Storms Inching Closer

Storms along a frontal zone were inching ever so closer to Alabama just after 8 am this morning. SPC has issued a Tornado Watch for most of southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana. This watch is in effect until 3 pm CDT and butts up to Southwest Alabama.

Along the frontal zone, a number of flash flood warnings were in effect for counties in West Tennessee and western Mississippi plus flash flood watches were in effect for all of West Tennessee, the northern two thirds of Mississippi and a little of northeastern Louisiana. The flash flood threat has become an additional threat due to the slow movement eastward of the frontal zone. Storms were moving quickly northeastward but the overall eastward progression of the line of storms was much slower. Central Alabama is in reasonably good shape to handle some heavy rain since we have not any rain in about a week.

The lower atmosphere continued to become wetter with dew points in Central Alabama already around 60. But a quick glance at the surface map showed dew points in the upper 60s in South Alabama with 70-degree values on the coast. The strong southeasterly flow should help to bring this moisture quickly northward. Last nights sounding showed a fairly substantial dry layer above 700 millibars, so conditions continue to become more favorable for severe weather in all forms.

Many of the storms were elevated, but instability values were increasing over the area of the tornado watch, so convection is likely to become more surface based. That plus the fact that the storms will be approaching Alabama as we enter the hours of maximum heating means that storm severity could increase.

-Brian-

Category: Alabama's Weather