West, Central Alabama Be Prepared for Late Night Severe Weather Threat

* Editors Note: Slight adjustments have been made to the timing of the weather system. 

A severe weather outbreak across 7 states lead to reports of hail, winds, and a dozen of tornadoes. This system is bringing the severe weather threat across the Plains, Midwest, and the South through tomorrow.

One of our concerns that are not weather-related, is that this system impacts our area this evening, into the late evening hours, and goes into Thursday morning. Since this is a time when many people are asleep, please do not silence your phones when you go to bed tonight. Also, some people have a scheduled “do not disturb” in place, be sure that is turned off.

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To prepare for later today be sure you know your safe place, have multiple ways to receive weather information, charge up your electronic devices, understand what county you are located in, and what section of the county (north, west, south, east).

If a Tornado Watch is issued for any of the Townsquare Media Coverage Areas, which are Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties. We will provide nonstop weather coverage on our Townsquare Media Radio Stations.

Praise 93.3

92.9 WTUG

95.3 The Bear

METV 97.5

Catfish 100.1

Tide 100.9

ALT 101.7

105.1 The Block

The National Weather Service in Birmingham shares that the “best instability and shear to support severe storms will exist during the evening hours tonight across the far western and northwestern counties.”

Where:

All of Central Alabama

When:

This Evening (7 PM) through early Thursday (6 AM)

Threats:

Tornadoes

Damaging winds up to 60 mph, with potential for 70 mph winds in the "Enhanced Risk" area

Quarter-size hail

Localized Flooding in low-lying or poor drainage areas

TIMING

James Spann, ABC 33/40, and Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa Chief Meteorologist shared his insight on a more detailed timeline.

8 p.m.

“A few scattered strong to severe storms could form over Northwest Alabama as early as 8:00 tonight.”

11:00 p.m.-Midnight.

“The mainline will enter the northwest corner of the state around 11:00 p.m.-Midnight.”

2:00 a.m.

“The line reaches places like Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Gadsden around 2:00 a.m”

After 3:00 a.m.

“Then pushes into East and South Alabama after 3:00 a.m.

THREATS:

Spann said that “the main concern tonight is strong, potentially damaging straight-line winds, but an isolated tornado or two is certainly possible. Higher tornado probabilities are over Northwest Alabama between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Large hail is a possibility as well. The storms should weaken after 2:00 a.m. as the dynamic support fades, and instability values decrease.”

Flooding Concern

The National Weather Service in Birmingham said that “heavy rains falling in a short period of time will also lead to localized flooding in low-lying or poor drainage areas, especially across the western half of Central Alabama.”

(Source) For more from the National Weather Service Birmingham, click here. Click here to follow the Facebook Page for James Spann.