A weakening line of thunderstorms pushed slowly northeast through north Alabama during the late morning and afternoon hours. One storm produced a bow-echo segment in Lawrence County that knocked down a large tree and destroyed a couple of sheds.
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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 weakening line of thunderstorms pushed slowly northeast through north Alabama during the late morning and afternoon hours. One storm produced a bow-echo segment in Lawrence County that knocked down a large tree and destroyed a couple of sheds.
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 Mar 25, 11:20 AM CST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1220 PM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 .UPDATE... For 18Z TAFS. && .NEAR TERM...(Rest of Today) Issued at 1027 AM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 A line of showers and thunderstorms that had developed along a prefrontal trough axis that moved through Mississippi overnight has weakened significantly over the last few hours (except on its extreme southern extent south of Jackson, MS). This activity has moved into northwestern Alabama at this time and has become mainly a line of showers from Lauderdale southward into Franklin counties. This activity is far ahead of the main cold front still moving east through central Arkansas. Based on current/forecast low-level wind vectors from VAD profiler and 12Z analysis, winds are primarily paralleling this pre-frontal trough axis. Based on HRRR and most mesoscale models, which seem to be too fast, this continues until the early afternoon hours. Thus, not expecting the convergence with this pre-frontal trough axis to move even to near I-65 until the mid-afternoon hours (around 2-3 PM). Rain and storms chances near this boundary will increase markedly as this feature finally pushes east today. So much of northern Alabama will remain dry through the early afternoon hours (northeast Alabama maybe through 4 pm). Between now and then, given the current satellite trends and later movement of the pre-frontal trough axis, enough surface based instability should develop to continue a threat of strong to severe thunderstorms. However, the severe threat has lessened northwest of a line from Rogersville in Lauderdale County to Douglas in Marshall county. The best threat for severe weather continues to be in portions of northwestern Alabama and towards Cullman county north of that line. At this time, damaging winds look to be the biggest threat with severe storms. However, enough instability may recover southwest of that line from Rogersville to Douglas to produce a brief tornado. Precipitation chances were delayed to reflect the slower progression of the pre- frontal trough axis. Otherwise, around 1 inch of rainfall is expected with this system today and tonight. Some isolated higher amounts around 1.5 inches are possible. Depending on how quickly this convection develops, may need to raise precipitation totals later (due to slow moving nature of the boundary. Raised high temperatures into the mid 70s based on expected based on current satellite trends and 925 mb temperatures climbing to around 16 degrees this afternoon. Also raised wind gusts a bit as winds gusts up to 30 mph look possible given 850 mb jet and mixing. .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Monday) Issued at 949 AM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 The cold front itself finally looks to cross into NW AL at the start of the evening period. The initial line of showers/tstms in all prob will be moving ewd into NE AL and weakening as mid/upper forcing wane as the convective line moves further away from the upper shrtwv. In portions of northeastern Alabama (such as Dekalb/Jackson counties), a severe storm could continue until 8 PM. Same threats are expected as with earlier afternoon activity. Going into Sun, the front will continue to gradually make its way across the TN Valley with showers/tstms again developing along/ahead of the sfc boundary. While Bulk/deep layer shear are xpcted to be weaker on Sun, buoyant energy/low level instability looks to increase out of the sw, as the upper trough axis over the Midwest/OH Valley states continues to lift newd. With the front providing just enough of a lifting source coupled with the increase in latent heating, enough parameters suggest the potential for strong/marginally svr tstm development again on Sun with the frontal passage. Main wx threats again look to be brief damaging wind gusts and small hail. The active wx doesn't end with the start of the new work week, with the latest model suites hinting at another amplifying upper trough axis out of the mid Plains traversing ewd into the SE region Mon into Tue. The sfc reflection has a parent low moving ewd out of the srn Plains and into the Midwest/OH Valley region by Tue, with an attendant frontal boundary settling into the TN Valley area. Sct showers/tstms look to develop along/ahead of this next front, with a few strong/marginally svr tstms possible yet again on Mon and will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts and hail. