Strong Wind — Shelby, Alabama

2025-05-07 · Shelby, Alabama

Event narrative

A wake low brought wind gusts as high as 45-50 mph across Shelby County, resulting in a numerous downed trees and a few power outages. Most tree and power line damage was reported in the Columbiana, Shelby, Calera, Alabaster, Pelham, Helena, Indian Springs Village, and Meadowbrook areas.

Wider weather episode

During the early morning hours on May 7, a wake low developed on the backside of a rain shield and moved eastward across parts of Central Alabama. Numerous trees were blown down, resulting in power outages. Gusts of 44 mph and 45 mph were recorded at Tuscaloosa National Airport and Shelby County Airport, respectively. Counties that were most impacted were Pickens, Tuscaloosa, northern Bibb, southern Jefferson, and Shelby.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1241689. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.