Isolated to scattered pulse type convection occurred during the afternoon into the early evening hours. One storm became severe and produced significant wind damage north of the Anderson and east of Lexington in Lauderdale 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 HUN wrote it up.
Isolated to scattered pulse type convection occurred during the afternoon into the early evening hours. One storm became severe and produced significant wind damage north of the Anderson and east of Lexington in Lauderdale 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 21, 1:42 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 242 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 .NEAR TERM...(Remainder of today and tonight) Issued at 242 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 Overall, there have been no major changes to forecast reasoning for the remainder of the afternoon since the morning update, with regional surface observations indicating that temps are on track to reach targeted highs in the u80s-l90s. Isolated thunderstorms will also be possible across portions of the local area, but deep boundary layer mixing has reduced instability across much of the region, and we expect the greatest coverage of storms to be across the west based on current radar trends. The main threats with this activity will be gusty downburst winds up to 40-50 MPH and frequent lightning. Latest model guidance suggests that this activity may persist and even expand in coverage during the evening hours, as the nocturnal low-level jet begins to strengthen ahead of a loosely organized MCS that will drop southeastward into the Mid-South region late tonight. The MCS should become increasingly outflow dominant as it spreads southeastward away from the initiating cold front, and it may begin to weaken as it tracks into our region well after Midnight. However, with solutions from most of the global and regional scale models indicating that this system will impact the region, we have increased POPs into the likely range for the northwestern half of the CWFA. It still appears as if weak deep-layer shear will lessen the risk for storm organization, but elevated CAPE of 500-1000 J/kg should still result in a threat for brief strong wind gusts and frequent lightning. Otherwise, it should be a slightly cooler night due to the anticipated influence from rain-cooled air, with lows in the m-u 60s. .SHORT TERM...(Sunday through Tuesday night) Issued at 242 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 Present indications are that the decaying MCS discussed in the near term section will continue to translate southeastward between 12-18Z Sunday, with abundant cloud cover and lingering light rain in the wake of this system expected to limit instability. Nonetheless, virtually all model guidance suggests that widespread convection will redevelop once again by early afternoon, as a slow-moving cold front drops southeastward into the region. There is still a good deal of uncertainty regarding how far south the cold front will penetrate into the region, but our best guess is that is will remain nearly stationary and bisect the forecast area from Sunday night through Monday morning. It still appears as if a stronger mid-level disturbance in the southern stream will begin to lift northeastward from the southern LA vicinity on Sunday evening, providing weak but sufficient synoptic scale ascent for the development of widespread showers and thunderstorms on both sides of the front. Weak shear and only meager instability suggest that the main impact from this activity will be locally heavy rainfall, especially as convection to the north of the boundary will be slightly elevated. Although the location and orientation of the front will likely not change, this precipitation regime should spread slowly eastward on Monday afternoon/evening as the mid-level wave lifts northeastward and away from the region. The stalled boundary will begin to return northward as a warm front on Tuesday morning, as an amplifying shortwave trough digs east-southeastward across the central Rockies and adjacent High Plains. This will place the local area within the warm/moist sector of the trough's developing surface cyclone, with an increasing coverage of showers and thunderstorms expected both periods. Highs through the short term will be in the u70s-l80s, with lows in the l-m 60s. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Friday) Issued at 242 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 The central High Plains shortwave trough discussed above will continue to deepen as it tracks eastward across the Great Plains during the mid-week period, perhaps evolving into a partially closed low as it reaches eastern MO/western IL by 00Z Friday. Given the dynamic nature of this system, flow throughout the lower troposphere will strengthen considerably to levels more typical of an early Spring system rather than one in late May. With this in mind, deep- layer shear will quickly become favorable for organized/severe convection during the day on Wednesday, when several clusters of thunderstorms will begin to spread northeastward in rapidly strengthening warm advection ahead of this system. This regime will persist on Wednesday night and Thursday, and with the low-level jet expected to reach the 40-50 knot range atop a very moist boundary layer with dewpoints in the m-u 60s, all severe hazards including tornadoes will be possible. At this point, it appears as if some form of a QLCS preceding the cyclone's cold front will end both the risk for severe weather and thunderstorms as it crosses the region Thursday afternoon. A drier and cooler airmass will spread into the region in the wake of this system for the end of the work week. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Sunday afternoon) Issued at 1153 AM CDT Sat May 21 2022 Conditions will remain VFR at HSV/MSL this aftn, with scattered /high-based Cu and a SSW flow of 10G18 knots. Although an isolated shower or storm will be possible invof the terminals, probs are too low to include in the TAFs attm. Data from model forecast soundings indicate that low stratus clouds will begin to redevelop across the region very late this evening (perhaps as early as 4-5Z), with cigs becoming MVFR once again by 9Z. A more widespread band of showers and storms will likely shift southeastward into the region after 9Z, but should gradually weaken with time as it spreads south of the TN River late Sunday morning. Given this uncertainty in storm impacts at the airports, we have only included a PROB30 group from 10-14Z. Although cigs may return to VFR levels in the wake of this band of convection, stratus clouds will persist thru the end of the period. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...70/DD SHORT TERM...70/DD LONG TERM...70/DD AVIATION...70/DD For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Huntsville AL 313 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-221130- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 313 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central Alabama, northeast Alabama, northwest Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Remainder of today and tonight. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon and evening, primarily across the western half of the outlook area. Strong wind gusts of 40-50 MPH and frequent lightning will be the main hazards with this activity. An additional round of thunderstorms is expected to impact mainly the northwestern half of the region during the early morning hours on Sunday, with brief strong wind gusts, lightning and locally heavy rainfall possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Periods of showers and thunderstorms will occur across the Tennessee Valley from Sunday into Monday, in the vicinity of a stalled frontal boundary. Locally heavy rainfall will be the main risk with this activity. After a brief break in thunderstorm coverage on Monday night and Tuesday morning, a very warm and moist airmass will return to the region on Tuesday, bringing an increasing chances for thunderstorms. Storm coverage and intensity will increase ahead of a strong storm system on Wednesday and Thursday, when conditions will become favorable for organized, severe thunderstorms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. 70/DD
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
438 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022
ALZ001-002-212215-
Lauderdale AL-Colbert AL-
438 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern
Lauderdale and northwestern Colbert Counties through 515 PM CDT...
At 438 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Iuka, moving northeast at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Margerum and Wright.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
&&
LAT...LON 3479 8811 3486 8810 3496 8796 3483 8785
3473 8812
TIME...MOT...LOC 2138Z 239DEG 17KT 3481 8809
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
KTWSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
506 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022
ALZ001-002-212230-
Lauderdale AL-Colbert AL-
506 PM CDT Sat May 21 2022
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of south central
Lauderdale and central Colbert Counties through 530 PM CDT...
At 506 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles northeast of Cherokee, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Underwood-Petersville and
Oakland.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3476 8789 3484 8790 3492 8767 3476 8763
TIME...MOT...LOC 2206Z 260DEG 18KT 3481 8784
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
KTWThe Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down at the corner of Cox Creek Parkway and Darby Drive.
Trees were reported down near county road 49 and highway 64.
Trees were reported down in the Anderson community along Highway 207.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2022
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: 1025943, 1025775, 1025637.