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Friday) Issued at 553 AM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 An unsettled weather pattern will set up for the extended forecast period. On the flip side, warmer than normal temps will stick around through the week! Showers and thunderstorms will linger into Tuesday as the cold front moves through the area. They will taper off from west to east as the front moves out and a weak upper-level ridge builds in, keeping Tuesday night dry. The GFS is more willing to push the front into central-south AL compared to the ECMWF at this time. With the ECMWF not pushing the front as far south as the GFS, instead it generally stalls the front in the general area into Wednesday. Only included isolated POPs for mainly NE AL and So Mid TN at this time during the afternoon on Wednesday. As the next storm system swings out from the Four Corners area on Wednesday, it will push the short lived ridge eastward and out of the region by Thursday. How the system progresses once it moves into the Southern Plains and thereafter will depend on which model you choose, as they diverge quickly. Models do agree that we could start off with some showers/storms on Wed Night/Early Thurs morning, then Thurs Afternoon/Night is when the main line will move through with precip lingering into Friday morning. However, the GFS does not keep a closed low and nearly shears apart while the ECMWF keeps a closed low but opens up into a broad trough as it lifts NE. So when the system does move into the region, the GFS has it orientated NE/SW where Gulf convection could cut us off, or the ECMWF has a more N/S linear system moving in. Will look for further model consistency with upcoming runs to determine storm strength. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Sunday afternoon) Issued at 1216 PM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 VFR conditions are occurring just ahead of a squall line that is slowly moving towards the area from west to east. -TSRA are possible anywhere along this line and have included the latest timing for this squall line to affect the terminals between 25/18Z-25/21Z. An additional threat for storms will exist after 25/21Z-25/22Z and have tried to time these various episodes of storms throughout the TAF. Within or close to any of these storms, MVFR conditions may occur especially between 25/19Z-26/03Z timeframe. Additional updates to this timing are likely given some timing uncertainty with more storms developing after 26/03Z and continuing through the rest of the forecast period. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...KTW SHORT TERM...KTW LONG TERM...JMS AVIATION...SL.77 For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Huntsville AL 935 AM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-261000- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-De Kalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 935 AM CDT Sat Mar 25 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight... A line of storms that will continue to weaken initially over northwest Alabama is expected to re-develop and intensify as it moves east, ahead of an approaching cold front. Some storms may be strong to marginally severe and will be capable of damaging wind gusts mainly along and west of the Interstate 65 corridor. This line will continue to move east across the remainder of the area into the evening hours. A low tornado threat also exist with any storms that develop ahead of the main line of storms and within any breaks in the line of the storms. Additional ordinary storms are expected to develop behind this squall line later this evening and tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday... The cold front will move into the area on Sunday with additional thunderstorms developing along and ahead of the front. A few strong to severe storms are again possible and will be capable of brief damaging wind gusts and small hail. Additional thunderstorms are possible Monday into Tuesday as another storm system impacts the Tennessee Valley area. A few storms may again be strong to severe in nature and will be capable of damaging wind gusts and hail. Another storm system may bring more thunderstorms on Thursday. The strength and timing of these storms remain uncertain at this time. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel is possible Saturday afternoon.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
1245 PM CDT SAT MAR 25 2017
ALZ004-251815-
Lawrence AL-
1245 PM CDT SAT MAR 25 2017
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY UNTIL
115 PM CDT...
At 1245 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Ashridge, or 10 miles east of Haleyville, moving northeast at 45 mph.
Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Moulton, Mt Hope, Chalybeate Springs, Speake, Wren, Landersville and
Bankhead National Forest.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Strong gusty winds will be capable of knocking down small tree limbs
along with other small unsecured items. Seek safe shelter until this
storm has passed.
&&
LAT...LON 3431 8753 3444 8753 3466 8732 3451 8710
3440 8711 3430 8721
TIME...MOT...LOC 1745Z 215DEG 37KT 3428 8743
70/DDThe Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:07 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds knocked a large tree down and blew down multiple sheds at the intersections of Highway 20 and CR 217. Time was estimated by radar.
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: 678912.