A line of thunderstorms moved east into northwest Alabama during the early to mid evening hours producing an EF-0 tornado in Franklin County. Thunderstorm winds produced damage at a couple of other locations as well.
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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 line of thunderstorms moved east into northwest Alabama during the early to mid evening hours producing an EF-0 tornado in Franklin County. Thunderstorm winds produced damage at a couple of other locations as well.
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 Jan 5, 6:01 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 601 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025 ...New AVIATION... .NEAR TERM... (Tonight) Issued at 423 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025 A few elevated thunderstorms moved across NW Alabama before dissipating as they move further northeast. This has turned into just rain as this activity has moved away from elevated instability advecting ahead of an approaching storm system currently extending from NW Mississippi into western Tennessee. Surface based instability in analysis only extends northward into NE Louisiana and portions of central Mississippi. There is a ton of shear and helicity in place ahead of this storm system. The combination of these parameters and the surface based CAPE to our southwest has prompted a Tornado Watch to the southwest of the AL/MS border. This is being fueled by a very strong low level jet of 60 to 70 knots. The airmass over northern Alabama and southern middle Tennessee is much more stable due to earlier rainfall and persistent cloud cover. This is expected to keep most of the surface based CAPE SW of the area. However, just surface based conditions may edge into extreme southwestern portions of NW Alabama early late this afternoon into the early evening hours. This could allow for a very brief window for tornado development in southwestern Franklin county, AL. With very strong lift along the front despite a strong inversion around 950 mb that rises to around 925 mb during the evening hours, cannot rule out some higher gusts to between 50 and 60 mph with elevated convection making it to the ground. Confidence in severe thunderstorms or a tornado is very low. Winds outside of any thunderstorms will likely be strong and sustained between 20 and 30 mph with some gusts around 40 mph. Thus, a Wind Advisory continues to be in place from 3 PM today through 3 PM on Monday. The main period of heavier rainfall or elevated thunderstorms will occur with the line just to our west from 6 PM through around 1 AM before pushing into Georgia. Models do slow down the front and the back edge of precipitation shield with this system a bit overnight and keep some light to moderate rainfall trailing behind the front just before daybreak. Expect some heavy rainfall totals between 1.0 and 1.5 inches. Much colder air pushes into the area behind the front after midnight. However, freezing temperatures do not look to push into NW Alabama around daybreak. && .SHORT TERM... (Monday through Wednesday) Issued at 423 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025 We will likely have to watch for flash freezing that begins around daybreak in northwestern Alabama and spreads east through the day. The windy conditions may help to alleviate that concern somewhat. However, especially in shelter locations, icy conditions may be an issue on Monday. This may require a winter weather product on its own depending on how efficiently winds evaporate fallen precipitation. With lows cloud cover continuing, temperatures fall into the lower 30s in the afternoon. Winds will remain brisk out of the NNW possibly reaching Wind Advisory criteria at times. This will drop wind chill values into the teens and lower 20s through much of the day on Monday. So bundle up if headed outside. Strong forcing around the surface low persists through the day on Monday. This should be able to squeeze out some scattered very light snow showers or flurries through the day. Not expecting much accumulation in most areas, however higher locations above 1200 feet could see a dusting to 0.5 inches of snow. However, confidence is not high enough to issue any products yet concerning this possibility. By late Monday night, any lingering flurries move east of southern middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. However, very cold air will remain in place with breezy conditions continuing. This will keep highs in the 30s and lows in the upper teens to lower 20s through Wednesday. Wind chill values will drop at night into the teens to around 10 degrees in a few spots during this period. So, any icy conditions will linger at least few a few days. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday night through Sunday) Issued at 423 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025 In the extended period, a reinforcing surge of cold/dry arctic air is predicted to arrive on Wednesday night as the axis of a longwave trough shifts southeastward across the region. Clear skies and subsiding winds will support lows in the teens to single digits in few spots. Attention beyond this point will turn to a cutoff upper low over northwestern Mexico (which may phase with the northern stream late next week) and developing area of surface low pressure off the coast of south TX. Stratiform precipitation is predicted to expand northward across the southern Plains on Thursday as lift strengthens to the north of the low, with this regime expected to rapidly build northeastward across the Mid/Lower MS Valley Thursday night (perhaps reaching our area prior to 12Z Friday). This precipitation regime will persist on Friday as the surface wave lifts northeastward along the central Gulf Coast, but should end from W-to-E Friday night as the low advances further into the southern Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation type at onset will likely be entirely snow for CWFA (as we will still be under the influence of a slowly modifying arctic airmass when it initially arrives), there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding how precipitation type will evolve over the course of the day as a strengthening low-level jet and related warm advection may create a wintry mix or perhaps even a transition to rain. Regardless, we expect cold temperatures to prevail with highs in the u30s-l40s and lows in the m-u 20s. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 602 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025 Showers and isolated storms are beginning to move across NW AL. The general motion of these storms will primarily be from west to east throughout the overnight hours. These storms have the potential to bring some localized damaging wind gusts with them. The main concern should be winds, especially just above the surface, where winds could reach 50-70 kts from the south. This should primarily occur along and just ahead of the line. As the front passes, winds begin to relax some, but still stay elevated; around 10-15 kts from the WNW. Ceilings should remain about 1000-2000 feet as low-level stratus remains. Some snow flurries will be possible through the day as well, but no accumulation is expected at this time. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...Wind Advisory until 3 PM CST Monday for ALZ001>010-016. TN...Wind Advisory until 3 PM CST Monday for TNZ076-096-097. && NEAR TERM...KTW SHORT TERM....KTW LONG TERM....KDW AVIATION...Serre
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
733 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025
ALZ002-003-060200-
Franklin AL-Colbert AL-
733 PM CST Sun Jan 5 2025
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL COLBERT AND
FRANKLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 800 PM CST...
At 733 PM CST, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Fairview to near Tremont. Movement was
northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Russellville, Red Bay, Phil Campbell, Belgreen, Vina, Hodges, Pogo,
Cedar Creek Reservoir, Atwood, and Srygley Church.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3456 8815 3457 8814 3467 8771 3431 8767
3431 8805 3432 8817
TIME...MOT...LOC 0133Z 234DEG 56KT 3442 8825 3418 8822
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
26The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:33 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down across North Pike Road in Cherokee near the high school. Reported from social media.
A tree was knocked down onto a house near CR 23 and Ebenezer Road.
An EF-0 tornado touched down southwest of Vina on Highway 23 shattering a window and causing minor damage to the roof of a new mobile home. The tornado then tracked northeastward along Hurricane Creek causing tree damage and uprooted trees off of Highway 23. There was damage to a pole barn near the intersection of Highway 23 and Singleton Road where there was major damage to the roof and supporting beams of the farm structure. Continuing to the northeast, the track crossed Highway 3 and Jim King Road causing additional tree damage on the roadways. Winds were estimated between 75-85 miles per hour.
A tree was knocked down. Time estimate by radar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2025Warnings in Alabama, January 2025
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: 1233659, 1233662, 1222843, 1233665.