STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT… Be on guard this evening into the overnight hours as we could have a few isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts in any of the stronger thunderstorms that move across south Alabama and northwest Florida. The Storm Prediction Center upgraded much of our area into their Level 2 (out of 5) slight risk zone and that remains in place today. What does a Level 2 risk mean? Scattered instances of strong to severe storms will be possible, with a few, brief tornadoes being the main concern. Damaging straight line winds capable of knocking down a few trees will also be possible. After the rain and storms today into early Friday, Saturday kicks off a streak of nice, warm, sunny days. Let’s look at a few details…
SHOWERS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON… No significant issues are expected before Noon. Rain chances will increase in the afternoon and evening hours and showers and thunderstorms start popping up. We’ll be focused on Louisiana and Mississippi for severe weather issues in the late morning and early afternoon hours. By 3-4PM today, there is a chance some of the storms in our area could be on the strong or severe side.
LEVEL 2 RISK: WHO IS INVOLVED… Vast majority of the local area is included in the Level 2 (out of 5) risk zone. If you’re in any of the following communities or surrounding areas, you’re included: Mobile, Pensacola, Destin, Brewton, Monroeville, Grove Hill, Silas, Toxey, Chatom, Millry, Leroy, Jackson, Fruitdale, Vinegar Bend, Wagerville, McIntosh, Citronelle, Mt. Vernon, Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Daphne, Spanish Fort, Fairhope, Bay Minette, Stockton, Stapleton, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Molino, Gonzalez, Walnut Hill, Bratt, Century, Flomaton, Atmore, Poarch, Bratt, Jay, Berrydale, Munson, Crestview, Milton, Navarre, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach, Laurel Hill, Florala, Pleasant Home, Evergreen, Castleberry, Repton, and Brooklyn.
LOWER-END, LEVEL 1 RISK… We note that the northeastern swath of our area remains involved in the lower-end, Level 1 (out of 5) risk zone. This includes areas in/near Thomasville, Beatrice, Greenville, Georgiana, Oaky Streak, Halso Mill, McKenzie, Red Level, River Falls, Andalusia, Heath, Straughn, Rose Hill, and Opp.
Much of west-central Alabama and southeast Alabama are also now involved in the Level 1 risk zone, including Demopolis, Selma, Camden, Butler, Livingston, Troy, Elba, Enterprise, Dothan, Geneva, Samson, Luverne, Daleville, and Abbeville.
POTENTIAL HAZARDS… Isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts will be the two main concerns as storms move by this afternoon, evening, and into the very early morning hours of Friday. Rain amounts should add up to 1-2” in total for most spots across our region, thus likely mitigating the flash flooding risk.
SEVERE WEATHER TIMING… 2PM today (Thursday) to 2AM Friday is the 12 hour window in which severe weather may happen across our region. 5PM to 11PM seems to be the 6 hour window with the greatest potential when tornadoes may happen. Have a way to get the warnings later today into tonight!
TORNADO WARNING COVERAGE… redzoneweather.com/coverage outlines our specific tornado warning commitment to southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. Any time there is an active tornado warning polygon for Covington, Conecuh, Butler, Escambia (AL), Monroe, Clarke, Washington, Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa, or Okaloosa counties, we provide uninterrupted tornado warning coverage in the RZW app and on Facebook Live.
GET THE APP & SET UP ALERTS… I know I have beat this into the ground with every, single post, but I want YOU to make sure you have the RedZone Weather app downloaded this morning BEFORE we have inclement weather. 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 of app) then tap the large, yellow “Alert Settings” button to pick the specific alerts you want to get straight from me.
GORGEOUS, SUNNY WEEKEND UPCOMING… Clouds clear out late Friday evening and we will be sunny across the region for both Saturday and Sunday. High temperatures will be in the mid-80s with morning lows in the 60s.
DRY, NICE START FOR NEXT WEEK… The increasing temperatures will be the main weather headline as we go into next week. Some spots may hit the 90 degree mark by Wednesday as a big ridge of high pressure remains in control of our weather pattern, keeping us dry through at least Thursday. Plenty of sunshine is likely Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
See all the details in your Thursday #rzw forecast video… Enjoy the day & have a way to get tornado warnings!