A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THURSDAY… Pop-up thunderstorms may be a bit stronger on Thursday, especially across the eastern half of our local area. Damaging wind gusts and hail will be possible in any of the storms that ramp up to strong or severe levels. Not everyone will have storms or even rain on Thursday, and there’s a good chance that some spots across our region may be completely dry throughout the day. The Storm Prediction Center has included a part of south Alabama and northwest Florida in their Level 1 (out of 5) low-end, marginal severe weather risk zone. We note that portions of east-central Alabama are included in the Level 2 slight risk zone where the severe weather risk will be a bit more concentrated. Let’s talk details…
LEVEL 2 (OUT OF 5) RISK FOR EAST ALABAMA… Strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts will be most likely to happen across east Alabama on Thursday in the afternoon and evening hours. The following locations are included in the Level 2 risk zone: Auburn, Anniston, Alexander City, Tuskegee, Phenix City, Valley, Lanett, Rockford, Roanoke, Sylacauga, Heflin, and Dadeville. Much of Georgia, including the Atlanta metro area, is included in this slightly higher Level 2 risk. If you’re traveling to any of those areas, be aware of the potential for storms that could produce very heavy rain, gusty or potentially damaging wind gusts, large hail, and deadly cloud-to-ground lightning.
LEVEL 1 (OUT OF 5) RISK FOR MUCH OF LOCAL AREA… If you’re in Escambia (AL), Covington, Butler, Conecuh, Monroe, Clarke, Santa Rosa, or Okaloosa counties in our local area, you’re involved in the low-end, Level 1 severe weather risk zone. These are the counties where a few stronger storms will be possible. The atmosphere may conditionally support storms capable of producing strong winds and hail.
POTENTIAL HAZARDS LOCALLY… Damaging straight line wind gusts and hail will be the main concerns in any storms that can ramp up to strong to severe levels on Thursday. The overall tornado risk remains very low or at zero in many spots. This is a classic summer event where the tornado risk is low, but the storms that do form can be ferocious, potentially producing quite a bit of wind and heavy rain.
SEVERE WEATHER TIMING… Due to the quite humid air mass in place, storms could kick off in the morning, but I expect any severe weather issues that happen to be most likely between 1PM and 7PM. That’s the core timeframe for when storms will be strongest, in the core of the daytime heating process. Have a way to check the radar throughout the day. redzoneweather.com/radar is the link or you can always look in the Radar tab of the RZW app.
APP ALERTS… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. I will be posting radar updates throughout the afternoon and evening on Thursday as needed. Be sure to visit the Alerts tab once you have the app downloaded and tap the large, yellow “Alert Settings” button to customize the alerts you want to receive straight from me.
I’ll have the next forecast video posted by 7:15AM tomorrow morning. See you then!