Two batches of strong thunderstorms pushed through north Alabama on the 20th, including one during the midday into early afternoon, and another during the late afternoon evening. The storms produced gusty winds and small hail.
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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.
Two batches of strong thunderstorms pushed through north Alabama on the 20th, including one during the midday into early afternoon, and another during the late afternoon evening. The storms produced gusty winds and small hail.
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 May 20, 10:21 AM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1121 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 ...New NEAR TERM, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 - Medium to high chances (60-90%) of showers and thunderstorms are forecast today through early next week. No severe weather is forecast. - Locally heavy downpours and frequent lightning may accompany all thunderstorms and those with outdoors plans or events should monitor the forecast. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of Today and Tonight) Issued at 1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 A weakening cold front will push east into northwestern Alabama later this afternoon. Forcing along and ahead of this feature will likely be strong enough to produce an area of scattered to more numerous (mainly in southern middle Tennessee) showers and thunderstorms. Shear is not very impressive and forecast lapse rates are mainly between 5.0 and 6.0 in most guidance. Though SBCAPE could be between 2000 and 3000 J/KG, severe storms are not expected. Some stronger storms will be able to produce frequent lightning, gusty winds to around 45 mph, and heavy rainfall. It looks like strongest and most persistent forcing will remain mostly in Tennessee NE into the southern Ohio Valley and southwest of the area. One quarter to around half an inch in southern middle Tennessee looks reasonable for rainfall amounts through tonight. The majority of guidance pushes the front south of the Tennessee River late tonight into the daybreak on Thursday. We should lose instability overnight behind the front. Some post-frontal forcing will likely produce some lingering light to moderate rain over the area. && .SHORT TERM... (Thursday through Saturday) Issued at 1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 During the day on Thursday, guidance pushes the front back to the northwest. Shear remains weak near and along this frontal boundary. Instability is forecast to again climb into the 1000 to 2000 J/KG range, maybe slightly higher. Again lapse rates and DCAPE values look fairly meager. Overall forcing should be better, but severe thunderstorms do not look possible. General to strong thunderstorm activity is likely though producing frequent lightning, heavy downpours, and gusty winds to around 45 mph. The frontal boundary continues to more quickly move northward Thursday night into the day on Friday. At the same time, models form a pre-frontal trough axis that extends WSW from the Mid- Atlantic through northern Georgia into central Mississippi. 30 knots of 0-3 km shear is forecast by several models by the late afternoon into the early evening hours along this feature. SBCAPE values climb in the afternoon into the 1000 to 2500 J/KG range in several models. Luckily, lapse rates look fairly poor (5.0 to 6.0 degrees/km). DCAPE values remain less than 500 J/kg as well. All in all, there may be just enough shear for a low end organized severe thunderstorm threat producing damaging winds. Some enhanced forcing associated with an upper level disturbance moving along the pre-frontal trough axis could provide the spark for a more organized cluster of storms along with the minimal shear. Given forcing and high PWAT values between 1.5 and 1.7 inches, this could produce between 0.5 and 1.0 inches of additional rainfall over the area. Some locally heavier amounts can't be ruled out given forcing and some possible brief training of storms. This pre-frontal trough axis doesn't move much Friday night into Saturday. However, we may have a slight break from heavier rainfall. The base of the shortwave trough axis looks too far south for much convection to develop despite a good amount of instability developing in the afternoon. It looks like we will be under the influence of more subsidence. However, widespread cloud cover and maybe some showers will likely keep highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday night through Wednesday) Issued at 1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 The position of the pre-frontal trough axis changes little through early next week. Occasional disturbances continue to move east across it at times throughout that period. Instability builds each day in the afternoon to between 1000 and 3000 J/KG. Not seeing shear increase, but flooding will likely become an issue if it already isn't by the weekend. At this time, it looks like there is enough of a break given the primarily diurnal nature of the convection to keep a more serious flash flooding/flooding threat from materializing. However, some low end flash flooding or minor river flooding is not out of the question through that period. Overall, daytime highs will remain below normal (upper 70s/lower 80s) due to cloud cover and afternoon convection. Overnight lows will remain fairly warm and humid only dropping into the lower to mid 60s. && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 549 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026 VFR conditions will prevail at both terminals early this morning, before clouds increase and ceilings drop late this morning into the afternoon. A front will move into the region, bringing medium to high chances of showers and storms. Have added a TEMPO during the main window of TSRA activity (20-00z). AWWs and amendments may be needed during this timeframe. After sunset, MVFR conditions will develop as low stratus settles in after convection wanes. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...KTW SHORT TERM....KTW LONG TERM....KTW AVIATION...AMP
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
100 PM CDT Wed May 20 2026
ALZ009-201845-
Jackson AL-
100 PM CDT Wed May 20 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY
THROUGH 145 PM CDT...
At 100 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Ider, or 10 miles south of Bridgeport, moving northeast at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 40-50 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Bridgeport, Fabius, and Higdon.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3484 8561 3483 8563 3479 8564 3476 8565
3474 8567 3474 8569 3470 8572 3475 8583
3494 8572 3489 8559 3486 8559
TIME...MOT...LOC 1800Z 217DEG 9KT 3479 8572
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
70/DDThe Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:31 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was uprooted at 2905 Wallace Avenue. Time was estimated by radar.
Large tree limbs were snapped at 1704 McCurdy Loop Road E.
Tree limbs were knocked down onto power lines at 2657 AL Highway 65. Time was estimated by radar.
A tree was reported down at the intersection of CR 27 and Spring Cove Road.
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, May 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: 1333346, 1336729, 1333347, 1333345.