2005 Weather in Review

2005 Weather in Review

CENTRAL ALABAMA WEATHER HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE SINCE THE 21ST CENTURY
STARTED AND THE YEAR 2005 WAS NO EXCEPTION. THE YEAR WAS HIGHLIGHTED
BY AN ICE STORM, 5 TROPICAL SYSTEMS, AND A RECORD NUMBER OF
DOCUMENTED TORNADOES.


THE ACTIVE YEAR WAS CHRISTENED BY AN ICE STORM ON JANUARY 28TH AND 29TH.

FREEZING RAIN FELL ACROSS EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA GENERALLY
AFFECTING AREAS EAST OF A LINE FROM GADSDEN TO ROCKFORD TO OPELIKA.
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT ICING WAS EXPERIENCED FROM NEAR HEFLIN TO
WEDOWEE TO LAFAYETTE. ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP TO ONE INCH WERE OBSERVED.
THE ICE PRODUCED WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND CAUSED NUMEROUS TREES
TO BREAK UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE.


THE 2005 ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE SEASON WAS UNPRECEDENTED IN
NUMBER. THIRTY TROPICAL SYSTEMS FORMED IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN; 27
WERE NAMED STORMS, 13 WERE HURRICANES, AND 7 WERE MAJOR HURRICANES.
FIVE OF THESE TROPICAL SYSTEMS DIRECTLY AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA.

ARLENE AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA JUNE 11TH AND 12TH. ARLENE`S AFFECTS
WERE RATHER MINOR AND WAS THE WEAKEST OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEMS TO MOVE
INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA. ARLENE PRODUCED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 5
INCHES, WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WEST OF INTERSTATE 65. ESTIMATED
MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS WERE BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MILES AN HOUR. SEVERAL
TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN AREAWIDE. MINOR LOCAL
FLOODING AND RIVER FLOODING OCCURRED.


CINDY AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA ON JULY 6TH. CINDY`S OUTER BANDS
PRODUCED EIGHT TORNADOES; 2 IN AUTAUGA COUNTY, 2 IN MACON COUNTY, 2
IN ELMORE COUNTY, 1 IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, 1 IN TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, 1
IN CHAMBERS COUNTY, AND 1 IN LEE COUNTY. ALL OF THESE TORNADOES
WERE RATED F0 OR F1 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE INTENSITY SCALE. THE F1
TORNADO IN MACON COUNTY INJURED ONE MAN WHILE HE WAS WORKING IN HIS
BODY SHOP. ALL OF THE TORNADOES OCCURRED DURING DAY LIGHT HOURS.
NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF AS A RESULT OF THE TORNADOES.

DENNIS AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA ON JULY 10TH. THIS WAS THE SECOND
TROPICAL SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE AREA WITHIN A WEEK. DENNIS`S LOCAL
AFFECTS WERE WIDESPREAD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. RAIN AMOUNTS WERE
WERE GENERALLY 2 TO 6 INCHES, THE HEAVIEST RAIN OCCURRED WEST OF
INTERSTATE 65. THE HEAVY RAIN PRODUCED FLASH FLOODING IN SEVERAL
LOCATIONS AND A FEW HOMES SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. A FEW ROADS AND
BRIDGES WERE WASHED OUT. MINOR RIVER FLOODING ENSUED FROM THE
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL. ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS WERE 70 TO 80
MILES AN HOUR. THESE POWERFUL WINDS PRODUCED DAMAGE IN ALL 39
COUNTIES ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. THOUSANDS OF TREES WEE BLOWN DOWN
AND POWER OUTAGES WERE WIDESPREAD. TWO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED DUE
TO FALLEN TREES.


KATRINA AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA ON AUGUST 29TH. AFTER THE
CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE ENDURED ALONG THE GULF COAST AND IN NEW ORLEANS,
KATRINA MOVED TOWARD CENTRAL ALABAMA. RAINFALL WAS A RATHER MINOR
CONTRIBUTOR, WITH ONLY 1 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN REPORTED WEST OF
INTERSTATE 65. NO FLASH FLOODING OCCURRED AND ONLY MINOR RIVER
FLOODING WAS PRODUCED. KATRINA PRODUCED 4 TORNADOES WHICH OCCURRED
IN MACON, CALHOUN, BULLOCK, AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES. THE BIGGEST
STORY WITH KATRINA WAS THE WIND. ESTIMATED WIND GUSTS WERE 80 TO 90
MILES AN HOUR, ESPECIALLY ACROSS SUMTER, MARENGO, AND GREENE
COUNTIES. MANY THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE DOWNED AREAWIDE AND POWER
OUTAGES WERE WIDESPREAD AND LENGTHY. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN ALL
39 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL ALABAMA. NUMEROUS STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED BY
THE FALLEN TREES AND MANY MAJOR ROADWAYS WERE BLOCKED FOR HOURS.

