Hurricane Opal 1995

AFTER A SUMMER WITH VERY LITTLE RAIN, HEAVY RAINS BROUGHT FLASH
FLOODING TO JEFFERSON COUNTY, THE DAY PRIOR TO HURRICANE OPAL`S
LANDFALL. STORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. MOIST AIR FLOWED
INTO THE AREA AS HURRICANE OPAL DEVELOPED IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF
MEXICO. RAINFALL MEASURED AT THE BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT REACHED 6.94
INCHES FOR THE DAY WITH MOST OF THE RAIN FALLING DURING THE MID-
AFTERNOON BETWEEN 1 AND 5 PM. THE GREATEST FLASH FLOODING OCCURRED IN
COMMUNITIES IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT, WHERE ROADS WERE CLOSED
DUE TO HIGH WATER IN MANY LOW SPOTS. WATER IN SOME PLACES WAS BETWEEN
FOUR AND FIVE FEET DEEP. BIRMINGHAM POLICE REPORTED THAT 20 ROADS
WERE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER AT ONE POINT DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE
AIRPORT WAS SHUTDOWN IN THE EVENING DUE TO WATER GETTING INTO THE
LOWER LEVEL OF THE TERMINAL BUILDING FORCING A POWER SHUTDOWN FOR
SAFETY REASONS. SOME BUSINESSES IN VESTAVIA, ALONG PATTON CREEK, HAD
WATER IN THEM. IN TARRANT, A MOBILE HOME PARK WAS EVACUATED AND
SEVERAL BUSINESSES WERE AFFECTED WHEN WATER GOT INTO THOSE BUILDINGS.
SECTIONS OF ENSLEY IN BIRMINGHAM WERE AFFECTED WITH ROADS CLOSED.


ON OCTOBER 4TH, HURRICANE OPAL MOVED ASHORE IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
THEN MOVED NORTH-NORTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE OF ALABAMA. THE CENTER OF
THE STORM ENTERED THE STATE NEAR THE COVINGTON/ESCAMBIA COUNTY LINE
ON THE FLORIDA BORDER. IT MOVED NORTH-NORTHEAST WITH THE CENTER
MOVING JUST WEST OF THE CITY OF MONTGOMERY, NEAR THE CITY OF
TALLADEGA, AND NEAR FORT PAYNE BEFORE EXITING THE STATE NEAR THE
NORTHEAST TIP. PRIMARY DAMAGE CAME FROM STRONG WIND WHICH TOPPLED
TREES AND POWER LINES AND DAMAGED SIGNS. MOBILE HOMES, STRUCTURES
AND AUTOMOBILES WERE DAMAGED BOTH BY FALLING TREES AND BY STRONG
WIND. WIND SPEEDS VARIED ACROSS THE STATE. DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE AND
NO COUNTY IN THE STATE WAS SPARED SOME EFFECT OF THE STORM. DAMAGE
WAS THE GREATEST IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES WITH DAMAGE DECREASING FROM
EAST-TO-WEST ACROSS THE STATE. DAMAGE ALSO DECREASED AS YOU WENT
NORTH IN THE STATE. AT THE WORST, 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE IN ALABAMA WERE
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, SOME FOR OVER A WEEK.


MOST OF THE DAMAGE TO THE ALABAMA COASTAL COUNTIES WAS FROM STORM
SURGE. A STORM SURGE OF 4 TO 7 FEET WAS ESTIMATED FROM ORANGE BEACH
TO DAUPHIN ISLAND. SOME OF THE DUNES BETWEEN ORANGE BEACH AND DAUPHIN
ISLAND WERE ERODED BY THE SURGE OF WATER. NINE SHORT LIVED TORNADOES
OCCURRED MOSTLY NEAR AND EAST OF THE CENTER OF THE STORM ACROSS 6
COUNTIES.


IN ALL, THERE WERE TWO STORM RELATED DEATHS IN GADSDEN, ETOWAH
COUNTY, WHEN HIGH WIND TOPPLED A MASSIVE OAK TREE ONTO THEIR MOBILE
HOME. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE
STATE, BUT THOSE DEATHS, SUCH AS HOUSE FIRES AND ASPHYXIATION, WERE
NOT DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE WEATHER.

