A complex of showers and strong thunderstorms moved east across northern Alabama from the early morning hours into the early afternoon hours. A few of these storms produced damaging winds.
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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 complex of showers and strong thunderstorms moved east across northern Alabama from the early morning hours into the early afternoon hours. A few of these storms produced damaging winds.
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 Jul 19, 8:18 AM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 918 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2024 ...New NEAR TERM... .NEAR TERM... (Rest of Today) Issued at 918 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2024 A shortwave moving through the area today accompanied by around 1000 J/KG of CAPE already present in BMX 12Z sounding is supporting a morning round of showers and storms moving NE through the area. As the shortwave continues to progress throughout the day, medium to high rain chances will be present. Best chances for rain and storms will be south of the TN river as storms propagate north of the cold front located just south of the CWA border. Storm coverage should increase through the afternoon with the atmospheric profile favorable for gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. Based on HREF model soundings, some storms may have the potential to become strong to severe but this will likely be highly contingent on the evolution of morning storms. All showers and storms should begin to erode just after sunset with the loss of surface heating. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Sunday night) Issued at 244 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2024 Any showers and thunderstorms should decrease in coverage this evening with loss of daytime heating. The shortwave will be shifting east into GA tonight as well. Through this weekend, 5h and 8h flow will remain west to southwest with a mean trough remaining over the central U.S. This will keep a very moist airmass in place, and daily mainly afternoon and early evening showers and thunderstorms are expected. Mesoscale boundaries along with the weak surface front now to our south will certainly factor in on eventual initiation areas. Overall, the greater chances will be in our southeast counties due to the proximity of the surface front which seems to hang up in this area. CAPE values will be a bit higher Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when a few strong thunderstorms can expected. But, locally heavy downpours will be the primary hazard given the high PWs and slow movement. However, the overall suggested blended PoPs seem a bit high given weak forcing. Thus have brought those back just a bit, but staying in the medium/likely range. High temperatures will be in the middle to upper 80s with lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s. && .LONG TERM... (Monday through Thursday) Issued at 244 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2024 A wetter and cooler change from the generally dry and hot summer is expected for much of the new workweek. A frontal boundary which is currently south of the area, will translate northward over the weekend. It should move north of the area on Sunday, and remain into the new week. The boundary's northward movement will in part be induced by troughing amplifying southward from the Great Lakes, with the upper highs displaced to over the Desert SW and NW Atlantic Basin. With the surface front to our north, a lower level southerly flow will bring deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico more inland. This should produce precipitable water amounts into the 2" or higher range over and near the Tennessee Valley for this period. Thus we will have better opportunities for more of the area to receive much needed rainfall. With the higher moisture values and no real focusing mechanism, have stayed with a diurnal trend regarding rain chances, with the best chances in the afternoon hours. Given that the precipitation will be as showers, have trimmed down from categorical (75-100%) chances to likely (55-74%), as not all areas will experience rainfall. Even so, higher rain chances should help temper some of the drought. Rainfall totals of 1.75" to nearly 3.00" could fall in the Mon-Thu timeframe. Until more heavy rainfall impacts the area, am not pushing a flood threat at this time. That said, areas that experience locally heavy rains could experience ponding of water, with flash flooding a non-zero chance. With more clouds than sun and good rain chances, recent summer hot temperatures will apparently be taking a break next week, with highs in the 80s. In this issuance, we have highs in the mid/upper 80s Mon/Tue, and in the low/mid 80s Wed/Thu. && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 647 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2024 Scattered to at times numerous showers and a few storms will move across the TN Valley. Higher rain chances timing appears will occur into the late afternoon, as an upper level disturbance moves by. Have for the most part stayed VFR far as reduced CIG/VSBY given the precip is convection, with VSBY reduced into the MVFR range this afternoon. Did not mention of gusty winds with low confidence in timing...this could be added in later updates. Shower activity should wane this evening as the disturbance moves away. A warm front heading northward tonight, along with residual moisture from recent rainfall could result in the development of low clouds and/or fog after midnight. Did trend down with CIGs, but not enough confidence to add a fog mention in the TAFs latter hours. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...RAD SHORT TERM....17 LONG TERM....RSB AVIATION...RSB
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:36 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was reported down on Highway 55 E at this location blocking the roadway.
A tree was reported down on CR 17 near Alabama highway 35.
A tree was reported down at the intersection of CR 275 and CR 38 near Powell.
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, July 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: 1208186, 1208187, 1208361.