A broad upper-level trough in place across the region guided weak disturbances along the periphery and, in combination with plentiful moisture and daytime heating, produced scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few storms, mainly in Lauderdale and Cullman counties, knocked down several trees.
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 broad upper-level trough in place across the region guided weak disturbances along the periphery and, in combination with plentiful moisture and daytime heating, produced scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few storms, mainly in Lauderdale and Cullman counties, knocked down several trees.
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 Jul 30, 5:35 AM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Huntsville AL 635 AM CDT SAT JUL 30 2016 .UPDATE...to increase pop in northeastern AL and portions of TN. && .DISCUSSION... Over the last hour a fairly concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms have developed over eastern Madison county and into portions of northeastern Alabama. Heavy rainfall, gusty winds to around 40 mph and some lightning have developed with this activity. Based on current radar trends, this activity will continue to push quickly east into Georgia by 9 AM. Some scattered activity could extend further southwest from the current activity between now and 9 am. Therefore, have increased pop early this morning to account for these radar trends, mainly east of I-65. Mesoscale models are not picking up on this well at all, so keeping previous thoughts on chance pop later this morning into the afternoon hours. KTW && .AVIATION... (Issued 613 AM CDT SAT JUL 30 2016) For 12Z TAFs: Cluster of +shra moving ewd into parts of ne AL will remain e of the two main terminals into the daylight hrs. VFR conds are otherwise xpcted through the period, as mid/high clouds increase out of the w. Sct shra/tsra are possible this afternoon into the early evening hrs, but the prob remains fairly low enough to limit inclusion in the TAFs attm. 09 && .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 1002 AM CDT SAT JUL 30 2016 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-302100- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 1002 AM CDT SAT JUL 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THE REST OF THIS MORNING OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA AND THE REMAINDER OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY BY THIS AFTERNOON. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL ALSO RISE INTO THE 100 TO 105 DEGREE RANGE STARTING TUESDAY...MAINLY FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:50 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
One large tree down at the intersection of CR 40 and CR 1.
Tree down on CR 864.
Tree down on CR 567.
Multiple trees down.
Tree down on CR 1728.
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, July 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: 647164, 647165, 647166, 647167, 647168.