RISK ZONES EXPANDED: TORNADO OUTBREAK STARTING AS OF NOON… A Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch is in effect for much of Alabama until 8PM, including Clarke, Washington, Wilcox, Marengo, and Choctaw counties in west Alabama. The first tornado warning of the day has just been posted due to a developing storm in parts of Greene and Hale counties just southwest of Tuscaloosa.
RISK ZONES EXPANDED… This is becoming a moot point as the actual tornado outbreak is starting and these storms do not know colors and numbered zones, but we do note the Storm Prediction Center has expanded the respective severe weather risk zones as of Noon. The Level 5 (out of 5) HIGH risk has been expanded to include the entirety of the Birmingham metro area, Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Gadsden, Huntsville, Oneonta, Decatur, Hoover, Centreville, and Hoover. These locales join places farther west that were previously included in the High Risk zone. Locally, the Level 4 (out of 5) significant severe weather risk now includes parts of Clarke, Washington, Choctaw, Wilcox, and Marengo counties. Again, the risk zones are a technicality showing where the greatest potential for long track, violent tornadoes will be. I say all of this to highlight a potentially greater risk locally across west Alabama. TAKE ACTION QUICKLY if you get a tornado warning for your location today!
WHAT TO EXPECT – NEXT FEW HOURS… Showers will continue to be possible across our entire area in south Alabama and northwest Florida. We continue to observe gusty winds up to 20-30 mph across the region. This wind off the Gulf is moving inland, acting as ripe inflow for the dangerous storm setup across Alabama and Mississippi. Tornado warnings may become needed mainly after 3PM locally across west Alabama. We’ll be watching trends closely over the next few hours. More updates will be posted in the RedZone Weather app over the next few hours.
APP ALERTS… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
Stay safe and have a good Thursday afternoon!
