Tornado

Investigators with the National Weather Service is establishing the intensity of tornadoes reported in Alabama. Three people were killed during the weekend weather that included at least five confirmed twisters.

Investigators with the National Weather Service will spend today working to establish the intensity of tornadoes that hit the southern U.S. Unconfirmed twisters in Alabama hit northwest of Tuscaloosa and southeast of the state capitol of Montgomery. One storm near Birmingham picked up a school bus and dropped it on a local high school. Violent weather in Georgia flipped a gas station onto its roof. Roads remain impassable due to downed trees and power lines

The threat of tornadoes moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, a day after a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up dust storms that caused deadly crashes and fanned more than 100 wildfires in several central states. Alabama is under what forecasters called a rare “level 5” storm alert.

Governor Kay Ivey is declaring a state of emergency in all sixty seven counties in Alabama. A sweeping storm system moving across the U.S. threatens to bring tornadoes, blizzards and possibly wildfires to different regions of the country. The National Weather Service says an outbreak of severe storms could spawn tornadoes over the weekend.

The cleanup is underway after a strong storm system spawned hail, rain, high winds and tornadoes across the southern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least four people. Alabama saw confirmed tornado damage in Limestone County.

Most tornado-prone areas, including almost all of Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Mississippi are in the zone with the most lax standards. One of the big problems, experts told the AP, is that the federal rules that call for tougher manufactured home standards, including anchoring, only apply in hurricane zones.

The 2011 Super Outbreak was one of the deadliest outbreaks ever recorded in the Southeastern U.S.Today marks twelve years since Alabama suffered historic tornado damage.

The National Weather Service is keeping an eye on what could be severe storm activity today and Friday morning. Several rounds of heavy rain could bring winds, hail, and the possibility of tornadoes.

Alabama’s record-breaking tornado season shows no signs of winding down. State meteorologists say the most active months for tornadoes in Alabama are March and April. The state suffered twenty-nine tornadoes in January alone.

Forecasters say there’s a risk for storms for the northwestern part of the state later this week. Weather experts say the most severe conditions are expected the following day.