A weakening line of showers and thunderstorms along a cold front pushed southeast through north Alabama during the late morning and midday hours. A gust front produced winds of 35 to 50 mph which knocked down a couple of trees.
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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.
A weakening line of showers and thunderstorms along a cold front pushed southeast through north Alabama during the late morning and midday hours. A gust front produced winds of 35 to 50 mph which knocked down a couple of trees.
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 Dec 18, 4:11 AM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 411 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024 ...New AVIATION... .NEAR TERM... (Today) Issued at 108 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024 A warm front has lifted north into KY as a low pressure system shifts east through southern MO. Dense fog was most widespread east of I-65 with patchy dense fog further west. With the pressure gradient increasing early this morning, wind flow will disperse much of this fog by sunrise if not sooner. Will monitor closely before the 10Z expiration time. By late this morning into midday, the surface low will move into central and eastern KY with a trailing cold front through middle and southwest TN into north MS. A solid line of thunderstorms along the front will slide southeast into northwest AL and southern middle TN. Model soundings indicate that the thunderstorms will encounter a skinny CAPE profile, so expect a weakening trend. 6km bulk shear of ~35-40kt will keep storms organized as they reach our area, but low level shear vector orientation will not be favorable. In any event, we will continue to mention gusty winds for our area. Mild high temperatures in the 60s to around 70 are anticipated. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Friday night) Issued at 108 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024 The upper trough and cold front will shift southeast of the area this evening with brisk north winds. Some low cloudiness will also linger into early Thursday morning. After lows in the middle to upper 30s, highs will still rebound into the lower to middle 50s Thursday afternoon after the clouds clear off. West to northwest flow in mid to upper levels will persist through Friday as another shortwave and cold front drop southeast through the OH and TN valleys. The front should arrive Friday morning with strong cold air advection, which should keep temperatures mainly in the 40s Friday for highs, and temperatures falling later in the day back into the 30s. Overnight lows will dip back into the upper 20s to around 30. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 108 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024 High pressure will build in on Saturday and promote a high and dry forecast through the duration of the long term period. Despite mostly clear skies through the weekend and the start of the work week, NNE winds will aid in advecting a much cooler and drier airmass into the area dropping lows into the high 20s Saturday night and restricting highs to the mid 40s on Sunday. As surface high pressure drifts to the east, winds will veer to the ESE allowing for a warming trend to begin for the start of the work week. Highs will build to the low to mid 50s by Tuesday with lows building to the high 30s by Tuesday night. We will be keeping our eye on our next chance for rain late Tuesday night (Christmas Eve) into Wednesday morning (Christmas Day). && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 411 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024 Conditions will vary between VFR and MVFR due to ceilings of 010-020agl at times. A line of SHRA and TSRA will arrive from northwest to southeast late this morning reaching KMSL by 16Z and KHSV by 17Z. A period of -RA with ceilings below 010agl (IFR) is expected behind the front, along with a wind shift from southwest to northwest, with gusts around 20kt. Ceilings should lift above 010agl (MVFR) by 02Z, and linger through tonight. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...17 SHORT TERM....17 LONG TERM....RAD AVIATION...17
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:56 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down at the intersection of George Wallace Highway and Lakeview Lane. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down at the 3600 block of CR 88 in Pisgah. Time estimated by radar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, December 2024
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: 1225322, 1225320.