Showers and thunderstorms repeatedly moved across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle TN. Numerous roads were closed in Lincoln County, with widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 across much of the area.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Showers and thunderstorms repeatedly moved across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle TN. Numerous roads were closed in Lincoln County, with widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 across much of the area. Portions of NW Madison received 6-8 over a few hours, leading to flash flooding.
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 20, 5:55 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 655 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 .UPDATE... For 00Z TAFS. && .NEAR TERM...(Tonight) Issued at 132 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 The weak impulse shifting east into AL is taking advantage of very moist and moderately unstable air. Convective clusters have increased during the past couple of hours, especially within the convergence axis which is locate in middle TN into north AL. Locally excessive rain rates are still expected through early this evening before loss of heating decays most activity. Will let the Flash Flood Watch expire at 7 PM. Lows will dip into the upper 60s to around 70. Low clouds will likely redevelop once again later tonight. .SHORT TERM...(Tuesday through Wednesday) Issued at 132 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 The next shortwave impulse now crossing the lower MS valley will arrive on Tuesday. This should yield another blossoming of scattered to numerous showers and a few thunderstorms. Although locally heavy rain is expected, will hold off on extending the Flash Flood Watch at this point due to more limited coverage. Ongoing river flooding will continue on some of tributaries, so please refer to those FLW/FLS products. The long-awaited stronger shortwave and attendant cold front will arrive Tuesday night, with pre-frontal showers and thunderstorms entering northwest AL and southern middle TN by late evening. By 12Z Wednesday morning, the front will be east of I-65, with lingering stratiform region rain and TS just behind the front. Northwest winds will be gusting over 20kt at times by afternoon, with strong cold air advection. Highs will be held in the lower 70s for valleys, and upper 60s atop the highest Cumberland Plateau areas, if clouds can clear off. If a low strato-cu deck holds, wouldn't be shocked if temperatures were cooler. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Sunday) Issued at 132 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 Wednesday night lows will be in the chilly upper 40s in southern TN and higher elevations of north AL, with around 50 elsewhere. Temperatures will be held back by cold advection on Thursday with highs only in the lower 70s valleys and upper 60s highest elevations. North flow should diminish abruptly by sunset Thursday evening. And with the light flow and surface ridge shifting east into the OH and TN valleys, lows will dip into the middle to upper 40s in many areas Friday morning. The warmest readings near 50 will reside in urban and large water body areas. After a weak shortwave drops through Friday with little or no cloudiness, Northwest flow will dominate the southeast region as a deep upper low digs into the Great lakes. This will maintain dry weather through this weekend. Slowly warming temperatures are expected as well, as a thermal ridge in low levels builds from the Plains east through the Ozarks and into lower OH/TN valleys. Highs should warm back into the upper 70s Saturday and upper 70s to around 80 on Sunday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Tuesday evening) Issued at 655 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 Storms are currently impacting KMSL and have TSRA mentioned in the TAF there over the next hour or so with VFR conditions currently at KHSV. Any ongoing convection should come to an end shortly with dry conditions forecast for much of the overnight period. The low-levels remain saturated overnight and expect a return to MVFR conditions overnight and may be IFR ceilings near sunrise. Conditions should improve to VFR around 15z. Scattered showers and storms will be possible once again tomorrow afternoon but confidence is too low to include precipitation in the TAFs at this time. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...Flash Flood Watch until 7 PM CDT this evening for ALZ001>010-016. TN...Flash Flood Watch until 7 PM CDT this evening for TNZ076-096-097. && NEAR TERM...17 SHORT TERM...17 LONG TERM...17 AVIATION...MA For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Huntsville AL 155 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-211000- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 155 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Tonight... Periods of moderate to locally heavy rainfall and a few embedded thunderstorms will will be possible today. This will result in an enhanced threat for flash, areal, and mainstem river flooding. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for the entire region through 7 PM this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday... Additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms will impact the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, with an attendant threat for locally heavy rainfall and flooding. The risk for thunderstorms and flash flooding will end from northwest-to-southeast late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, as a strong cold front shifts southeastward. However, areal and mainstem river flooding may continue across portions of the area through the end of the week. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... Activation of storm spotters and emergency management personnel in support of flooding is possible this afternoon and evening.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
208 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0206 PM FLASH FLOOD 10 SSE FAYETTEVILLE 35.01N 86.50W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
A WATER RESCUE OCCURRED DUE TO FLASH
FLOODING AT 40 VANNTOWN ROAD. TIME
ESTIMATED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
210 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM FLASH FLOOD 10 SSE FAYETTEVILLE 35.03N 86.48W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
A WATER RESCUE WAS PERFORMED DUE TO FLASH
FLOODING AT 7 M. JONES ROAD AND WALKER FORD
ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
211 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM FLASH FLOOD 6 SSW FAYETTEVILLE 35.06N 86.59W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
A WATER RESCUE WAS PERFORMED DUE TO FLASH
FLOODING AT 125 HIGHLAND RIM ROAD. TIME
ESTIMATED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
212 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 SW PETERSBURG 35.30N 86.67W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
NORTH FISHING FORD ROAD WAS CLOSED DUE TO
FLASH FLOODING. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
213 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM FLASH FLOOD 5 S FAYETTEVILLE 35.08N 86.56W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
THE ROAD WAS CLOSED AT 76 PROSPECT ROAD DUE
TO FLASH FLOODING. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
214 PM CDT MON SEP 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM FLASH FLOOD 9 W HUNTLAND 35.06N 86.43W
09/19/2021 LINCOLN TN EMERGENCY MNGR
SMITH LANE IN FLINTVILLE WAS CLOSED DUE TO
FLASH FLOODING. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:01 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Leighton Police Dept reports several streets in downtown Leighton under 4-5 feet of water. Also, County Line Road just south of Hwy 20 has about 5-6 feet of water covering it.
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, September 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: 987241.