Lots and lots of concern about the unfolding weather event in Alabama. This is a quick analysis as it looks now. We will have more and more information as the afternoon and evening goes on.
This 33/40 Weather BLOG will be manned all night and we will try to keep frequent updates rolling.
The Storm Prediction Center, earlier this afternoon, issued a Tornado Watch for much of North Mississippi that comes over and touches the Alabama border. The only significant damage report we have seen so far is to a school about 20 miles north of Eldorado in South/Central Arkansas. The damage there was apparently substantial. We do not know if it was a tornado or straight line winds but that becomes a moot point when there is damage.
Within the last half hour, the Storm Prediction Center has issued another Tornado Watch for a large part of West and Middle Tennessee including the Nashville area. This same Tornado Watch includes six counties in extreme North and NW Alabama. Those counties are:
Limestone
Madison
Colbert
Franklin
Lauderdale
Lawrence
LATEST RADAR
This is current as of about five minutes ago. A long line of intense thunderstorms extends from West Tennessee down across North Mississippi to Central Louisiana and to near Houston. The stronger thunderstorms are over West and North Mississippi. There is a bow in the line between Greenwood and Greenville on US-82 in Mississippi. That could spell extra trouble.
Out ahead of that line of storms, there appears to be some quick development over several NW Alabama counties. That will be something we will need to contend with all afternoon and evening. Those can form quickly and become dangerous quickly.
Bottom line: We believe tonight’s high school football games in North and Central Alabama will have problems being finished. Kick off for those games are still six hours away and we believe such cities as Cullman, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa may have some dangerous weather by late afternoon, possibly as early as 4:00. We will try to keep you posted.
A long night ahead, but we are used to it.
