LOW-END SEVERE WEATHER RISK OVERNIGHT; FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS… Flash Flood Warnings have been issued for parts of west Alabama on this Thursday evening as some spots have already picked up over 3 inches of rain. There is a low-end risk of isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts overnight into Friday morning as storms continue to train in from the west. We note that the Storm Prediction Center has also introduced a new, Level 1 (out of 5) low-end severe weather risk for Friday morning into the early afternoon hours as more storms are expected to develop and move across our area. You’ll need to have a way to receive urgent weather warnings tonight BEFORE you go to sleep as I can’t rule out a tornado warning during the overnight hours. Note that we’ll have PLENTY of updates ongoing in the RedZone Weather app over the next few hours. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. That’s the summary and below are the details…
TORNADO RISK IS LOW, BUT NOT ZERO… I don’t think there is any doubt at this point that the biggest concern with this weather system will be heavy rainfall that could potentially lead to flash flooding across our region. The tornado risk is a secondary concern as the atmosphere is not exactly ripe for developing tornadic storms. There could be a few rotating cells overnight that could become capable of producing a tornado or two, however. Thus, we encourage everyone to have a way to get weather warnings before you go to sleep! The Storm Prediction Center likely will NOT issue a tornado watch as the overall risk seems fairly low (but again, NOT zero).
STRONGER STORMS POSSIBLE… In addition to the low-end risk of tornadoes, there also could be damaging wind gusts in the stronger storms that happen. The risk for damaging winds is also low, but not zero.
BIG CONCERN: HEAVY RAIN… The latest Quantitative Precipitation Forecast continues to indicate 3 to 5 inches of rain in total over the next few days across our region. Interestingly enough, some spots in southern Choctaw and northwest Washington counties in west Alabama have ALREADY had over 3 inches of rain in the last few hours. A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for areas near Millry, Chapel Hill, Silas, and Toxey in west Alabama until 11:30PM.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH… Due to the risk of flash flooding, our local National Weather Service office has placed much of our area under a Flash Flood Watch. This means that flash flooding could happen over the next 24-48 hours. Washington, Clarke, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Escambia (AL), Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia (FL), and Santa Rosa counties are all included in the Flash Flood Watch. Okaloosa and Covington counties are NOT included, as rainfall amounts in those two counties should end up being less than 3 inches in total over the next few days.
RAIN TO CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY… In addition to the low-end severe weather risk continuing into Friday morning, rain will also continue to stream in from the southwest. If you have to be out and about overnight or on Friday morning, keep the rain gear handy!
APP… Be sure to download the RedZone Weather app if you haven’t already done so. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your smartphone and/or tablet, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow “Alert Settings” button to customize the alerts you’d like to receive straight from me. We’ll be sending a lot of Low-Level Alerts over the next few days.
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