The Wet Month That Was May 2003

In May 2003, Birmingham recorded 17.23 inches of rain to establish a new rainfall record for the month of May. It also was the third wettest month ever in Birmingham.

Amazingly, the month came very close to being the all-time wettest month ever in the Magic City, eclipsed only by July 1916 when a dying tropical storm hovered over Alabama, dumping 20.12 inches of rain on the city.

Birmingham and much of the Deep South was locked in a southwesterly flow pattern for a couple of weeks during the month that spread copious amounts of Gulf moisture over the region.

MOST OF THAT RAIN FELL IN ONE DAY
A significant flooding event struck Central Alabama on May 7th. Around 1:30 p.m., torrential rains caused flash flooding Walker County, where 200 feet of roadway was washed out near Parrish. A bridge was also washed out.

The storms also produced a couple of tornadoes in Lamar and Walker County. Huge storms began to develop over northern Jefferson County during the early afternoon. Funnel clouds were sighted and tornado warnings issued. Storms continued to form and train over the same areas for the next few hours. Some tremendous rainfall amounts occurred.

The 5.71 inches that fell at the Birmingham Airport was a record for the date, but much more impressive amounts fell to the northeast around Trussville. J.B. reported 9.82 inches at his home just northeast of Trussville, all of it falling within four hours. Another retired NWS employee reported 10.50 inches of rain off Edwards Lake Road. Doppler radar estimates indicated that as much as twelve inches of rain fell across parts of Jefferson County with as much as eight inches falling in just one hour.

J.B. reported that it was as dark as night in the middle of the afternoon, the darkest he ever remembered as the huge storm grew to tremendous heights. As the rains fell and fell, tremendous flooding resulted in downtown Trussville, which took on the appearance of a massive lake. The Trussville Municipal Complex flooded. Several police cars and fire trucks were submerged. A mudslide blocked the entrance to Camp Coleman. Record crests were reported on Turkey Creek, Five Mile Creek and Village Creek. The gage at Five Mile Creek was completely underwater.

Across Jefferson County, over 120 roads were underwater. High water rescues had to be performed in many locations. Over 2,000 automobiles were submerged. Total damage in Jefferson County alone was estimated at $1 billion.

A tragic event occurred when a tree weakened by a severe thunderstorm earlier in the day fell on a house twelve hours later, killing a 13 year old Trussville girl as she slept on the couch.

PHOTOS OF THAT DAY
Friend of the blog Chuck Biddinger sent us a link to pictures that he took during the flooding in the East Lake neighborhood of Birmingham, where his business is located…

https://servicewithasmile.com/photos/flood

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