Above normal rainfall helped ease the drought conditions across portions of west-central and north-central Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 BMX wrote it up.
Above normal rainfall helped ease the drought conditions across portions of west-central and north-central Alabama.
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 Feb 28, 5:47 PM CST, 6 hours 13 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 547 PM CST Tue Feb 28 2017 .UPDATE... For 00Z Aviation. && .SHORT TERM... Tonight and Wednesday. Low level moisture has surged northward as deep southerly flow overspreads the region. Surface dewpoints have risen into the lower to middle 60s this afternoon. An east to west band of showers and thunderstorms continues across far northern Alabama along a zone of low level convergence. This area will continue to lift northward this evening, so the majority of central Alabama will remain rain free during the evening hours. After midnight, low clouds will develop across the area along with scattered light showers or drizzle due to the strong low level warm advection. Surface winds will stay in the 10 to 15 mph overnight, so fog not expected to be an issue. Temperatures will be mild with most areas staying in the 60s. There will be plenty of clouds around through the morning hours on Wednesday. As with a majority of events with strong southwest flow aloft, there will be a capping inversion Wednesday morning which will keep the majority of the activity as showers. Surface based instability will increase rapidly Wednesday afternoon as surface temperatures rise into the 70s. Models indicate surface based CAPE will approach 1500 j/kg across north Alabama with 0-6km bulk shear near 60 knots. The best low level shear will occur in the Noon to 3 pm time for areas north of I-20. This time frame will likely be when the threat will be highest for damaging winds and possibly a tornado. The low level shear weakens towards the late afternoon and that is why SPC shifted the southern portion of the enhanced risk farther north to areas north of Birmingham. The pre-frontal squall line should reach the I-20 corridor by 3 pm Wednesday and the I-85 corridor by 8 pm. The convection will be closely aligned with the front, so the rain will end within one hour of frontal passage. Clearing and turning colder Wednesday night with lows in the 40s Thursday morning. 58/rose .LONG TERM... Thursday through Monday. A large dome of high pressure will build across Central Conus on Thursday behind the front with decent cold air advection/northerly flow around it into Alabama. This will be reinforced by northwest flow aloft to help bring some Canadian air down into Conus Thursday. Winter is not done with us just yet with 30s expected for both Thursday and Friday nights. Some areas will likely dip below freezing on Friday night as the large 1032-1036 mb surface ridge slowly shifts into the eastern 1/3 of Conus. During the day on Saturday, our airmass will begin to moderate as the surface ridge moves to the Atlantic Seaboard by Saturday night. Our cold air advection is cut off and the flow turns back around to receive warmer moist air off of the gulf. Sunday looks to be our transition day with milder temperatures and slowly rising dew points as southerly winds return. Low rain chance return by Sunday night in the northwest with rain chances increasing some by the end of our forecast period by late Monday into Tuesday as another front approaches. While models are all trending a little slower with this next frontal system they are in disagreement as to how slow its arrival will be and thus rain chances are low to round out the end of the forecast. 08 && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF Discussion. Ceilings came up quite a bit right at the end of the daylight period. And based on latest computer model projections, this should remain the case through at least the first few hours of the 00z TAF cycle. But those same models do strongly suggest the development of IFR ceilings in the 05z-08z time frame. Winds will stay up enough in all areas so that the limiting restriction will be ceiling, rather than visibility. I don't foresee any precipitation occurring overnight, unless the stratus clouds get so thick they start to produce some light drizzle. The overall trend initially tomorrow (after about 15z) will be for ceilings to lift to MVFR, perhaps eventually getting to VFR. The northern locations (namely TCL, BHM, EET, ASN, and ANB) will likely start to get impacted by rain/storms right at the end of the 24 hour valid period. /61/ && .FIRE WEATHER... A moist southerly flow will prevail through Wednesday in advance of a strong cold. A pre-frontal band of showers and thunderstorms will track across central Alabama Wednesday afternoon and evening. Much cooler and drier conditions Thursday and Friday. There are no fire weather concerns. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 60 74 40 59 34 / 30 90 40 0 0 Anniston 61 76 42 60 35 / 30 90 60 0 0 Birmingham 64 75 42 61 37 / 30 90 40 0 0 Tuscaloosa 66 76 42 62 38 / 30 90 30 0 0 Calera 63 75 42 62 38 / 30 80 50 0 0 Auburn 61 75 46 61 39 / 10 50 80 10 0 Montgomery 64 81 48 64 39 / 20 50 80 10 0 Troy 63 80 49 63 39 / 10 30 80 10 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham AL 1148 AM CST Tue Feb 28 2017 ALZ011>015-017>050-012100- 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- 1148 AM CST Tue Feb 28 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. No hazardous weather expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Severe thunderstorms will be possible between Noon and 10 PM on Wednesday as a cold front moves through the region. There is an elevated threat of damaging winds along and north of a line from Vernon, to Gardendale, to Ashville and Centre, where isolated brief tornadoes and large hail will also be possible. For the rest of Central Alabama, there will be a limited threat of damaging winds and hail. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management may be needed Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near normal rainfall during the month of March maintained the drought intensity at D2.
Near to slightly above normal rainfall during the month of March lowered the drought intensity from a D3 to a D2.
Near to slightly above normal rainfall during the month of March lowered the drought intensity from a D3 to a D2.
Near to slightly above normal rainfall during the month of March lowered the drought intensity from a D3 to a D2.
Near to slightly above normal rainfall during the month of March lowered the drought intensity from a D3 to a D2.
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, March 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: 685146, 685147, 685148, 685149, 685150, 685151, 685152, 685153, 685154, 685155.