During the afternoon hours, a band of thunderstorms produced a lightning strike causing damage in a residential neighborhood of Madison. During the evening hours, a second broken line of thunderstorms, along with clusters of thunderstorms moved through north Alabama and and southern middle Tennessee during the late afternoon through mid evening hours.
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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.
During the afternoon hours, a band of thunderstorms produced a lightning strike causing damage in a residential neighborhood of Madison. During the evening hours, a second broken line of thunderstorms, along with clusters of thunderstorms moved through north Alabama and and southern middle Tennessee during the late afternoon through mid evening hours. The line of thunderstorms produced pockets of higher winds that produced sporadic damage to trees and power lines. Power outages resulted in parts of the area, including northern Madison 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 May 9, 1:48 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 248 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 .NEAR TERM...(Tonight) Issued at 248 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 Showers and thunderstorms continue to develop well ahead of a cold front that remains draped from the Ohio Valley south-southwest into northern Texas. Gradient winds have remained rather breezy, with observed gusts as high as 35 mph. The showers and thunderstorms currently impacting the TN Valley have developed a bit quicker than previously forecast. Hires guidance seems to be having a difficult time handling this activity, with a lot of the convection initiating off of outflow boundaries from earlier storms. Temperatures have warmed into the mid to upper 70s, however with clouds increasing and the showers moving in, heating will be a bit limited this afternoon. The exception is across our eastern counties where clear skies have allowed more heating, but dewpoints are quite a bit lower as well. Confidence still isn't overly high with regard to the severe threat this afternoon and evening and as mentioned above, hires guidance isn't a ton of help. Looking at the current conditions, surface based instability has slowly increased across our western areas, but is still somewhat limited with RAP analysis indicating around 500 j/kg. Further east, we've realized a bit more heating, with temps in the lower 80s, however dewpoints are struggling to rise into the 50s. With continued southerly flow, these dewpoints will continue to rise and guidance continues to suggest that instability will increase across the east as well. How much we are able to destabilize is in question as the cloud cover and rain will limit our heating, though steeper lapse rates forecast late this afternoon will help overcome some of this and lend some decent MU CAPE. Deep layer shear isn't overly impressive, but with the low level jet still just our north, we do have quite a bit of low level shear currently over the area. This jet is expected to move further to the northeast over the next few hours, so it may not line up with the better instability expected later this afternoon. There will be a brief period of overlap between 21Z and 02Z where we will see a shot at organized thunderstorms and if a storm does develop/move into the area and maintain a strong updraft it may produce gusty winds up to 60 mph. So we'll maintain the isolated to scattered severe threat, with gusty winds being the main hazard. This activity will slowly push eastward this evening and exit the area around midnight as the cold front makes its way into the region. This front should clear the area by daybreak but will stall just south of the TN Valley, leaving some lingering showers in our southern counties during early morning hours. Temps will into the 50s behind the front. .SHORT TERM...(Monday through Tuesday night) Issued at 248 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 The cold front will stall to our south on Monday as the mid level flow pattern becomes remains zonal. While the area will likely remain dry for the most part, some isolated showers will be possible across areas south of the TN River on Monday. Several weaknesses in the zonal flow pattern will move through the area Monday night and Tuesday and may bring isolated to scattered showers across the area. Some modest heating during the afternoon will lend enough instability for some thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon hours as well. Showers will continue during the overnight hours on Tuesday, but still not anticipating more than scattered coverage. With cloud cover and precip in the area, temps will be a few degrees below normal, with highs on Monday and Tuesday in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Overnight lows will fall into the upper 40s to lower 50s each night. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Saturday) Issued at 248 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 An upper level trough will dig out of Canada and swing into the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday. This will lift the aforementioned boundary to our south northward, with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible during the day. As the trough moves eastward, it will bring a cold front into the region on Wednesday night, with showers coming to an end by Thursday. The trough axis will move through the area during the day Thursday and move east by Thursday night. This will bring a dry period into the area heading into the next weekend. Temps will generally remain below normal through the end of the week, with highs in the upper 60s on Wednesday and Thursday and then rising into the mid to upper 70s by Saturday. Overnight lows will be in the upper 40s to lower 50s through the end of the period. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Monday afternoon) Issued at 1227 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 An area of showers and thunderstorms to our west is dissipating as it makes its way eastward. Additional thunderstorm development is expected during the mid to late afternoon hours, however there is a bit of lower confidence on the exact timing of this activity. Therefore, have included a tempo for a few hours this afternoon and early evening at both KMSL and KHSV. Any thunderstorm that enters the terminals will likely produce gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall. Otherwise, expect gusty gradient winds to persist through sunset, with gusts as high as 30 kts possible. The thunderstorm activity will come to an end late this evening as a cold front crosses the area. As the front moves through, cigs will lower to MVFR between 04Z and 06Z and then lower to IFR between 07Z and 09Z. These cigs will linger through sunrise and then lift to MVFR, with MVFR cigs lingering through the end of the period. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...Wind Advisory until 6 PM CDT this evening for ALZ001>010. TN...Wind Advisory until 6 PM CDT this evening for TNZ076-096-097. && NEAR TERM...73 SHORT TERM...73 LONG TERM...73 AVIATION...73 For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Huntsville AL 247 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-101100- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 247 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Tonight... Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and tonight. Some of the storms could become severe in intensity, especially near and west of the Interstate 65 corridor. Strong wind gusts up to 60 mph are the main threat. Hail and tornado formation cannot be totally ruled out. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel is possible this afternoon and evening. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:31 UTC.
13 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a tree and a residence at the corner of Hickory Ridge Road and Miller Road in Madison. The tree exploded and the home's front windows were blown out. Also, electronics were reportedly damaged at several of the surrounding homes.
A tree was knocked down at the intersection of Mingo Road and Maud Road. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down at the intersection of Chickamauga Street and Norris Circle. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down at 1400 Jackson Highway in Littleville. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down onto a power line at Ready Section Road at Bolden Hughey Road. Power outages were reported in this area. Time estimated by radar.
Trees were knocked down onto the road at Lovelace Road at West Limestone Road. Time estimated by radar.
Tree branches were knocked down into the road on Fords Chapel Road. Time estimated by radar.
A large tree branch was knocked down into the road at Nick Davis Road at Orville Smith Road. Time estimated by radar.
Trees were down on Jimmy Fisk Road. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down and blocking the road. Time estimated by radar.
A tree and power line were knocked down into the roadway at Eastbrook Circle at Academy Drive. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down and blocking the roadway at Stanley Drive at Magnolia Drive. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down and blocking the roadway at 1705 Bide A Wee Road. Time estimated by radar.
A tree and power lines were knocked down at McKinley Road at Maysville Road. Time estimated by radar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2021
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: 948265, 958350, 958352, 958351, 958349, 958353, 958355, 958357, 958354, 958360, 958356, 958361, 958358, 958359.