THE SHORT TABLE BELOW INDICATES THE HIGHEST REPORTED GUST RECORDED AT
THE LOCATIONS SHOWN.


                   WIND               SPEED
CITY               DIRECTION          OF GUST
BIRMINGHAM         NE                 48 MPH
HUNTSVILLE         N                  55 MPH
ANNISTON           NE                 35 MPH
TUSCALOOSA         NW                 46 MPH
COLUMBUS, GA       SSE                44 MPH
MONTGOMERY
  DANNELLY FIELD   E                  63 MPH
  MAXWELL AIR
  FORCE BASE       SE                 90 MPH
EVERGREEN          UNAVAILABLE        90 MPH ESTIMATED
ALABASTER          UNAVAILABLE        49 MPH
OZARK              SSE                98 MPH
DOTHAN             SE                 69 MPH


HEAVY RAIN ALSO CAUSED CREEKS AND STREAMS TO SWELL TO BANKFULL
AND BEYOND, HOWEVER, THERE WERE VERY FEW REPORTS OF WATER FLOODING
BUILDINGS. WATER DAMAGE OCCURRED TO STRUCTURES IN MANY LOCATIONS
WHERE WIND OR FALLING TREES DAMAGED ROOFS. THE FOLLOWING TABLE
SHOWS RAINFALL AMOUNTS BY COUNTY.


AUTAUGA
 BILLINGSLEY          5.00 INCHES
BIBB
 CENTREVILLE COOP     3.92 INCHES
BLOUNT
 ONEONTA              4.35 INCHES
BULLOCK
 UNION SPRINGS        4.65 INCHES
CALHOUN
 ANNISTON AIRPORT     5.97 INCHES
CHILTON
 CLANTON              6.30 INCHES
COLBERT
 MUSCLE SHOALS        1.79 INCHES
COOSA
 ROCKFORD             5.12 INCHES
CULLMAN
 HANCEVILLE           3.25 INCHES
DEKALB
 FORT PAYNE           6.10 INCHES
 VALLEY HEAD          6.02 INCHES
DALLAS
 SELMA                6.09 INCHES
ETOWAH
 GADSDEN WATER PLANT  4.60 INCHES
FAYETTE
 FAYETTE              1.80 INCHES
FRANKLIN
 HODGES               1.41 INCHES
GREENE
 SELDEN L&D           3.65 INCHES
 GAINESVILLE L&D      2.05 INCHES
HALE
 MOUNDVILLE           4.00 INCHES
JACKSON
 BIRDGEPORT           3.96 INCHES
JEFFERSON
 BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT   3.79 INCHES
 PINSON               2.92 INCHES
LOWNDES
 R.F. HENRY L&D       3.57 INCHES
MADISON
 HUNTSVILLE           2.29 INCHES
MARENGO
 DEMOPOLIS L&D        2.29 INCHES
MARION
 HAMILTON             1.11 INCHES
MARSHALL
 BOAZ                 5.05 INCHES
MONTOGMERY
 MONTGOMERY           3.22 INCHES
PERRY
 MARION               1.93 INCHES
 UNIONTOWN            4.00 INCHES
PICKENS
 ALICEVILLE           1.91 INCHES
 REFORM               1.93 INCHES
 BEVILL L&D           2.20 INCHES
PIKE
 TROY                 3.13 INCHES
SHELBY
 MONTEVALLO           2.85 INCHES
 OAK MTN STATE PARK   4.38 INCHES
 HELENA               4.31 INCHES
 INDIAN SPRINGS       3.36 INCHES
TALLADEGA
 SYLACAUGA            6.05 INCHES
TALLAPOOSA
 ALEXANDER CITY       3.00 INCHES
 DADEVILLE            4.84 INCHES
 WALNUT HILL 3W       6.26 INCHES
TUSCALOOSA
 TUSCALOOSA           3.34 INCHES
 OLIVER L&D           2.20 INCHES
 HOLT L&D             2.05 INCHES
 BANKHEAD L&D         3.60 INCHES
WALKER
 CARBON HILL          2.75 INCHES
 JASPER               3.08 INCHES
 SUMITON              2.70 INCHES
WILCOX
 ALBERTA              5.26 INCHES
 MILLERS FERRY L&D    5.50 INCHES

$$

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