OUTLOOK UPGRADE: ONE OR TWO STRONG TORNADOES POSSIBLE INLAND TODAY INTO TONIGHT… The Storm Prediction Center upgraded much of southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama into a Level 3 (out of 5) severe weather risk zone, valid for today into tonight. The concern is that one or two strong (EF2+) tornadoes may happen later today or tonight ahead of a squall line slated to move through in the overnight hours. Please remember: Just because you may not be in the higher risk zone today, we ALL have a severe weather risk down to the beaches today into tonight. Please have a way to hear urgent weather warnings today, this evening, and into the overnight hours.
11:35AM SITUATION UPDATE… The main concerns this afternoon into the early evening hours will happen in communities west of Interstate 65, specifically in parts of southwest Alabama and southeast Mississippi. Places like Thomasville, Grove Hill, Jackson, Chatom, Monroeville, Gilbertown, and Camden have a higher risk of severe weather over the next several hours. A Tornado Watch may become required this afternoon for these areas, depending on what happens with storms initializing. The worst case scenario is we see a few discrete supercells capable of producing a strong tornado or two. The best case scenario is storms do not fire up in this first round. The second round of storms, tonight, is much more likely to happen in the form of a squall line pushing across our region from northwest to southeast. The risk is temporarily lower this afternoon if you are in coastal Alabama, northwest Florida, or south central Alabama in areas east of I-65. These areas will have a ramp up in the severe weather potential late tonight into early Thursday morning. We encourage everyone, no matter where you are across the region, to have multiple ways to hear warnings today into tonight.
ANOTHER, SEPARATE SEVERE WEATHER RISK SATURDAY… Tornadoes and damaging straight line wind gusts will be possible again on Saturday into early Sunday as a cold front approaches our region from the northwest. The Storm Prediction Center has added a Level 3 (out of 5) risk for a big chunk of the Deep South valid for Saturday into early Sunday. Further outlook upgrades will be possible. Let’s get through this severe weather deal today into Thursday and then we will start really focusing on the Saturday/Sunday event. Much colder air arrives behind an advancing cold front Sunday morning. Temperatures in the afternoon on Sunday will only be in the 50s.
TORNADO WARNING POLICY… Any time there is an active tornado warning in effect for southwest Alabama or northwest Florida, we provide uninterrupted, live video coverage on Facebook Live and in the RedZone Weather app. Our detailed coverage commitment is outlined at redzoneweather.com/coverage. We are proud to cover all parts of Escambia (AL), Covington, Monroe, Conecuh, Baldwin, Mobile, Clarke, Washington, Butler, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. If you live in any locale in those counties, be sure to tune into our coverage whenever there is an active tornado warning!
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 Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have more updates posted over the next several hours in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Wednesday afternoon and please be “weather aware” over the next several hours.