A band of strong thunderstorms shifted into northwest Alabama during the late afternoon and early evening hours. The storms produced strong and gusty winds knocking down a few 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 band of strong thunderstorms shifted into northwest Alabama during the late afternoon and early evening hours. The storms produced strong and gusty winds knocking down a few 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 Apr 28, 1:29 PM CST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 229 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 ...New NEAR TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1048 AM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 - Low chance of severe thunderstorms this afternoon into tonight. Now expecting an earlier time of arrival for storms. - Another half of an inch to an inch of rainfall is forecast Friday into Saturday. && .NEAR TERM... (Tonight) Issued at 229 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 The forecast continues to evolve this afternoon. The boundary that brought us showers and thunderstorms this morning has drifted into central AL, keeping convection south of the forecast area at this time. Otherwise, low clouds persist and southerly winds are gusting up to 20kts with temps in the 70s. Storms have already fired up in AR ahead of the cold front. This convection will move eastward today and help lift the boundary back northward. What we are still watching is when and where those two things intersect. This will determine the severity of the storms across the TN Valley. High res models still show the expectation that the line of convection moving pretty southeasterly in MS, allowing for the greatest risk for severe storms to effect NW AL and portions south of the TN River. Main hazards will be strong to damaging winds, heavy rainfall, hail, and a low tornado threat. We already received 1-3" of rainfall today across the forecast area, and with only up to another 1" tonight, no major flooding issues expected beyond nuisance localized flooding and rises on some rivers/creeks. There is also still a potential for a wake low event this evening where gusty non-thunderstorm wind gusts 30-40 mph, maybe 50mph, are possible. Expecting convection to be done by midnight, however real time radar and forecast models trends need to be monitored as some high-res models want to ignite additional showers and a few storms shortly after midnight that lingers into early Wednesday morning. && .SHORT TERM... (Wednesday through Thursday) Issued at 1048 AM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 Lingering rainfall from overnight convection will come to an end Wednesday morning as the true northerly winds associated with the cold front arrive. Pressure gradient will start to slack in the afternoon as higher pressure begins to build in, allowing the breezy winds with gusts 15-20mph to be more 5-7kts in the evening. Wednesday's high will only be slightly cooler, reaching the upper 70s. Won't feel the cooler temps Wednesday night when lows reach the lower 50s. Cloud cover will decrease Wednesday night into Thursday, with the greatest cloud cover located south of the TN River where there is a low chance (20-30%) for showers/storms, but the main batch of convection will be to our south. Otherwise, high pressure will keep Thursday dry and cooler, with afternoon temps reaching the upper 60s to lower 70s across the TN Valley. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through Monday) Issued at 1015 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026 Models are in agreement that an upper level trough will likely shift southeastward into the area this weekend, placing the TN Valley in a favorable location for additional chances for rainfall. At this point, ensembles depict a fairly stable environment with plenty of CIN and weak lapse rates. Therefore, confidence in any stronger storms remains extremely low for now. PWATs are forecast to be around 1" Friday night into Saturday morning, which is on par with climatological normals for this time of year. However, with the antecedent rainfall this week, we will have to monitor for rises on rivers, creeks, and streams as well as ponding of water in areas of poor drainage. Conditions should begin to dry out Saturday afternoon with upper level ridging and sfc high pressure filtering in from the west. We should remain dry through early next week with highs in the 60s-70s. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 100 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 MVFR conditions prevail this morning and will persist throughout the TAF period. Thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight are capable of producing brief IFR CIGs and/or VIS but did not include that in this TAF issuance due to low confidence on thunderstorm timing. Majority of the precip chances should end around midnight with LLWS possible shortly thereafter for a few hours. Will monitor trends and provide updates as needed as storms redevelop this afternoon. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...JMS SHORT TERM....JMS LONG TERM....HC AVIATION...JMS
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:20 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down on Buchmann Peninsula Road.
A tree was knocked down blocking the eastbound lane of CR 14.
A tree was knocked down blocking both lanes along CR 2 at CR 14.
A tree was knocked down along Wagon Mountain Road.
A tree was knocked down on High School Street near Colbert County High School.
A tree was knocked down blocking one lane at CR 69.
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: 1329053, 1329054, 1329055, 1329056, 1329057, 1329058.