The Storm Prediction Center along with NWS Birmingham has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for these counties in Central Alabama until 9:00 PM tonight: Autauga, Bibb, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Macon, Marion, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker.
Damaging winds up to 70 MPH and large hail up to golf ball size is possible with any severe storms that develop this afternoon and into the evening hours.
The main window for strong to severe storms will be from now until 10:00 PM tonight. We’ll keep you posted on the blog. Here is the post from the SPC:
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 144
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
225 PM EDT Fri Jun 1 2018
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of Northern and central Alabama North Georgia
* Effective this Friday afternoon and evening from 225 PM until 1000 PM EDT.
* Primary threats include…
Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY… Thunderstorms will continue to intensify across the region within a moist and increasingly unstable air mass. Although wind shear is relatively weak, some sustained line segments and clusters are likely to spread generally southeastward across the region.
The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles north and south of a line from 45 miles northwest of Tuscaloosa AL to 40 miles northeast of Macon GA. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
REMEMBER… A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.
