Long time residents of Alabama know that we were the first station here to start a pre-spring weather tour across the state in an effort to get folks ready for the tornado season. Our first tour was in 1997, right after ABC 33/40 signed on the air, and we were stunned at the number of people who showed up along the way to see us and listen to our weather stories. We have seen crowds as large as 2,500, and enjoyed every single venue. And, the 2008 Storm Alert tour opens up this week.
Our first show this year will be at Oak Grove High School (in the auditorium) Thursday night at 7:00. The old Oak Grove school building was destroyed by a horrible F5 tornado on April 8, 1998, and this year we will be focusing on the 10th anniversary of the historic tornado that killed 32 people in Jefferson County (the same parent thunderstorm dropped another smaller tornado in St. Clair County that killed two more north of Pell City). We will feature some of the storm survivors, and we will check in with them to see how their lives have changed over the last 10 years. We will also look back at the weather situation that night, and how the warning process worked behind the scenes. Also, this year will have stories on the Enterprise tornado on March 1 of last year, and the ongoing drought that is impacting Alabama and surrounding states. Bill Castle, who has long been the wind beneath my wings, has worked hard to make this year’s show the best ever. And, as always, come out early to get a good seat and meet the entire ABC 33/40 weather team.
From Oak Grove, we will have stops this year in Anniston (February 7), Northport (February 12), Lineville (February 21), and Moody (February 26). That stop at Moody will be at Bethel Baptist Church, whose building was destroyed by a tornado on April 8, 1998. Of course, there is no admission fee, and we recommend you bring the entire family. See the complete schedule and details here.
See you along the way at Storm Alert 2008!
