7 inches. A slow moving cold front initiated showers and thunderstorms across north central Alabama, producing rainfall totals of 2-3 inches.
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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.
Broad southwest flow aloft over Alabama was juxtaposed with high PWATs near 1.7 inches. A slow moving cold front initiated showers and thunderstorms across north central Alabama, producing rainfall totals of 2-3 inches.
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 18, 11:44 AM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 1144 AM CST Tue Feb 18 2020 .UPDATE... For 18Z Aviation. && .SHORT TERM... /Updated at 0320 AM CST Tue Feb 18 2020/ Through Wednesday. Rain chances will remain high through the morning in the east as the first wave moves out of the area. Clouds remain thick for the day as we await a second wave to work into the region during the afternoon. With the possible break in rain, temperatures will have a chance to get up into the mid 60s north to low 70s south before the widespread rains set up after 3 pm. Once the sun sets the front will begin to work through the region. Look for the front to be near or just south of the I-85 corridor by sunrise on Wednesday. Lows for the night will drop into the 40s in the northwest behind the front, to upper 50s ahead of the front. There is a growing concern for flooding potential across portions of Central Alabama as the rain and storms will train over an area that already received or will be receiving 1/2 to 1" of rain through sunrise this morning. There is a possibility that the same areas could receive another 1.5 to 2.5" by this time Wednesday morning. Given the fact the ground is still quite saturated and creeks and streams are still quite high, this amount of rain over a short window could result in localized flash flooding. Therefore we have issued a Flash Flood Watch through 6 AM Wednesday. The front clears the area Wednesday morning before stalling out to our south. Much of the afternoon will be dry across the area. By the evening hours, southerly flow will return and lift moisture up and over the front, thus increasing rain chances across the south and eventually into the north overnight. Exactly how far north it works by sunrise Thursday is questionable, but at this time it appears the best chances will be along and south of the I-22/I-20 corridors. 16 .LONG TERM... /Updated at 0320 AM CST Tue Feb 18 2020/ Thursday through Tuesday. The cold front is stalled across our southern most counties as another upper level shortwave trough lifts northeastward through the area. This will lead to widespread rain along and to the north of the frontal boundary most of the day. This round of rain will generally be light stratiform rain with 0.5 - 1.5 inches total with the highest chances in the southern half of Central AL. Temps won't increase much due to the cold front remaining to our south, so look for highs in the 40s. Lack of instability will prevent any convective potential. A secondary surge of cold/dry air finally pushes the rain south and east of our area Thursday night, and by Friday morning, temperatures across the north will have dropped into the upper 20s to low 30s. Friday and Saturday will have mostly clear skies with highs in the 50s. A trough moves through the Rockies and develops a surface low that lifts through the Great Plains Sunday night into Monday. Guidance continues to show this system bringing our next chance for rain, but models have struggled with how the trough will evolve and what the track of the low will be. Therefore, I've continued trending PoPs up Sunday afternoon through Tuesday, but will hold off mentioning any thunderstorm chances until guidance comes into better agreement. 25/Owen && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF Discussion. A front will bring periods of scattered rain and thunderstorms this evening and overnight. Uncertainty remains on the coverage of thunderstorms...so only included VCTS at each TAF site for now. Low level moisture will remain abundant through the TAF period...with generally LIFR to IFR ceilings statewide. Winds remaining brisk in the morning could limit fog development some...though still expecting around IFR visibilities during the morning Wednesday. Any stronger shower or thunderstorm could further lower ceilings or visibilities at each TAF site. 24 && .FIRE WEATHER... Widespread rain is expected today through Wednesday. Highest amounts of rainfall through this period will be along and south of I-20. Low clouds and patchy fog are expected tonight, with cloud decks remaining below 1kft through at least Tuesday evening. Winds will be from the south ahead of an approaching front, then becoming northerly as the front moves southward Tuesday night and Wednesday. A second round of rain moves in Thursday behind the front. Rain chances finally end Friday through Saturday as high pressure builds in. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 66 47 55 42 44 / 100 90 30 40 60 Anniston 68 49 55 43 46 / 100 100 40 50 70 Birmingham 69 48 55 44 46 / 100 90 30 60 70 Tuscaloosa 70 49 56 46 48 / 100 90 30 70 80 Calera 69 50 56 45 47 / 100 100 40 70 80 Auburn 68 56 58 45 46 / 90 100 60 80 90 Montgomery 74 57 61 48 50 / 90 100 60 90 90 Troy 73 61 62 49 50 / 60 80 60 90 90 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/... Flash Flood Watch through late tonight for the following counties: Autauga...Bibb...Blount...Calhoun...Chambers... Cherokee...Chilton...Clay...Cleburne...Coosa...Elmore...Etowah... Fayette...Greene...Hale...Jefferson...Lamar...Lee...Marion... Perry...Pickens...Randolph...Shelby...St. Clair...Sumter... Talladega...Tallapoosa...Tuscaloosa...Walker...Winston. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham AL 1101 AM CST Tue Feb 18 2020 ALZ011>015-017>050-192015- 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- 1101 AM CST Tue Feb 18 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. .DAY ONE...Outlook through Tonight. Moderate to heavy rain today and tonight may lead to localized flash flooding in low-lying or poor drainage areas. Rainfall totals expected to be one to three inches with locally higher amounts. Many river basins across Central Alabama are in flood stage. Please see the latest river statements for specific details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. River basins will continue to experience flooding over the next several days. Please see the latest river statements for specific details. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management may be needed today and tonight for flooding.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water covering County Roads 55 and Highway 411.
Several roads flooded and impassible across northern Blount County. Some of the roads include County Road 30, Wright Road, Moman Road, and Old Scott Road.
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, February 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: 878439, 878440.