Some nice showers and elevated storms are moving northeastward across Central Alabama this morning…associated with a northward moving warm front.
Radar shows a nice area of moderate to occasionally heavy rain from northern Jefferson County north of Warrior and Hayden into southern Cullman and Blount Counties then westward to northeast of Jasper in Walker County then into Winston County near Double Springs and then on to near Haleyville.
Torrential rains and maybe some small hail with the big storm north of Birmingham. Lots of lightning also. Our Skywatcher in Kimberly, Mac Sparks, reported a heavy shower with moderate thunder. Skywatcher Mary Howell in Sumiton reported heavy rain and thunder.
A little lightning is near Double Springs with that growing cell. A little lightning is near Jasper and Arley.
Several reports of hail from Northwest Alabama this morning, to nickle size.
Scattered showers are over the remainder of North Alabama, but they are generally light.
Showers are growing over Sumter, Greene and Hale Counties to our southwest, mainly between Livingston and Greensboro. They extend up into Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counties. These cells could become nice little storms.
Linda Thomas in Verbena says her visibility is down to 1/4 mile in fog. There is some dense fog out there. Visibilities are generally less than two miles across Central Alabama, and as low as 1/4 in spots.
On our severe weather situation, instability at the surface is zero right now, and the prospects for it increasing are not really good. These elevated storms are rooted in unstable air above the surface that is being imported from the Gulf.
Temperatures are in the 50s this morning. Dewpoints range between 50-57 from north to south.
The main line of storms is lined up in Mississippi from Iuka to Tupelo to west of Starkville. It is just entering Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin Counties. The NWS Huntsville has a significant weather alert in effect for parts of Franklin and Colbert where a small but intensifying storm was passing north of Red Bay.
This line may well be the best chance for severe weather today if any of the embedded storms get the opportunity to rotate in the highly sheared environment. It will move across the area later this morning and this afternoon. The SPC has areas south and west of Birmingham outlooked for a chance of severe weather.
JB and I will have regular updates through the day…
