A few of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours producing isolated wind damage.
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.
A few of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours producing isolated wind damage.
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 3, 1:30 PM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 230 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 .NEAR TERM...(Tonight) Issued at 230 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 Right now north Alabama and southern Middle Tennessee are under partly sunny skies with several levels of broken cloud cover. Winds are a bit stronger than anticipated, with gusts across the area up to 27 kts/31 mph. This is due to a tightened pressure gradient out ahead of an approaching pre-frontal trough axis. This in addition to a couple of different boundaries are approaching our area from the west this afternoon. We expect more shower and thunderstorm activity to develop this afternoon and evening, triggered by these boundaries. Convection will again pulse up and down due to lack of any shear in the environment, making damaging winds and hail the primary threats. Shower and thunderstorm activity should start to wind down after sunset this evening, but won't completely clear until after midnight. We'll continue to hold onto cloud cover overnight which will help keep overnight lows up in the low-to-mid 60s. .SHORT TERM...(Wednesday through Thursday) Issued at 230 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 A dying cold front moves into the area overnight into early Wednesday, stalling across north Alabama, pretty much along the Tennessee River. This stalled front will act as a line of weak convergence, forcing more showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday. Again there will be very little shear, so these will be pulse thunderstorms that collapse on themselves, possibly producing damaging winds and hail in the stronger storms. With this front across the area, locations north of the front will only see highs in the upper 70s on Wednesday, whereas locations south will get into the low-to-mid 80s. This front lifts north of the area on Thursday as a low pressure system over the Great Plains approaches the Mississippi River Valley. With southerly flow continuing to inject moisture from the Gulf into our region, additional pop-up showers and thunderstorms will be possible during the afternoon and evening on Thursday, with afternoon highs back in the mid-to-upper 80s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Monday) Issued at 230 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 Friday morning the trailing cold front associated with the low pressure system moving out of the Mississippi Valley will move across the Tennessee Valley. This system will be a bit stronger, though shear along and ahead of the front will be weakening as the cold front fades as it moves across our area. Another saving grace will be the timing of the system, which will move through mostly before our area can destabilize with daytime heating. Right now the SPC only clips our far northwestern corner (Pickwick Lake) with a slight risk for severe weather on day 3 due to these limitations, and has no outlook yet for day 4. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw a day 3 outlook released tomorrow include northeast Alabama as there may be enough time before the front arrives there for some destabilization. Primary threats will be damaging winds and hail, though a tornado can't be ruled out. Once this front moves off to the east, we'll see lingering showers continue through Saturday, tapering off during the afternoon and evening. High pressure will build in on Sunday bringing back dry weather, but we'll continue to see seasonable temperatures with highs getting back up into the mid-to-upper 80s by Monday. A few spots may see 90 on Monday. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Wednesday afternoon) Issued at 1247 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 VFR conditions should continue into the late afternoon and early evening. SW winds of 15-25kt, with some higher gusts are expected this afternoon. Forecaster confidence is low this evening into Wed morning regarding rain chances and timing. Going with a majority solution, have showers progressing from west to east in the evening. Embedded thunder is possible within and near the heavier showers. VSBY/CIG reductions in the vicinity of the heavier showers is possible but did not include it in the TAF given uncertainly of shower occurrence. Shower activity should taper off on Wed morning with VFR conditions forecast. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && NEAR TERM...McCoy SHORT TERM...McCoy LONG TERM...McCoy AVIATION...RSB For more information please visit our website at weather.gov/huntsville.
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Huntsville AL 148 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-041000- Lauderdale-Colbert-Franklin AL-Lawrence-Limestone-Madison-Morgan- Marshall-Jackson-DeKalb-Cullman-Moore-Lincoln-Franklin TN- 148 PM CDT Tue May 3 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Tonight... Thunderstorms are possible later this afternoon and tonight, as a weak cold front moves eastward into the Tennessee Valley and stalls. Gusty winds and small hail are possible with a few of the stronger storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday... Isolated to scattered thunderstorms remain possible on Wednesday, as the front lingers across the outlook area. Gusty winds and small hail are once again possible with a few of the stronger storms. Additional thunderstorms are possible Thursday as another cold front approaches from the west. A stronger storm system will impact the region near the end of the work week, with the potential for strong to marginally severe thunderstorms late Thursday night into early Friday. Brief damaging wind gusts and hail are the main weather threats with these storms. Thunderstorms may then linger into the day Friday, as a cold front moves across the area. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:57 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A large tree fell on a house in the Anderson community.
A large tree was blown down on Flanagan Road.
Branches from trees up to 5 inches in diameter reported broken off from trees scattered along CR 99 west of Chapman Hollow Road.
A large tree was knocked down blocking both lanes of traffic at this location. Time was estimated by radar.
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: 1024046, 1024021, 1023999, 1024002.