That big area of showers and thunderstorms has now fanned out over a wide area. At 7:15, the NE edge of the showers/storms has reached Marion, Winston, Blount and St. Clair County and approaching the Gadsden-Anniston area.
The storms are weaker now but still producing strong gusty winds and locally heavy rain.
The NWS issued a Special Weather Statement (a Significant Weather Alert) for Calhoun and Etowah County in NE Alabama until 7:45. A strong thunderstorm was moving NE at 25 mph and may produce gusts up to 40 mph along with heavy downpours It was moving generally toward:
Markton
Rainbow City
Cobb City
Glencoe
Behind that NE leading edge, it is still raining well to the south–in fact all the way down into Central and South Alabama.
Actually, the strongest thunderstorms was in a line from Bay Minette and Pensacola, near the coast, northeast across SE Alabama to near Auburn. A few rain amounts so far through 6 pm:
0.26 at Tuscaloosa Airport
0.05 Birmingham Airport
0.47 Troy
1.33 Evergreen
1.18 Mobile Regional Airport
TOO WARM FOR JANUARY
It was a warm afternoon across Alabama. A selected list of highs:
68 Anniston and Auburn
69 Birmingham Airport, Shelby County Airport
71 Mobile
72 Troy, Tuscaloosa
74 Evergreen, Montgomery
75 Dothan
