Severe Drought (D2) Conditions developed in portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties in Northeastern AL.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Severe Drought (D2) Conditions developed in portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties in Northeastern AL.
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 Mar 31, 11:43 PM CST, 17 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1243 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 932 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 - A warm, moist air mass will remain in place through the week, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s each day, and lows in the 60s. - Low to medium shower and thunderstorm chances are forecast Wednesday through Saturday. Some stronger storms could develop by Saturday night into Sunday morning as cold front moves through the region. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of tonight and Wednesday) Issued at 932 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Convection that developed to our south and west has quickly waned with the loss of the heating and the end result will be a dry and partly cloudy night across the Tennessee Valley. With light southerly winds, temperatures will remain on the mild side, only dropping into the low to mid 60s. High pressure will remain well east of the area on Wednesday, with this southerly flow reinforcing this warm, moist air mass. A weak shortwave propagating from the Ozarks into Ohio Valley will clip the Tennessee Valley on Wednesday. This should provide just enough forcing to trigger medium chances (40-50%) of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon to evening hours. The overall weak shear and limited instability will keep this activity pretty disorganized. Otherwise, expect another warm and humid day with highs in the lower 80s being common. && .SHORT TERM... (Wednesday night through Friday) Issued at 932 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 We'll remain in a very warm and moist pattern through the remainder of the work week, with above normal temperatures favored for early April. Highs in the low to mid 80s will be common each day thanks to ample sunshine and southerly flow. The aforementioned ridge will be pushed well off the Atlantic Coast, but should still remain the primary influence over the area. Precipitation chances will remain very low (10-20%) both Thursday and Friday as the bulk of any shower and thunderstorm activity should remain well to our northwest over the Plains due to the evolving low pressure system east of the Rockies. This feature will eventually push east and force a cold front through the area this weekend. More on this in the section below. && .LONG TERM... (Friday night through Tuesday) Issued at 932 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 An upper level trough looks to move over the Mississippi River Valley this weekend, with a shortwave moving along the flow over the Ohio Valley early next week. Meanwhile, a low pressure system will strengthen and pivot up into the Midwest and Great Lakes region by the weekend. The associated cold front is slated to traverse the Tennessee Valley on Saturday, moving to the east by Sunday morning. High pressure is then expected to build into the region from the west through early next week. Model guidance therefore expects medium to high chances of rain from Saturday morning through Sunday. Models currently show sufficient shear for thunderstorm development, but values are below 30 knots at this time. Instability shown by synoptic guidance is fairly low at the moment; however, with surface temperatures forecast to reach the lower 80s, I would expect these values to increase. Lastly, the greater upper dynamics (jets) look displaced to the north (closer to the parent low). Therefore, confidence in any strong to severe storms is low; however, the potential is certainly something to watch this time of year. Make sure to check back for updates as we get closer in time and details become clearer. After FROPA on Sunday, shower and storm chances diminish and a fairly decent cool down is in store. Highs are forecast to only top out in the 60s with lows dropping into the 40s Sunday night! Although, this cooler weather will be fairly short-lived, as temperatures then warm back up into the 70s once again for Tuesday. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1243 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 VFR conditions will prevail through the overnight hours before MVFR cigs move north into northern AL between 11-12z. These lower cigs will begin to lift as BKN/OVC skies become more SCT toward the afternoon. With low to medium chances for thunderstorms this afternoon, did include PROB30 groups at both terminals to cover any reductions to MVFR cigs/vsbys caused by showers. This activity should dissipate by late afternoon/early evening. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...AMP SHORT TERM....AMP LONG TERM....26 AVIATION...25
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe Drought (D2) Conditions developed in portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties in Northeastern AL.
Severe Drought (D2) Conditions developed in portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties in Northeastern AL.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 2026
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: 1335259, 1335260.