RITA AFFECTED CENTRAL ALABAMA ON SEPTEMBER 25TH. THE OUTER BANDS OF
RITA PRODUCED ONE THE THE LARGEST SINGLE DAY TORNADO OUTBREAKS IN
ALABAMA HISTORY. RITA ACCOUNTED FOR 21 TORNADOES IN CENTRAL
ALABAMA IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS. TUSCALOOSA COUNTY ENDURED 10 OF THESE
TORNADOES, 3 F1`S AND 7 F0`S. SEVERAL OF THESE TORNADOES AFFECTED
AREAS NEAR ELROD AND BUHL. TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY. OTHER COUNTIES THAT EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE TORNADOES INCLUDE,
GREENE, PICKENS, WINSTON, LAMAR AND FAYETTE. SUMTER AND MARION
OBSERVED ONE TORNADO EACH. MOST OF THESE TORNADOES OCCURRED DURING
DAYLIGHT HOURS AND MANY WERE CAPTURED ON FILM OR VIDEO.

DUE TO THE ABNORMALLY HIGH AMOUNT TROPICALLY INDUCED TORNADOES, THE
STATE OF ALABAMA HAS OBSERVED A RECORD NUMBER OF DOCUMENTED TORNADOES
IN A YEAR. AS OF THIS WRITING, THE PRELIMINARY NUMBER OF TORNADOES
STATEWIDE WAS 74. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 55 IN 2001. IN FACT, THE
39 CENTRAL ALABAMA COUNTIES SERVED BY THE BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE HAVE OBSERVED 55 TORNADOES, THE PREVIOUS
RECORD FOR THE ENTIRE STATE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR CENTRAL
ALABAMA COUNTIES WAS 34 TORNADOES IN 2000. BASED ON DATA FROM 1961
THROUGH 2001, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF TORNADOES IN A YEAR FOR CENTRAL
ALABAMA WAS 17. THE YEAR 2005 RECEIVED AN ASTOUNDING 324 PERCENT OF
NORMAL.

PRELIMINARY SEVERE WEATHER STATISTICS:
DAYS WITH TORNADOES..........9
DAYS WITH SEVERE WINDS.......36
DAYS WITH SEVERE HAIL........32
DAYS WITH FLASH FLOODING.....20

PRELIMINARY DATA:

HOTTEST DAY
BIRMINGHAM.....97 AUG 21ST
MONTGOMERY.....98 AUG 21ST
ANNISTON.......98 AUG 21ST
TUSCALOOSA.....99 AUG 21ST
CALERA.........95 AUG 21ST
TROY...........96 SEVERAL DAYS

COLDEST DAY
BIRMINGHAM.....18 JAN 24TH
MONTGOMERY.....19 DEC 22ND
ANNISTON.......16 JAN 24TH
TUSCALOOSA.....19 JAN 24TH
CALERA.........20 JAN 24TH
TROY...........18 JAN 24TH

WETTEST DAY
BIRMINGHAM.....2.48" MAY 29TH
MONTGOMERY.....3.65" MAR 27TH
ANNISTON.......1.74" NOV 21ST
TUSCALOOSA.....3.51" SEP 10TH
CALERA.........3.17" JUL 10TH
TROY...........2.66" MAR 27TH

WETTEST MONTH
BIRMINGHAM.....9.50" JUL
MONTGOMERY.....10.35" MAR
ANNISTON.......6.62" JUL
TUSCALOOSA.....7.13" JUN
CALERA.........9.83" JUL
TROY...........9.44" AUG

DAYS GREATER THAN 90 DEGREES:
BIRMINGHAM.....54
MONTGOMERY.....86
ANNISTON.......46
TUSCALOOSA.....84
CALERA.........35
TROY...........50

DAYS GREATER THAN 95 DEGREES:
BIRMINGHAM.....6
MONTGOMERY.....18
ANNISTON.......3
TUSCALOOSA.....18
CALERA.........0
TROY...........3

DAYS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 32 DEGREES:
BIRMINGHAM.....36
MONTGOMERY.....34
ANNISTON.......48
TUSCALOOSA.....44
CALERA.........36
TROY...........39

DAYS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 20 DEGREES:
BIRMINGHAM.....4
MONTGOMERY.....3
ANNISTON.......4
TUSCALOOSA.....2
CALERA.........1
TROY...........3

ADDITIONAL YEAR END STATISTICS WILL BE ADDED AND UPDATED DURING THE
FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY 2006 WHEN ALL THE DATA HAS BEEN COMPILED. THE
DATA IN THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE TREATED AS PRELIMINARY.


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LINHARES