Midday Notes

Just a few thoughts from the weather office…

*It looks like the core tornado threat will be for areas north and west of Birmingham from 3 p.m. until midnight. Here is the HRRR model output, valid at 5:00 this afternoon…

Understand, a tornado can’t be ruled out south and east of Birmingham… but it is very clear the core threat will be over Northwest Alabama late this afternoon and into the evening hours. A long track tornado can’t be ruled out in this region.

Here is the severe weather timeline from the NWS in Birmingham…

*After midnight tonight, the main threat will shift to heavy rain, flooding, and potential for a few thunderstorm segments with damaging straight line winds. The rain/storm event will wind down early tomorrow morning.

*There is potential for another round of storms tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night, but the tornado threat looks small. Heavy rain and potential flooding will be the primary threat.

Bottom line is that severe thunderstorms could begin to form over Northwest Alabama by mid-afternoon, and they could bring initially all modes of severe weather. We will be watching developments closely.

CALL TO ACTION: As part of your severe plan, you need to be able to hear warnings, know where you are going as a place of safety in the event you are in a tornado warning polygon, and have a readiness kit in that safe place.

GETTING THE WARNING: You should have multiple layers of getting tornado warnings. A NOAA Weather Radio is the baseline; you can buy them at places like Publix and Academy Sports for about 30 dollars. We have spent many weeks on the road programming them at our events, but you can program them yourselves… it isn’t too difficult.

The Birmingham transmitter is operating at reduced capacity for about one week… if you live in the Birmingham metro are not getting the test warnings, you will need to go the the next way of getting warnings. Understand this impacts the Birmingham metro only, NOT any other part of Alabama.

There are very few weather apps that provide reliable, timely warnings through push notifications. Very few. The two we recommend are MyWarn, and iMap WeatherRadio. Both are available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. You can also watch ABC 33/40’s long form tornado coverage through those apps.

If you still have a home phone, WeatherCall is a good option.

Sirens are a last resort for a small number of people that are outdoors. You will not be able to hear a siren in most homes, businesses, churches, and schools. The “siren mentality” has killed so many people in our state.

Never totally rely on social media for warnings. I use it heavily, but remember Facebook filters what you see in your timeline… much of what I post there you won’t see unless you come over to my profile. There is no filtering on Google Plus or Twitter, but with all the traffic it is easy to miss warnings.

ON THE RADIO: In the event we go into continuous tornado coverage on ABC 33/40 in coming days, these are the radio stations that usually carry our audio…

Birmingham
WZZK 104.7
WEZZ 97.3
WBHK 98.7

Tuscaloosa
WBEI 101.7
WTUG 92.9
WFFN 95.3
WDGM 99.1

Gadsden
WGMZ 93.1

Anniston
WTDR 92.7

SAFE PLACE: You should know the rules… small room, lowest floor, near the center of the house, and away from windows. You have to leave mobile homes for a substantial shelter or building. No vehicles. Identify the same place and be sure your kids know.

READINESS KIT: In that kit you need helmets for everyone in your family. Bicycle helmets, batting helmets, etc. We have had much loss of life due to head injuries in tornadoes in Alabama. Also, hard sole shoes, whistles or air horns for everyone (paramedics can find you if you need help via the sound they generate), etc. See more ideas here.

We will have frequent updates here on the blog as the event gets closer, so stay tuned…

Tags: severe outbreak

Category: Alabama's Weather