STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING; LEVEL 2 (OUT OF 5) RISK… This is a special Saturday morning #rzw forecast video as we have a Level 2 (out of 5) severe weather risk in place for south Alabama and northwest Florida later today. Damaging straight line winds and hail will be the main concerns in the stronger storms. The overall tornado risk today remains low, but not quite zero. Severe thunderstorm warnings will probably be far more likely to happen compared to tornado warnings. As I often caution, severe thunderstorm straight line wind damage is often just as impactful as tornado damage IF it affects you or your property. Rain and storms will become more likely after 1PM today. Much of the morning should be dry with no major issues other than lingering areas of fog. Looking ahead, we’ve got several days of warm, summer-like weather with pop-up storms likely in the afternoon and evening hours. Let’s talk details…
LEVEL 2 RISK FOR ALL OF THE LOCAL AREA TODAY… The Storm Prediction Center continues to include all of southwest Alabama and northwest Florida in their Level 2 (out of 5) standard slight risk zone, meaning isolated strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible. MOST locales will have heavy rain, lightning, thunder, and gusty winds later this evening as a complex of storms moves through. A FEW locales could have damaging wind gusts that knock down a few trees or tree branches. Large hail is also a concern in the isolated stronger storms. An isolated tornado or two will be possible, but the overall tornado risk remains LOW. Low does not mean zero, however, thus we need to have a way to get urgent weather warnings later today.
RAIN & SEVERE WEATHER TIMING… Isolated rain showers are possible this morning, but vast majority of us across south Alabama and northwest Florida should remain dry through midday. Rain becomes increasingly likely after 1PM. The core time frame for severe weather issues will be from 4PM to 10PM across southwest Alabama and northwest Florida.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CANCELLING SATURDAY PLANS… As we advertised throughout the day in our posts yesterday, I get a lot of question about whether someone should cancel evening plans because of storms moving in. My answer in this case is “probably not.” This is a Level 2 (out of 5) risk, meaning only a few instances of severe weather will be possible. That means that MOST (aka not all, but most) of us should be okay with no major issues. If heavy rain and/or lightning is a concern for your event, I would definitely have an indoor backup plan ready.
APP ALERTS… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download our free RedZone Weather app. Unlike most weather apps, ALL of the content in the app is handcrafted, including all push notifications. Check out the Alerts tab (lower right corner) then tap on the large, yellow “Alert Settings” button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
NEXT UPDATE… I will have plenty of updates throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app. Be sure to join me there for the latest! If tornado warnings are required later today, our usual coverage policy will apply. See redzoneweather.com/coverage for more information. Have a great Saturday!