Weather Blogs

Home of Storm Chaser Videographer Jeff Gammons.

Total news: 10
Last news: October 28, 2008 02:42:10

Discussions, thoughts, and comments from the ABC 33/40 team of meteorologists. Updated often daily, 7 days a week!

Total news: 164
Last news: 3 hours 6 minutes ago

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. HELLO SUN: So far today is going as expected. Rain taped off and moved out this morning, and we have enjoyed a partly sunny afternoon. The [...] - [Read more]

Because you have overstayed your welcome.

And, for the most part, the rain has left us high and dry. Well, not really, we are still low and wet.

At 9:30 this morning the only rain still in Alabama was a few showers right along the Georgia border. The heaviest rain was down over the north part of the Florida Peninsula. We may even see the sun showing its face at times later today!

This is great news because it will give flooded streams time to drain down somewhat.

The rain is not gone for very long. A few showers may redevelop this afternoon and this evening, then a general increase in showers and thunderstorms again tomorrow. Too bad.

While I am on the subject, here is a partial list of rain amounts in the last 24 hours–not a storm total. You can see from this list, that there will not be any blowing dust or dust storms around Alabama today.

4.34 Logan Martin Dam
2.32 Martin Dam
2.55 Ensley, Village Creek Bridge
2.78 Sayre
2,42 Smith Dam
2.02 Oliver Dam, Tuscaloosa
0.99 Livingston
3.22 Coker
3.58 Weaver
3.47 Cottondale
5.39 Helena (Brian Peters is the observer)
5.38 Wadley
2.65 Jasper
3.10 Dora
2.46 Childersburg
2.12 Birmingham Airport (erasing the 2010 deficit)
1.51 Montgomery/Dannelly Field
2.89 Anniston
3.73 Shelby County Airport
2.98 Horseshoe Bend

Remember, these are 24 hour totals ending around 7 am today. The total storm amounts were considerably higher. Even some 7 inch amounts in parts of Shelby County.

At 7:30 this morning a north/south line (or is it south/north) of moderate to heavy showers about 30 miles wide extended from about Huntsville to Birmingham to Montgomery and then southeastward to near Troy. Movement is eastward.

If you had seen this line between midnight and about 4 am, you would have headed to the storm cellar! (or is storm pit?) This is all that is left.

Bottom line, we did not get to finish morning drive (or is rush hour?) completely dry. But this is not too bad.

No rain at all over NW and West Central Alabama–places like Florence, Hamilton, Jasper. Even Lamar County where a Flash Flood Warning was in effect in the predawn hours, not enjoying a break.

That does not mean we will not get some more showers today. We will this afternoon but not very many.

Unfortunately, another surge of showers and thunderstorms Friday, fewer on Saturday, and few, if any Sunday and Monday.

Will post some 24 hour rain totals a bit later this morning. Overall, it is a pleasant day across droughtless Alabama!

I sure feel for all tha folks that had flood damage to property yesterday. It was a major flash-flood event.

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
640 AM CST THU MAR 11 2010

…THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE ALABAMA RIVER AT MONTGOMERY…

.HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THE PAST 36 HOURS CONTINUES TO CAUSE THE
ALABAMA RIVER TO RISE…AND A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT AT
MONTGOMERY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE CARS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. TURN AROUND…DON’T DROWN.

ANOTHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED LATER THIS MORNING.

..FLOOD WARNING EXTENDED UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE ALABAMA RIVER AT MONTGOMERY.
* FROM THIS MORNING TO SATURDAY AFTERNOON…OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS
CANCELLED.
* AT 6 AM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 34.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 35 FEET.
* FORECAST…RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY LATE THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE
TO RISE TO NEAR 38 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING . THE RIVER WILL FALL
BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY SATURDAY MORNING.
* IMPACT…AT 35 FEET…EXTENSIVE OVERFLOW OF LOWLANDS IN THE AREA
BEGINS. FLOODING OF THE GOLF COURSE AT MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE AND
ALONG PORTIONS OF RIVER ROAD OCCURS AT STAGES OF 30 FEET AND HIGHER.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. BIG TIME SOAKING: The heaviest rain total from our Skywatchers yesterday was 7.39” recorded at Alabaster. Other rain totals included 6.18” at Sterrett, 6.06” at Pelham, [...] - [Read more]

The first hint of daybreak will be soon. In rural areas, the roosters will be crowing, and farmers will be milking their cows. However, a vast majority of folks will be getting ready to hit the road to work or school.

Could be a problem with that. I would think extra time for morning drive would be wise. (I still call it “rush hour.”)

The flash flooding yesterday was major especially in places like Shelby County and a number of others. Could very well be a lot of water on some roads this morning so extra driving time is wise. May even be some detours.

Otherwise, in the world of weather, we are looking at a line of strong thunderstorms with very heavy rain entering NW and West Alabama from Mississippi. There was a number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued with that line of storms overnight and lightning was vivid and the rain came down in buckets. It is now pouring rain from Lauderdale and Colbert County in the NW corner of Alabama southward to Pickens County. A Flash Flood Warning was issued earlier for Lamar County. Heavy rain approaching West Tuscaloosa County.

