The National Weather Service said Alabama counties could be facing isolated storms tonight.
Forecasters said thunderstorms are expected to move throughout the State into southern counties until early tomorrow morning. These storms could bring winds reaching up to 60 miles per hour and quarter sized hail.
Jessica Laws is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Birmingham. She said the storms will be isolated and should move east by tomorrow morning.
“Today, in the afternoon, we could have some isolated storms developing. Those could be severe depending on where you are," she explained. "Damaging winds and hail is the main threat. After sunset, there should be weakening, and the chance for anything forming should basically be coming to an end. By early tomorrow morning, kind of after midnight, most of the rain should be east of the area.”
Laws said most of the areas with the highest chance of severe storms are along a horizontal line of counties adjacent to Tuscaloosa and south.
“From around Lee County, Tallapoosa, Coosa, Chilton, Bibb, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, those kind of in a line there, and then south down towards the coast," she explained. "That’s going to be the area with the highest instability, so the highest energy. So, storms that form in that area have the better chance to become severe.”
These are not the only counties facing potential storms. The National Weather Service of Birmingham tweeted Monday morning that possible thunderstorm development is possible throughout the entire state.
“This morning, widespread thunderstorms will move through the state with severe storms possible in the far southern counties. This afternoon, scattered thunderstorm development is possible everywhere, with the greatest threat for severe in the southwestern 2/3 of the area,” the tweet stated.
This morning, widespread thunderstorms will move through the state with severe storms possible in the far southern counties. This afternoon, scattered thunderstorm development is possible everywhere, with the greatest threat for severe in the southwestern 2/3 of thee area. pic.twitter.com/Ou6l2FMrrz
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) April 3, 2023
Laws said there are a few things Alabamians can do to prepare for severe weather.
“The best thing to do is just go ahead and have a plan in case a warning is issued. With damaging winds and hail as a threat, you want to get inside of a substantial building, not really a car, but a building’s centermost room. Get away from windows in case a tree falls or anything like that. Plan ahead so that if you do need to take shelter you can, and you won’t be scrambling to figure something out.”
Due to a front moving into Alabama, rain is possible in the forecast from Wednesday through Friday. Laws said the front has a low likelihood of causing severe weather, except on Wednesday afternoon.
“There is a front heading down this way. It will move into Alabama Wednesday afternoon through the evening. That will be more of the Northern part of Alabama, so Walker, Fayette, Lamar, Marion Winston, Cullman, Huntsville toward the Tennessee line,” she said. “It will basically stall out and just slowly move to the south through Wednesday night and Thursday. We’re not looking at a whole lot of severe other than Wednesday afternoon and even that severe threat is pretty low. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot of rain Wednesday afternoon through about Friday morning.”
Laws advised that anyone in these counties keep an eye on the radar throughout the week and have a severe weather plan.
