Watching the Storms in Mississippi

A cluster of strong and severe thunderstorms moving over northern and central Mississippi this morning has our attention, and since the storms are rolling east at around 60 miles per hour, they will be in Alabama before sunrise.

Radar Composite from 2:40 AM

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for northern Mississippi until 5 AM; a watch of some kind (severe thunderstorm most likely) may be needed for Alabama within the next couple of hours as these storms will still pack a punch. Strong straight-line winds and large hail are the main threats this morning.

Based on radar trends and some model guidance, it looks like some rain and storms will be “scattered” around the Birmingham area for rush hour. “Scattered” means it won’t be raining everywhere, but some heavy downpours are likely particularly on the north and west sides of the metro area.

The Storm Prediction Center has most of northern and central Alabama in a SLIGHT RISK area for today and tonight. Morning storms will eventually fade away, but a strong cold front cutting through Arkansas this morning as well as a weak upper-air disturbance in the area will help initiate more thunderstorms this afternoon. Once again, the main threats today are straight-line winds and hail; however, there is some turning of wind with height, so tornadoes cannot be completely ruled out. This will NOT be a day like last Friday, though! The atmosphere today looks nothing like the set-up for that huge outbreak last week.

SPC Day One Convective Outlook

I’ll be tracking the storms live on ABC 33/40 from 4:30 AM until 7:00 AM during our normal weather segments, but as always, if it’s necessary, extended weather coverage will be provided!

-Jason
Follow me on Twitter: @simpson3340

Category: Severe Weather