Gusty northerly winds developed as a large area of showers moved east through north Alabama and low pressure moved east through central Alabama. The winds knocked down trees in Colbert and Madison Counties during the late evening hours of the 13th into the early morning hours of the 14th.
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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.
Gusty northerly winds developed as a large area of showers moved east through north Alabama and low pressure moved east through central Alabama. The winds knocked down trees in Colbert and Madison Counties during the late evening hours of the 13th into the early morning hours of the 14th.
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 Dec 13, 6:17 PM CST, 3 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 617 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 .UPDATE... For 00Z TAFS. && .NEAR TERM...(Tonight) Issued at 240 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 After a foggy start earlier for much of the area, generally sunny skies prevailed across the greater Tennessee Valley for the start of a new week. 2 PM temperatures ranged from the mid/upper 50s over much of the region, to the mid 60s over NE Alabama. Clouds however were on the increase from the west, as a deepening storm system nearing the TX/LA border gathers strength and moves closer. Clouds preceding the system were present mainly west of a Cookeville TN, Oxford and Greenwood MS line. Showers (with at least reports reaching the ground were occurring from NW of Nashville, to west of Memphis, and Greenville/Vicksburg MS and points west. A trough associated with the next system featured rather strong winds aloft, generally above 100kt ~35Kft ASL to near the tropopause. Although those winds will not directly affect the surface, the intensifying surface low moving to the east south of the Valley, will produce at times breezy conditions in the overnight, with sustained winds of 15G25 mph. Slight ducting of winds cannot be ruled out, with even higher gusts possible. NE winds in the evening will gradually back to the NW-W during Monday morning as the system passes. Although surface instability should remain nil, strong upglide from a moist, strong SE flow will produce instability aloft, and could result in a few rumbles of thunder in the overnight. Areas south of the Tennessee River and east of I-65 will be more vulnerable for an isolated storm or two. .SHORT TERM...(Monday through Tuesday night) Issued at 240 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 The system's surface low towards daybreak Monday should continue exiting rapidly to the east, nearing the Upstate of South Carolina. Wrap around showers on the western periphery of this system will end from west to east during the course of the morning. Colder air filtering southward will make for a chilly day, with high temps only in the mid/upper 40s, about 10 degrees below normal. Post system clouds should finally clear from west to east Mon afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and cold conditions are forecast for Mon night with lows in the upper 20s. Clouds will be on the increase during Tuesday, as yet another storm system in a fast flowing progressive pattern continues. Highs on Tue should be a bit warmer, into the lower 50s, cooler than normal highs in the mid 50s this time of year. More showers will begin impacting the area Tuesday night, as this next system also moves south of the area. This system could become a significant weather maker along the NE corridor the later half of this week. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Saturday) Issued at 240 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 Another shortwave will be traversing the area on Wednesday. While the better moisture remains to the south, expect a few showers during the day. Behind this system, cold air advection from the northwest will drop temperatures overnight into the mid 20s. A reinforcing, but dry cold front digs southward on Thursday and as a result, afternoon high temperatures struggle to climb above the mid 40s. By the end of the work week, a long wave upper level ridging across the southeast will gradually warm temperatures back up into the 50s as we head into the weekend. However, the dry weather will not last long as another shortwave moving through TX/OK on Friday will arrive in the Tennessee Valley by this weekend bringing another round of showers. Rain totals at the moment remain on the lighter side given the progressive movement of the system. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 617 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 Light rain continues to spread eastward across the TN Valley this evening, in advance of an upper-lvl storm system currently across the Red River Valley region of southeastern OK/northeastern TX. We will begin the TAFs with -RA falling from bkn-ovc altostratus clouds in the 8-12 kft layer, but transition to +RA with MVFR cig/vsby reductions by 01-02Z/MSL and 02-03Z/HSV. These conds will last for much of the evening and early morning hours on Monday, although the threat for +RA will likely end by 06-07Z/MSL and 07-08Z/HSV, as the sfc low related to the upper-lvl system tracks northeastward thru central AL, veering NNE flow to NNW. Lingering light RA/BR at the terminals should end from SW-to-NE by 10-11Z, but low stratus clouds will continue to provide MVFR cigs throughout the morning and perhaps into the early aftn hours. Although not indicated in the current TAFs, a return to VFR conditions could occur as early as 18-19Z, but this will need to be revisited in future aviation forecast updates. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...RSB SHORT TERM...RSB LONG TERM...GH AVIATION...70/DD For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Huntsville AL 305 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-141200- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 305 PM CST Sun Dec 13 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central Alabama, northeast Alabama, northwest Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. Isolated thunderstorms embedded within more widespread showers are possible in the overnight, mainly over portions of northern Alabama south of the Tennessee River and east of the Interstate 65 corridor. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel is not anticipated at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down at the intersection of Spout Road and River Road. Tree debris was also knocked down on Alabama Highway 243 at mile marker 7 near Stanford Circle in Phil Campbell.
At approximately 1225 AM, a tree was knocked down onto a home on Huntsville Mountain according to a social media report. A wind gust of 44 mph was reported atop Monte Sano in Huntsville at 253 AM.
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, December 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: 933898, 933903.