Overall, the weather has quietened a bit across Central Alabama, but we are still not totally out of the woods. The Tornado Watch continues until 7:00 p.m. for Jefferson and surrounding counties. However, these counties have been cleared of a watch:
Fayette
Lamar
Marion
Winston
Numerous other counties in the NW part of the state have been cleared.
The Tornado Watch continues until 7:00 for Jefferson, Bibb, Blount, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Walker.
Meanwhile, a new Tornado Watch has been posted that goes until 12 midnight for the rest of East Alabama. It is near certain that a number of those counties will be in the clear before midnight.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Jackson and DeKalb Counties in extreme NE Alabama. There are no Tornado Warnings currently.
Fire and Rescue and Police are on the scene of a home in Alabaster apparently due to a lightninig strike. This is almost directly across the street from a home that was struck by lightning in August 2005.
As of 5:45, here is a quick look at the strongest storms:
* From West Shelby County through Eastern Bibb County into Perry County (near Marion), and then into SW Alabama.
* Over the northern part of the state, the strongest storms were in Eastern Blount and Western Etowah County and northward to Ft. Payne.
* There were a few individual strong storms over NW Tuscaloosa County and Central Walker County.
All of the thunderstorms were moving toward the NE rather rapidly, but the whole system was shifting eastward.
One good thing out of all of this–substantial rain has fallen over a wide area. We will try to post some amounts later this evening. We will be with you as late as necessary. We might even be burning the midnight oil due to the storms in East Alabama.
