Weather Center Activated: Severe Weather Watch Possible For North Alabama This Afternoon

Developing low pressure over Oklahoma is lifting a warm front northward this afternoon over northern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama.

Showers and storms over Arkansas, Missouri and western Tennessee are slowly increasing in intensity, especially along the southwestern flank, near the warm front. Storms have caused hail and flash flooding in Memphis.

At this hour, a severe thunderstorm is over southern Tennessee and extreme northern Mississippi’s Benton and Tippah Counties. The NWS in Memphis has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Alcorn, Benton, Prentiss, and Tippah Counties in Mississippi and Hardeman and McNairy Counties in Tennessee. The storm is moving east southeast and will affect areas along US-72 over to Corinth and eventually Boonville and Iuka.

This storm is less than an hour away from the Northwest Corner of Alabama…arriving before 2:30 p.m.

This storm will eventually affect Northwest Alabama as well.

The SPC is monitoring conditions and says that storms will continue to intensify and that a watch will be possible later for areas from eastern Arkansas across western Tennessee and northern Mississippi into northern Alabama.

They also note that storms that move along the warm front could be capable of producing tornadoes. Damaging winds are the main threat though. Large hail up to 2 inches is also possible. The risk for severe weather extends across much of the state except for the southwestern portion.

Outside the Tennessee Valley, the tornado threat is almost nil.

The HRRR seems to have the best handle on the situation now. It indicates that these severe storms will roll across the Tennessee Valley through about 8 p.m. tonight, with areas further south not getting much action. It indicates that another round of showers and storms will move into Northwest Alabama after midnight and drop southeastward through the morning hours tomorrow, affecting much of North and Central Alabama. Then stronger storms form during the afternoon across Central Alabama and some of them will be severe.

We will be monitoring things and let you know if we see that pattern changing.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Severe Weather