A band of slow moving thunderstorms produced localized heavy rainfall across Sumter 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 BMX wrote it up.
A band of slow moving thunderstorms produced localized heavy rainfall across Sumter 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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 25, 6:03 AM CST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 703 AM CDT Tue Aug 25 2020 .UPDATE... For 12Z Aviation. && .SHORT TERM... /Updated at 350 AM CDT Tue Aug 25 2020/ Today through Wednesday. Another mostly cloudy and rainy at times day is anticipated for much of Central Alabama as we remain in a moist tropical airmass. PWATs for today should be above 2 for all and forecasted as high as 2.4. Marco has fallen apart rapidly along the LA coast due to shear. We remain though in a southeast to south onshore flow generally through 600mb as Laura moves NW across the Gulf of Mexico through the short term. That, along with weak troughing aloft, will help us to continue in our showery pattern for today. Forecast QPF looks to be generally light along and south of the Interstate 85 corridor and under an inch elsewhere for today. However, with the higher PWATs possible today, we will be on the lookout for any problem areas on radar. Overall though, widespread flooding is not anticipated. Our warmest counties will be across the SE today where a few breaks in the clouds may be just enough for the lower 90s. Some thunderstorms will be possible mainly in the afternoon and evening to go along with the widespread showers. Overnight low temperatures tonight will be similar. However, rain chances should go down a tad with more scattered activity for tonight. Wednesday looks to be a little warmer with weak ridging and lower (more scattered) rain chances. 08 .LONG TERM... /Updated at 350 AM CDT Tue Aug 25 2020/ Wednesday night through Monday. Tropical Storm Laura has emerged out over the southeastern Gulf and is expected to strengthen to a hurricane later today. Laura will be steered by a trough over Texas and a ridge over the Southeast, and models are coming into good agreement on Laura making landfall somewhere along the southeast Texas/southwest Louisiana coast Wednesday night. Laura will lift northward through the ArkLaTex Thursday, with some model differences beginning to appear Friday regarding how sharply/quickly Laura or its remnants recurve upon reaching the westerlies over the Mid-South. This will keep the main impacts from Laura well west/northwest of the area, though some low-end impacts may be possible across our far northern/northwestern counties Friday/Friday night as then TD Laura moves eastward through Tennessee. Ridging aloft will allow for quiet weather Wednesday night. Deeper moisture and the main rain bands from Laura should remain west of the area Thursday/Thursday evening, but there should be enough moisture for scattered shower/thunderstorm development with daytime heating. The stronger 850mb flow associated with Laura remains west of the area Thursday until perhaps late Thursday night (though instability is weak late Thursday night), and will remove any impacts for Thursday from the HWO. Rain chances will increase Friday/Friday night as the low to mid-level trough associated with Laura moves through. The LLJ associated with Laura may clip some of our northwestern/northern counties during this time, with a modest uptick in low-level SRH though the low-level flow will also be veering in the southeast quadrant of the weakening system. This will keep the threat for a brief tornado or two marginal at best and dependent on the exact track of the system. Localized flooding will be possible, though organized/widespread flooding is not expected at this time. 0-6km bulk shear values around 30 kts could also support some line segments with a localized damaging wind threat. The flow aloft will become northwesterly this weekend in the wake of Laura, between ridging over the Gulf and Southern Plains and a trough over the Great Lakes. Tropical moisture will linger over the area and pool ahead of a front which will stall near or northeast of the area, resulting in enhanced coverage of showers and storms. Will also have to monitor for any MCSs that develop upstream as well. Unsettled conditions continue to into early next week as a seasonally strong trough amplifies over the central CONUS. 32/Davis && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF Discussion. We will continue with an influx of tropical moisture across Central Alabama today. The radar currently indicates widespread showers across much of Central Alabama. Off and on showers will continue today. MVFR cigs to, at times this morning IFR cigs, will be present with the showers. Winds will be east to southeast across the area ~ 5-10 KTS. Reduced visibilities may be noted in the heavier showers at times. Thunderstorms will be a possibility during the afternoon and evening as well. Rain chances will decrease some this evening into Wed as weak ridging builds. 08 && .FIRE WEATHER... Widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected today as a very moist air mass will be located over the area. Showers and storms will become isolated to scattered Wednesday and Thursday. Rain chances will increase Friday and into the weekend as the remnants of Laura track northward along the Mississippi River. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 84 71 90 71 92 / 80 50 30 10 30 Anniston 85 72 91 73 93 / 80 50 30 10 30 Birmingham 85 73 91 74 92 / 80 50 30 10 30 Tuscaloosa 86 74 92 75 91 / 80 50 30 20 40 Calera 85 72 91 72 91 / 80 40 30 10 30 Auburn 87 72 90 72 91 / 70 20 20 10 20 Montgomery 90 74 93 75 93 / 70 20 30 10 30 Troy 90 73 92 74 92 / 60 20 30 10 30 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham AL 350 AM CDT Tue Aug 25 2020 ALZ011>015-017>050-261200- 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- 350 AM CDT Tue Aug 25 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. .DAY ONE...Outlook through Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Tropical Storm Laura is forecast to strengthen to a hurricane before making landfall along the southeast Texas or southwest Louisiana coast Wednesday night. The more widespread strong winds and heavy rainfall will stay west of Central Alabama. However, the remnants of Laura could generate a couple severe storms with damaging winds or a brief tornado as well as localized heavy rainfall mainly across far northwestern and northern portions of Central Alabama Friday and Friday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management may be needed on Friday and Friday night. Please follow all local, state, and CDC guidelines in regards to travel.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 154 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:05 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway 11 flooded in both directions.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, August 2020
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: 916373.