Most of the showers and thunderstorms over central Alabama now are due to lifting ahead of a warm front, that separates humid, unstable air in MS (dewpoint 68 Jackson, MS) from the drier, more stable air in Alabama (dewpoint 50 in Anniston). Since the storms are above the warm front for now, the threat of tornadoes is rather low. However, if the warm front lifts too far NE overnight, allowing a period of sunshine tomorrow morning ahead of the main storm, instability could get very high over AL, and a large tornado outbreak could occur.
The 00 UTC models will be coming in shortly, giving us a little better idea of how far the warm front will move. Will have a complete analsysis by 11 pm. At Panama City, watching large thunderstorms about 50 miles out in the Gulf, and getting some pictures of red/orange lightning. Rare to see that unless you have a long open space to look out over, like the ocean. (Red light is longer wavelength, gets weakened less by raindrops over long distances, similar to sunset in October.) Once I get a USB at walmart, will have pictures.
