HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Late Thursday night, The Weather Authority was tracking severe storms that pushed through the region.
Storms initially fired along a boundary, ahead of a cold front. The storms produced continuous cloud-to-ground lightning along with damaging winds. By 9:30 Thursday evening, the discrete cells merged into a large cluster of storms. It was that large cluster that proved to have a significant impact on the area.
Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings, along with flash flood warnings, were issued for the area.
While lightning sparked some structure fires and caused power outages, it was damaging winds that caused the most damage. Huntsville International Airport observed some of the strongest winds, after a nearly 60 mph gust was recorded. Those powerful winds brought down large trees and power lines.
As the storms tracked through the area, we also saw very heavy rainfall. Rain totals ranged from 0.50 inches to over 4 inches! This prompted flash flood warnings as standing water was noted on roadways…