At 1028 AM CST, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Lexington to near Lake Buttahatchee, moving northeast at 70 mph. There is widespread tree damage and powerlines down with this line of storms.
At 1011 AM CST, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Steens to near Paulette, moving northeast at 40 mph.
A narrow but intense line of storms with high winds is pushing into these counties.
At 926 AM CST, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Glen to near Amory, moving northeast at 60 mph.
It is rare that a strong capping inversion can limit a springtime severe weather event in Alabama, but that is the case today. This is preventing the development of storms out ahead of the main squall line, which will reach the Alabama border within the next couple of hours with winds gusts to 70 mph and embedded tornadoes.
Low-level wind shear is off the charts, so any sustained updrafts that can establish themselves will rotate and will have the ability to produce tornadoes. Intense wind damage is a big threat today.
Damaging winds and tornadoes are a threat today across Alabama. Here is the latest information on the storm system that is currently impacting Alabama.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, & Winston counties in Central Alabama, and Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, & Morgan counties in the Tennessee Valley.
ACTIVE MARCH DAY: A dynamic weather system will bring very windy conditions to Alabama today along with the potential for severe thunderstorms. The system is a bit late in arriving, and the windows for severe storms have been pushed back a few hours. But, the overall forecast concept remains the same.
Our long time friend, mentor, and charter Weather Factory member, J.B. Elliott, passed away on May 11, 2015. Click HERE to read James' tribute.
