Damaging Winds in Alabama, January 25, 2023

Name: Damaging Winds in Alabama, January 25, 2023
Start: 2023-01-25T04:10
End: 2023-01-25T05:48
Location: Alabama

January 25, 2023 · NWS TAE · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A couple of strong upper level shortwaves impacted the area during the latter half of January, bringing with them a couple of rounds of severe weather with numerous reports of trees and power lines blown down. In addition, a few tornadoes occurred across the tri-state area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TAE wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 25, 1:33 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 25, 1:33 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
233 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

...New NEAR TERM, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER, HYDROLOGY...

.NEAR TERM...
(Today and tonight)
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

A very potent low pressure system is forecast to push eastward
across the region today with strong to severe thunderstorms expected
ahead of it. A surface low currently across southern MS will
continue to move east-northeastward towards the area this morning,
with the associated warm front already pushing onshore the FL
Panhandle. This system is very well dynamically supported with very
strong wind shear and a potent shortwave rotating across the
Southeast US. All the ingredients are present to support strong to
severe thunderstorms as this system moves through, with damaging
winds and tornadoes, some possibly significant, possible across the
area. Wind shear is incredibly supportive with a 70kt LLJ and 0-500m
helicity over 300. The primary limiting factor so far appears to be
available instability, with around 50 to 500 J/Kg forecast for much
of the area. However, if wind shear (especially the very low levels)
remains as high as forecast, this normally meager instability could
very well be enough to produce severe impacts. The greatest chance
for actualizing the severe weather lies just along and south of the
warm front, which has moved onshore the Panhandle and will continue
to push northward through the morning. However far north the warm
front makes it will determine how much of the area can take
advantage of surface-based storms. Areas north of the warm front may
be insulated a bit by a shallow stable layer near the surface.
Storms should begin to push into our Panhandle counties and SE AL in
the next 2 to 3 hours before moving eastward across the region
throughout the day today.

Heavy rainfall will also be possible with these storms, and although
the system will be fast-moving, saturated soils from previous
rainfall may make flooding a bit easier to accomplish. Additionally,
very windy conditions are forecast just ahead of and particularly
behind the cold front. Therefore a wind advisory has been issued for
the area. Cold air will quickly advect overhead tonight with lows
dropping into the 30s for most of the area.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Thursday through Friday night)
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

Dry and cool weather will prevail behind the front on Thursday and
Friday with high pressure building into the area. High temperatures
will cool back into the 50s and 60s with overnight lows ranging from
the upper 20s to mid 30s.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Saturday through Tuesday)
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

An active pattern will continue into the long range with another
system expected to impact the area on Sunday into Monday.
Fortunately, this system does not look as strong as the current
system, but a widespread moderate rainfall with pockets of heavy
rain could occur along with a slight chance of thunderstorms. This
system will quickly exit the area on Monday with perhaps another
system arriving by the middle of next week. Temperatures are
expected to rebound back to above average values early next week.

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

Poor aviation conditions are expected for much of the period with
LLWS, a line of strong to severe thunderstorms, and gusty
gradient winds all expected. Windy conditions are forecast
overnight ahead of the approaching cold front as well as through
the day Wednesday in its wake. Storms ahead of this system will be
strong to severe with gusts near 50-60kt and tornadoes possible
from around 3am across the western zones spreading east through
the day. Conditions improve to VFR again later in the
afternoon/evening.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

Poor marine conditions are expected today with frequent gale force
gusts and a squall line sweeping across the area from west to east.
Gusts with the squall line could exceed 50 knots with waterspouts
also possible. Post frontal northwest winds arrive tonight after the
storms pass and are forecast to subside below advisory criteria by
Thursday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to push across the
region today ahead of a cold front, with breezy gradient winds
behind it. After the front, dry conditions are expected for the next
several days with RH values forecast to drop into the 30-40% range.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 229 AM EST Wed Jan 25 2023