However, within the last two hours the line of storms has weakened somewhat with noticeably less lightning. Even so, we will see a marked increase in showers and thunderstorms as the morning progresses. Showers and storms should be less in number this afternoon, only to become more numerous again Friday.

The bad weather game is not over but the weekend looks more user-friendly, especially Sunday and Monday.

The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has most of Alabama under a “slight risk” for today. However they will have a new discussion a bit later this morning.

So, we watch and wait. Meanwhile, I must take a 60-foot round trip to the kitchen for still another delicious and delectable cup of coffee!

A Flash Flood Warning continues for Lamar County over on the western border of Alabama until 5:45 am.

There were already showers in the area but now a line of heavy showers and strong thunderstorms, moving east from Mississippi, and getting closer to Lamar.

Besides that, other showers were increasing from Marion and Fayette County northward. Some heavy rain now over parts of Fayette County.

Rain was widespread early this morning across South and SE Alabama especially from Montgomery east, south and to the SW.

SEVERE WEATHER?
The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has almost all of Alabama under a slight risk for today.

MORNING DRIVE
I would recommend some extra time allowed for that. Flash flooding was major yesterday in a number of counties and there may still be water on some roads this morning.

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
244 AM CST THU MAR 11 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…VERNON…SULLIGENT…MILLPORT…

* UNTIL 545 AM CST

* AT 236 AM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED FLASH
FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA WITH A LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING FROM THE WEST.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LAMAR
COUNTY AIRPORT…DETROIT…CREWS…BLOOMING GROVE…BEDFORD AND
BEAVERTON

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE WARNED AREA.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE…TURN AROUND…DONT DROWN.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER…
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

Lots of showers across Alabama early on this Thursday morning. But not real heavy and no severe thunderstorms at the moment–as of 2 am.

A lot of heavy showers and some thunderstorms across the North Gulf of Mexico trying to move onshore into Coastal Alabama and NW Florida.

But our main attention now shifts westward where a long line of intense thunderstorms extends from near St. Louis southward into West Tennessee and all the way down the state of Mississippi. A number of warnings with that. The north-south line is about half way across Mississippi and moving eastward.

Will be watching it like a hawk!

A Tornado Watch is in effect for West Tennessee and virtually the entire state of Mississippi.The watch extends east to the Alabama border.

Bottom line, our weather woes are not over by any means. Besides, there are lingering flood problems from yesterday. Shelby County especially hard hit by flooding.

Will be on duty the rest of the night with updates as needed. A 12-cup pot of coffee now brewing.

Stay safe and plan now for extra minutes for the morning rush hour!

Showers and storms continue over the western half of Central and South Alabama. Nothing especially strong.

Over East Alabama, a large area of heavy rain extends from South Alabama’s Crenshaw County up through Lafayette then curving up along the Alabama/Georgia border.

Looking to the west, a strong line of storms has developed in the last hour and a half. It now extends from south of Oxford to Yazoo City to Vicksburg. There are now two severe thunderstorm warnings along this line in the Delta. Greenwood and Yazoo City are in the warnings.

The line is moving east at 25 mph. it should reach western Alabama after 4 a.m.

The earlier strong storms that produced tornadoes in Arkansas is now bear the Mississippi River, but it has weakened a tad.

The tornado watch has been canceled for the Alabama Counties.

A Flash Flood Watch continues for Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston Counties until 6 a.m.

Heavy rain has caused dangerous conditions across parts of the area today and tonight.

If you are driving tonight, do not drive across water which is running across the road. Remember, turn around…don’t drown. Many roads in Shelby County are closed tonight.

Rain is most widespread over East Alabama at this hour, mainly from Greenville to Montgomery then up into Chilton and Coosa Counties.

Flash flood warning continues tonight for Shelby County. Some areas have received over 7 inches of rain today. 7.32 inches of rain fell in Alabaster.

A large area has received between 3 and 5 inches.

The good news is that the county is about to get a break from the rain for a short while.

Storms have weakened a bit in the Birmingham area, which is good news.

Thunderstorms continue over western Alabama.

A tornado watch continues for West Central Alabama from Tuscaloosa to Demopolis to Butler to Jackson.

Severe weather is not the real problem tonight. It will be the potential for flooding.

There is a line of thunderstorms approaching the Mississippi River that may affect us in the morning.

Thanks to Scott Hopper for these images from Attalla tonight…

In a couple of months, we will have Sheldon Kusselson from NOAA NESDIS Satellite Branch on WeatherBrains. He monitors satellite data and consults with NWS Forecast Offices. He was the author on a Satellite Precipitation Estimate this evening featuring one of the products he helped to develop…a blended precipitable water satellite product that [...] - [Read more]

Sorry to yell…but this is important.

Very dangerous situation tonight in Shelby County. Huge rainfall amounts have already been received and very heavy rainfall is forming again upstream, poised to move over the County again.

