Severe weather analysis – 206 pm

Showers and thunderstorms, with some vivid lightning, are moving through parts of central Alabama now.  A more intense line of storms is moving into west Alabama.  These appear capable of producing damaging winds and large hail (as they already have done near Meridian).

West and central Alabama, from I-59 south, is under a tornado watch.  But, as James and I have been saying, the air is not very unstable from BHM north (especially with the storms we’re getting now cooling it down some).  The wind shear is a little higher than expected this far south, helicity values 200-400 over north and central Alabama.  So, an isolated tornado is possible, especially farther south.

Still, if that isolated F1 tornado hits your house or car, it can still be a very big deal for you.  So, have your severe weather plan ready and keep an eye on the weather.   Everything seems to be coming in faster than models predicted, so the main severe weather threat is now through 10 pm in BHM.  Try if you can today to leave work between storms, so you won’t have to drive in the heavy rain.

Category: Severe Weather