Pockets of heavy rain with the squall could lead to minor flooding
in poor drainage areas today. Otherwise, a few rivers will remain
near or in action stage for the next several days given the recent
rainfall and expected rainfall today. The next chance of rain after
today is expected to be around Sunday into Monday, and localized
pockets of heavy rain could occur then as well. If heavy rain
materializes with the next system, then rivers would need to be
monitored for possible minor flooding.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee   70  38  56  35 / 100  10   0   0
Panama City   71  40  57  37 / 100   0   0   0
Dothan        69  37  53  30 /  80   0   0   0
Albany        68  37  54  32 / 100  10   0   0
Valdosta      72  38  56  33 / 100  10   0   0
Cross City    77  42  60  35 /  80  40   0   0
Apalachicola  70  41  56  39 / 100  10   0   0

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...Wind Advisory until 9 AM CST this morning for FLZ007>013-108-112.

     Wind Advisory until 1 PM EST /noon CST/ this afternoon for
     FLZ014-016-114.

     Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 7 PM EST this evening
     for FLZ015-017>019-027>029-034-115-118-127-128-134.

     Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 1 PM EST this afternoon
     for FLZ026.

     High Rip Current Risk through Friday evening for FLZ108-112-114-
     115.

     High Surf Advisory until 1 AM EST /midnight CST/ Thursday for
     FLZ108-112-114-115.

GA...Wind Advisory until 1 PM EST this afternoon for GAZ120>126-
     142>145-155>157.

     Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 7 PM EST this evening
     for GAZ147-148-158>161.

     Wind Advisory until 7 PM EST this evening for GAZ127>131-146.

AL...Wind Advisory until 9 AM CST this morning for ALZ065>069.

GM...Gale Warning until 7 PM EST this evening for GMZ730-755-765-775.

     Small Craft Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 AM EST Thursday
     for GMZ730-755-765-775.

     Gale Warning until noon CST today for GMZ750-752-770-772.

     Small Craft Advisory from noon today to 6 AM CST Thursday for
     GMZ750-752-770-772.

&&

NEAR TERM...Merrifield
SHORT TERM...DVD
LONG TERM....DVD
AVIATION...Merrifield
MARINE...DVD
FIRE WEATHER...Merrifield
HYDROLOGY...DVD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 25, 2:02 AM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
302 AM EST WED JAN 25 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0300 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 S CALLAWAY            30.12N 85.58W
01/25/2023  M40 MPH          GMZ750             FL   MESONET

            AMBIENT WEATHER STATION.

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 25, 2:59 AM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
359 AM EST WED JAN 25 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0358 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 SE SPRINGFIELD        30.16N 85.60W
01/25/2023  M41 MPH          BAY                FL   MESONET

            AMBIENT WEATHER STATION.

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 25, 3:36 AM CST, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
436 AM EST WED JAN 25 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0435 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 N MAGNOLIA BEACH      30.19N 85.73W
01/25/2023  M40 MPH          BAY                FL   MESONET

            GULF COAST STATE COLLEGE WEATHERSTEM.

&&

Local storm report, Jan 25, 3:41 AM CST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
441 AM EST WED JAN 25 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0436 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 E MACON COMMUNITY PAR 30.49N 84.25W
01/25/2023  M41 MPH          LEON               FL   MESONET

            NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE WEATHERSTEM.

0439 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S LYNN HAVEN          30.21N 85.65W
01/25/2023  M41 MPH          BAY                FL   MESONET

            AMBIENT WEATHER STATION.

&&

The radar

The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When: January 25, 4:10 AM CST
Where: Coffee County, 0.91 mi SE of Zoar
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 31.530, -86.090

Trees were blown down along County Road 333.

Thunderstorm Wind, Geneva

When: January 25, 5:05 AM CST
Where: Geneva County, 0.59 mi E of Lytle
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.070, -85.940

Trees were blown down along Highway 52 between Geneva and Samson.

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When: January 25, 5:48 AM CST
Where: Houston County, 0.59 mi W of Dothan
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 31.220, -85.400

A tree was blown down in Dothan at 700 Catalpa Ave.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, January 2023

Sources

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: 1079147, 1079148, 1079149.