ENNIS, KATRINA, RITA, STAN AND WILMA "RETIRED" FROM LIST OF STORM NAMES

International Committee Selects Replacement Names for 2011 List

April 6, 2006 (NOAA) — Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma, all from the historic 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, were "retired" by an international hurricane committee of the World Meteorological Organization, which includes the NOAA National Hurricane Center, during their annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Now retired, these five storms, part of last season's record-setting 28 named storms and 15 hurricanes, will not reappear on the list of potential storm names that is otherwise recycled every six years.

Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma represent the type of devastating storm that is "retired" for causing a large loss of life and property. These names will not be used again for sensitivity reasons and to establish distinction within the scientific and legal communities.

For 2011, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma have been replaced with Don, Katia, Rina, Sean and Whitney, respectively.

Since tropical cyclones were first named in 1953, 67 names have been retired (the first being Carol and Hazel in 1954), and with a total of five, 2005 has the most retired storm names in a single season (previous record: four in 1955, 1995 and 2004).

Here are a few morning rainfall values for various stations across primarily Central Alabama. These represent values since midnight through 10 am.

0.94" Helena (Peters)
0.84" Helena (Jones)
0.83" Shelby County Airport/Calera
0.82" Hackleburg
0.72" Oxford Airport/Anniston
0.70" Mt. Cheaha
0.41" Huntsville
0.38" Inverness (SkyCam)
0.38" Stratus Station (N of Hamilton)
0.36" Birmingham (SkyCam Downtown)
0.34" Tuscaloosa (DkyCam Downtown)
0.32" Hamilton/Townhill
0.29" Tuscaloosa Airport
0.28" Birmingham Airport
0.25" Montgomery Airport
0.07" Brilliant

Fairly good rain along with brilliant lightning and bone-rattling thunder!

-Brian-

The Sunday map discussion video is on the server at:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

A bit sleepy this morning after being awakened at an early hour by my dog, Dakota, who was in need of some comforting after several bright flashes of lightning accompanied by large thunder claps. There's nothing like a dog snuggling up with you in bed to make you feel good. She even came upstairs with me while I checked out the radar to see what was happening. Rainfall totaled 0.94" since midnight.

Please overlook the poor audio this morning. Had some problems which did not show up until I began editing.

Radar showed that much of the rain has moved into East Central and South Alabama. I doubt that we'll see any additional showers or thunderstorms today, but the computer model guidance still shows a weak low moving along the frontal boundary to our south, so there is an outside chance that additional showers will occur. If you are headed outdoors today, best to take rain gear just in case.

The surface and upper level systems translate eastward away from Alabama so the first of the upcoming week is expected to be dry. Our next rain system forms over the Texas panhandle on Tuesday and brings rain into the area Wednesday afternoon. There is a possiblity of severe weather with the mid-week system.

The overall pattern remains active with the mid-week system clearing our area by early Thursday drying us out just in time for the start of the weekend. And the upper air pattern seems to consolidate into a sizeable trough over the eastern half of the country resulting in northwesterly flow for Alabama. This should keep us a tad below normal for temperatures.

More wet weather is forecast for Sunday, however, the GFS seems to be forecasting a thunderstorm cluster just west of Alabama. My confidence is not real high because of the distance into the future. The GFS has done a good job with those clusters this weekend, but those were relatively short term forecasts. When you see cluster like that 7 days out, I just can't get my confidence up on it.

I appreciate you tuning in to read the Blog and watch the map discussion video. James will be back tomorrow morning with the next map discussion. Have a great Sunday. God bless.

-Brian-

Some quick notes this early Sunday morning...

Some healthy thunderstorms are moving through the central part of Alabama this morning. Nothing severe, but lots of loud thunder and some heavy rain.

The big question involves rain possibilities for the rest of the day... models are all over the road. The NAM and the GFS suggest once the storms fade away in the next couple of hours, that should be it for rain today.

However, the WRF run up at NASA in Huntsville keeps rain in the area much of the day with new convective clusters forming along a stalled surface front just south of here. The WRF has most of that rain along and south of I-59.

Logic would suggest the best chance of rain for the daytime hours will be over the southern half of the state, but if a wave forms on the front some rain could very well develop up here (the Birmingham metro area). So, take the rain gear if you are headed out to the Regions Charity Golf Classic. Hopefully you won't need it, but better to be safe than sorry.

The good news is that the air is pretty stable and the chance of severe weather for the northern half of the state is very small.

Brian Peters will be along shortly with a more detailed discussion and a map video. I am headed out to Hunter Street shortly, and then on to the Ross Bridge after church... I will be at the golf tournament from 1:00 until 4:00. Be sure and stop by and say hello if you are going to be there!

Showers and thunderstorms are firing across Alabama this morning ahead of a disturbance that is moving along a warm front draped across the area.

At 6:15, showers with some heavy rain and embedded thunder extend from parts of Northeast Alabama down through the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas southwestward into Marengo and Choctaw Counties. The eastward extent of the rain and storms is over Autauga, Chilton, Clay and Randolph Counties.

The heavuest storms are from northern Bibb County across southern Shelby County into northern Chilton County at 6:15 a.m., especially from Columbiana to Centreville.

Many of you will be waking up to the pitter patter of rain and rumbles of thunder this morning.

The activity is moving east northeast at 30 mph. It will take until about 8 a.m. for the rain to clear Birmingham, sooner in Tuscaloosa and about 10 a.m. for East Alabama.

There should not be much in the way of severe weather, but there could be an isolated severe storm through over southwestern parts of the area over places like Bibb, Chilton, Hale, Autauga or Montgomery Counties as this activity moves east.

More storms could fire along the warm front aat any point in the day until the main surface low moves east of us this afternoon.

On this date three years ago, a significant flooding event struck Central Alabama. 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.