Strong Wind — Hale, Alabama

2025-04-06 · Hale, Alabama

Event narrative

A motorist drove into a downed tree along County Road 42 approximately one mile northeast of Akron around 10 PM CDT, resulting in a fatality. The Tuscaloosa ASOS several miles to the north gusted to 20-30 mph around and just before this time. A combination of non-thunderstorm wind gusts and saturated ground likely led to the fallen tree.

Wider weather episode

Deep-layer ridging over the Southeast United States held up a trough over the Central United States for the first few days of April, leading to a prolonged and significant severe weather and flooding event from Texas to Ohio and West Virginia along a stalled boundary. As the ridge began to retreat eastward, a cold front slowly progressed through Central Alabama on April 6, with an all-hazards weather event unfolding. Slow moving thunderstorms from early morning to late afternoon resulted in flooding issues across northwestern counties and the Birmingham, Montgomery, and Auburn/Opelika areas. Additionally, two brief tornadoes were confirmed, and there were a few isolated reports of hail and wind damage. Late that evening, a motorist in Hale County drove into a downed tree, resulting in a fatality.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234013. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.