ARE NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND TORNADOES. EARLIER AND RECENT SOUNDINGS...AS WELL AS FORECASTS...INDICATED A HIGHLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT WITH 0-3 HELICITY VALUES IN THE 400-700 M/S AND BULK SHEAR VALUES IN THE 50-65KT. CAPE VALUES WERE IN THE 300-500 J/KG RANGE EARLIER BUT NOW AROUND 100 WITH A LOSS OF MORE DIRECT DAYTIME HEATING. THE STRONGER STORMS PER RADAR TRENDS SHOULD AFFECT THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE COURSE OF THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND THE EVENING. ALONG WITH STRONG/SEVERE STORMS...PRECIP WATER AMOUNTS RISING INTO THE 1.7 INCH RANGE MEANS TORRENTIAL RAINS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGER STORMS. EVEN WITH OUR RATHER DRY GROUND...THIS MUCH WATER COULD RESULT IN PONDING OF WATER IN LOW WATER SPOTS AND A FEW INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING. BIGGER PICTURE HYDROLOGY...TOTAL RAINFALL FROM THIS EVENT SHOULD RANGE IN THE 1.5 - 2 INCH RANGE. RUNOFF FROM THIS RAIN WILL RESULT IN RISES IN SOME OF OUR SECONDARY STREAMS AND RIVERS. THOSE IN FACT MAY RISE TO FLOOD LEVELS IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO. GIVEN A DELAYED RESPONSE EXPECTED WITH THE RIVERS AS WELL AS ON-GOING WIND/CONVECTIVE ISSUES...HAVE HELD OFF ON A FLOOD WATCH THIS ISSUANCE. THE COLD FRONT WITH THIS SYSTEM SHOULD SWEEP IN A WEST TO EAST FASHION DURING THE OVERNIGHT...WITH SHOWER/T-STORM ACTIVITY WINDING DOWN SIMILARLY. COLDER AIR FILTERING IN FROM THE NW WILL RESULT IN HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S MOST SPOTS ON WED...WHICH WILL FEEL NOTABLY COOLER THAN WE'VE EXPERIENCED TODAY THUS FAR. A REINFORCING SHOT OF EVEN COLDER AIR WILL MOVE IN WED NIGHT...RESULTING IN THU HIGH TEMPS ONLY IN THE 40S. A SLIGHT WARMING TREND IS FORECAST FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK AND WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST CONTROLS THE WEATHER. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO THE EARLY NEXT WEEK PERIOD GIVEN BUSY SHORT TERM DUTIES. MODEL OUTPUT IS SKETCHY WITH THE DETAILS...BUT EVEN COLDER AIR COULD BRING ANOTHER BOUT OF WINTRY WEATHER TO START NEXT WEEK. AT THIS TIME...LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED DUE TO LOW MOISTURE LEVELS. RSB && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR ALZ001>010-016. TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR TNZ076-096-097. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 241 PM CST TUE FEB 2 2016 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-031200- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 241 PM CST TUE FEB 2 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING THE CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...LARGE HAIL AND A FEW BRIEF TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING BEING A POSSIBILITY. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL TAPER OFF BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. OTHERWISE...SOUTHWEST WINDS OUTSIDE OF STORMS WILL INCREASE AND GUST TO AROUND 35 MPH AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. A WIND ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW WITH A COLD FRONT MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL BE LIKELY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter reported water making it into a home near Moulton.
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, February 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: 618165.