A upper level short wave trof approached north Alabama on the afternoon of April 22nd. An intense line of thunderstorms developed over northern Mississippi and tracked eastward across north Alabama, producing sporadic wind damage.
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 BMX wrote it up.
A upper level short wave trof approached north Alabama on the afternoon of April 22nd. An intense line of thunderstorms developed over northern Mississippi and tracked eastward across north Alabama, producing sporadic wind damage.
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 Apr 22, 11:55 AM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 1255 PM CDT Sat Apr 22 2017 .UPDATE... For 18Z Aviation. && .DISCUSSION... Early morning convection barely entered far northwestern areas near Hamilton and Double Springs. This activity quickly dissipated but has put out a boundary. This outflow appears to be somewhere just south of I-20 early this afternoon. Several others even smaller scale boundaries appeared across the area. The main frontal boundary to our northwest was located just south and southeast of Memphis. The stable area from the convection, clouds and rain over north Mississippi and northwest Alabama has been partly cloud for several hours now. This has allowed some destabilization to occur. MLCape and SBCape values are approaching 1000 with inhibition dissipating. 0-6km Bulk Shear values are around 40kts with mid level lapse rates around 7. An upper level jet max around 75kts was rotating around a broad positive tilt trough over the Mississippi Valley. This was based on the EMC RAP analysis. With that said, expect thunderstorms to redevelop over northern Mississippi in the next few hours and move toward western Alabama. Additional storms may fire along previously mentioned smaller scale convergence zones. There remains some potential for severe thunderstorms in a fairly narrow window. These numbers are not overly impressive, but certainly enough for some marginally severe storms with wind gusts around 60 mph the main threat. A threat for some quarter size hail is also apparent with some cape in the hail growth region and WBZ around 10k ft. Tornadoes are not our of the question but will be the lowest threat and non zero. Much of the activity will lose intensity fairly quickly after sunset. Thunderstorms remain but severe threat will diminish. 75 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF Discussion. All sites are prevailing with VFR conditions early this afternoon. With convection expected to develop later on this afternoon and into the early evening, have kept mention of VCTS and TSRA in the TAFs for this issuance. Expect rapid reductions in vis and cigs if a thunderstorm passes over any terminal, along with gusty winds. Prevailing surface winds will be from the west to west-southwest through the period. As a cold front slowly pushes southward across the state, low stratus and showers will be likely overnight tonight, and have gone ahead and placed IFR cigs for all terminals into the planning period. 56/GDG && .FIRE WEATHER... Rain chances in the northern counties this morning, becoming more widespread across the region by the afternoon and evening as a cold front moves through. Storms along the front could produce erratic gusty winds. Otherwise, southwesterly winds shift to a more northerly flow Sunday. Critical fire weather conditions are not expected as RHs remain high for the next several days. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 59 65 50 76 51 / 60 50 10 0 0 Anniston 62 66 52 76 53 / 60 60 10 0 0 Birmingham 59 66 53 77 56 / 60 30 10 0 0 Tuscaloosa 58 65 50 77 53 / 70 20 10 0 0 Calera 60 66 52 77 56 / 60 40 10 0 0 Auburn 63 69 52 73 55 / 50 60 10 0 0 Montgomery 64 70 53 78 55 / 50 60 10 0 0 Troy 64 71 50 75 53 / 40 60 10 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham AL 828 AM CDT Sat Apr 22 2017 ALZ011>015-017>050-231630- 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- 828 AM CDT Sat Apr 22 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. .DAY ONE...Outlook Through Tonight. There is a low confidence risk for severe thunderstorms today from roughly 2pm to 9pm. There will be a threat for damaging winds and large hail north and west of a line from Marengo County to Cherokee County. Currently, the best chance for severe storms is across the far northwestern portions of Central Alabama including places like Hamilton, Jasper, and Fayette. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management may be needed this afternoon into this evening.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:33 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees uprooted and a metal roof blown off a chicken house.
Several trees uprooted along Highway 278 in the town of Brooksville.
Several trees uprooted along County Road 26 in the Royal Community.
Several trees uprooted at the intersection of Webb Circle and County Road 14.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 2017
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: 695456, 695462, 695465, 695458.