Clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the late morning and early afternoon hours, beginning in northwest Alabama and moving eastward and becoming more numerous by early to mid afternoon. Winds gusted to 59 mph at Muscle Shoals, and wind damage was reported in Marshall County.
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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.
Clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the late morning and early afternoon hours, beginning in northwest Alabama and moving eastward and becoming more numerous by early to mid afternoon. Winds gusted to 59 mph at Muscle Shoals, and wind damage was reported in Marshall County.
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 Sep 19, 8:49 AM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 949 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 .NEAR TERM...(Rest of Today) Issued at 949 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 What patchy dense fog was in place across the sheltered/valley areas of NE AL earlier this morning has now diminished, with some cloud cover beginning to work its way ewd into NW AL. A few showers have also developed across portions of extreme NW AL, in response to an oncoming shrtwv aloft out of the srn/mid Plains states. Convection should continue to gradually develop/spread ewd thru the day, as the trough axis moves into the region. Primary lifting mech will be provided by weak dynamic forcing along the advancing trough and buoyant energy increasing thru the day. Even so, this should mainly result in gen tstms with perhaps a strong storm or two capable of gusty winds and brief heavy rainfall. Afternoon conditions will again be warm/muggy, with highs climbing well into the mid/upper 80s range. .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Thursday night) Issued at 531 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 Guidance is in reasonably good agreement in predicting the mid-level trough to cross the TN Valley tonight. Although most of the afternoon convection should dissipate by sunset, some showers and storms may linger in the region through Midnight aided by synoptic scale ascent associated with the trough. The trough axis is expected to shift southeastward across the southern Appalachians on Wednesday, as a 500-mb ridge builds northward into the eastern Great Lakes downstream from an amplifying longwave trough over the western CONUS. Developing northerly flow aloft will advect a drier mid- level airmass into the region as this occurs, and this along with lack of any source of ascent should lead to a lower coverage of showers and storms on Wednesday. Mid-level winds will strengthen and veer to the northeast from Wednesday night-Thursday night as the 500-mb ridge strengthens to our northwest and the trough to our southeast evolves into a cutoff low over the Carolinas. This pattern will maintain the southwestward advection of dry air aloft, with only isolated showers/storms possible on Thursday afternoon when a weak wave is predicted to cross the region in northeast flow aloft. Regarding temperatures, highs should warm from todays values back into the u80s/l90s on Wednesday and Thursday based on the assumption of less cloud cover and precipitation each day. However, despite the presence of drier air aloft, little change is expected in the quality of low-level moisture and this should result in afternoon heat index values possibly as high as 95-100 degrees for portions of the forecast area by Thursday. Based on favorable conditions for radiational cooling, lows will range from the u60s in the west to the l60s in the east -- with patchy fog possible each morning. .LONG TERM...(Friday through Monday) Issued at 531 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 A fairly strong upper ridge will encompass much of the central CONUS Friday morning, while a fairly strong upper trough digs southward along the west coast. At the surface, high pressure will build over the eastern half of the CONUS. The TN Valley will remain on the southern fringe of the upper high, with an east-southeasterly flow through the lower levels helping bring an influx of moisture across the area. This will aid in diurnally driven thunderstorms on Friday, though at this point, the highest coverage looks to be across the east. This pattern will continue into Saturday, though guidance hints at developing a cut off low along the northern Gulf and brings that northward and into the area late Saturday afternoon and into Sunday. This may enhance the coverage of diurnally driven thunderstorms, however the upper high will remain to our north and may limit some of this coverage. High pressure will maintain its hold across the TN Valley heading into the next work week. Meanwhile, TC Maria will lift northward along the western Atlantic, though with the latest guidance looks to remain over the open waters. Moisture will generally be cut off from the local area as winds shift to a more northeasterly direction, limiting the chance for showers and thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday. Given the strength of the upper high, the aforementioned trough won't make much of a progression as it moves east of the Rockies, and looks to stall over the Plains. Thus, a dry forecast is expected across the TN Valley at least for the start of next week. Temperatures through the period will remain at or slightly above normal for late September. Highs will generally warm into the mid to upper 80s, with overnight lows falling into the mid to upper 60s. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Wednesday morning) Issued at 646 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 Aside from minor vsby reductions in fog which will persist for the initial hour of the TAF period, VFR conds are expected this morning with development of sct cu by 14Z. Atmospheric lift associated with an approaching upper-level disturbance will likely initiate the development of scattered shra/tsra btwn 17-02Z, but due to expected coverage we have only included VCTS/CB attm. Clearing skies and lgt/vrbl winds this evening will be favorable for fog development once again, and a tempo group for 5SM/BR has been introduced btwn 20/08-12Z. However, vsby reductions could be much lower than indicated in the current forecast if significant rainfall occurs in the vicinity of either HSV or MSL later this afternoon. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...09 SHORT TERM...70/DD LONG TERM...73 AVIATION...70/DD For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Huntsville AL 955 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-200100- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-De Kalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 955 AM CDT Tue Sep 19 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight... Scattered thunderstorms will develop today into the early evening hours. This activity will diminish before midnight. Brief wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday... Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible each day through Sunday, generally during the afternoon hours. A strong thunderstorm or two with gusty winds will be possible. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel is not anticipated at this time.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1030 AM CDT TUE SEP 19 2017 ALZ001-002-191615- Lauderdale AL-Colbert AL- 1030 AM CDT TUE SEP 19 2017 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LAUDERDALE AND EAST CENTRAL COLBERT COUNTIES UNTIL 1115 AM CDT... At 1030 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Tuscumbia, moving east at 20 mph. Pea size hail and winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Killen, Leighton, St. Florian, Northwest Alabama Regional Airport and Ford City. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike several miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. && LAT...LON 3469 8781 3476 8782 3488 8754 3467 8750 TIME...MOT...LOC 1530Z 263DEG 16KT 3472 8774
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1058 AM CDT TUE SEP 19 2017 ALZ001-002-004-191630- Lawrence AL-Lauderdale AL-Colbert AL- 1058 AM CDT TUE SEP 19 2017 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN LAUDERDALE... SOUTHEASTERN COLBERT AND NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL 1130 AM CDT... At 1057 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Muscle Shoals, moving east at 15 mph. Pea size hail and winds in excess of 45 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Killen, Town Creek, Littleville, Leighton, St. Florian and Northwest Alabama Regional Airport. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike several miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. && LAT...LON 3461 8777 3482 8777 3489 8738 3457 8741 TIME...MOT...LOC 1557Z 266DEG 12KT 3474 8767 KTW
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:06 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust of 59 mph was reported by the ASOS at the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport.
Power lines were knocked down on Eddy Scant Road.
Two trees were knocked down in the Pleasant Grove area.
Widespread power outages were reported in the Guntersville area.
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, September 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: 715552, 715549, 715550, 715551.