Flash Flood — Lauderdale, Alabama

2015-03-31 · near Waterloo, Lauderdale, Alabama

Event narrative

A local Lauderdale county man drowned after he was stuck in his truck while attempting to cross high waters along Panther Creek near County Road 105 in Waterloo, Alabama.

Wider weather episode

A surge of moisture and unstable air aloft (steep mid level lapse rates) created a favorable environment for strong to severe thunderstorms producing large hail as a weak cold front dropped southeast into the Tennessee Valley. Although low level wind shear was relatively weak, mid to upper level shear sustained a few supercell thunderstorms that generated the largest hail up to golf ball sized. The storms developed rapidly during the mid afternoon hours across northern Alabama ahead of the cold front. As the evening wore on, new storms developed in far northwest Alabama right along the cold front. These progressed southeast of the area before Midnight. Unfortunately, one person was injured after being struck by lightning in their residence in Cullman County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.9644, -88.1304)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 565041. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.