6 to 7 inch rainfall amounts are common on Doppler Radar estimates and these have been borne out by actual rainfall reports…

Here is what is upstream at 8:20 p.m. Everything is moving northeast.

Be alert if you live in a flood prone area and be ready to move to higher ground if flooding begins.

Most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Do not drive into water that is standing or flowing. You do not know the integrity of the road underneath or the depth.

Remember…turn around…don’t drown!

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
802 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

CAHABA RIVER NEAR CAHABA HEIGHTS AFFECTING BIBB…JEFFERSON AND
SHELBY COUNTIES.

.HEAVY RAINFALL OF OF 3 TO 5 INCHES HAS OCCURRED DURING THE PAST
24 HOURS OVER THE CAHABA RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN…AND A FLOOD WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE CAHABA RIVER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE CARS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. TURN AROUND…DON’T DROWN.

ANOTHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THURSDAY MORNING…OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.

&&
802 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CAHABA RIVER NEAR CAHABA HEIGHTS.
* UNTIL LATE THURSDAY NIGHT…OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED.
* AT 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 13.9 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 14.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FORECAST…RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE TO
RISE TO NEAR 16.0 FEET BY AFTER MIDNIGHT TOMORROW . THE RIVER WILL
FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON .
* IMPACT…AT 17.0 FEET…FLOODING OF SOME COMMERCIAL PROPERTY IN THE
AREA BEGINS AT STAGES NEAR 18 FEET

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Greene, Sumter Counties till 8:45 PM CST.

The Tornado Warning issued earlier for Greene and Hale Counties was canceled.

It’s going to be a long night.

The Storm Prediction Center has much of Alabama now in a Slight Category Risk for severe weather overnight.

Here are the probabilities. The probabilities are that the threat (tornado, winds greater than 58 mph or hail 1″ or larger in diameter) will occur within 25 miles of your location.

Tornado

Wind

Hail

The hatched are on the hail chart is 10% or greater chance than 2″ or larger hail will occur within 25 miles of points in that area.

New tornado watch goes until 2 a.m. for West Central Alabama, much of Central Mississippi, southeastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana…

Alabama Counties…

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 25
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
725 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

TORNADO WATCH 25 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM CST FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

ALC007-023-025-047-063-065-091-099-105-107-119-125-129-131-
110800-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0025.100311T0125Z-100311T0800Z/

AL
. ALABAMA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BIBB CHOCTAW CLARKE
DALLAS GREENE HALE
MARENGO MONROE PERRY
PICKENS SUMTER TUSCALOOSA
WASHINGTON WILCOX

Tornado watch continues until 8 p.m. for
Autauga, Chilton and Lowndes.

The following counties have been canceled from the watch…
Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Russell and Tallapoosa.

Confused? We will get you a map shortly…

From Herb Coleman…

Hi Bill,

I took a reading at 7:p.m. and we had picked up another ..98 inches of rainfall since noon. This brings our total for Pelham to 6.06 inches. Bishop creek is now over it’s banks and we are experiencing some flooding with water over some roads.

Herb

(Pictures are from earlier)

Two storms in Arkansas tonight are tornadic.

Number one is in the Little Rock area…

Damage has been reported in Saline County. Highway 5 is blocked. Damage reported near Hurricane Lake. Large hail now falling in Maumelle.

Number two is just northwest of Hot Springs…

Severe thunderstorm warning until 7:30 for northern Sumter and southern Pickens Counties in West Central Alabama.

Another look at some of the communities in the path of this warning…

LATE REPORT FROM SOUTHWEST ALABAMA…
…Rain wrapped tornado reported just NNW of Fruitdale…in Washington County…was headed toward Chatom. Tornado warning in effect.

Flood deaths are one of the most preventable. Lead times on flood warnings are now nearly 45 minutes.

But still people die.

You just don’t think it could happen to you or someone you love.

Numerous reports of flooding tonight, especially across Shelby County now. The county is getting a break now from the rain, but we continue to get reports of flooding and flooded roads from there.

One such report:
…Shelby County 49 is closed with water flowing over the bridge two miles south of Shelby County 47.

Others…
…numerous roads closed through Helena earlier…
…flooding has been especially significant in Talladega County as well…flooding was reported just before 6 p.m. north of Munform on McAffee Road. Bridge washed out 5 miles north of Talladega at Jackson Trace Road and Pine Hill Road.

More on the severe thunderstorm warnings in just a minute…

Here are some more in short form:

* 7.32 inches of rain, Alabaster, James Mills, 3340 Skywatcher

* 5:50 pm in Talladega County…the 911 Office reports bridge washed out at Jackson Trace Road and Pine Hill Road.

* 1/2 inch diameter hail, Cusseta, Chambers County at 6:05 pm

* Beth Brooks, 3340 Skywatcher, Bluff Park, “bottom just dropped out”

* 8 miles NE of Talladega, 5:50 pm, flooding just north of Munford.

* 4.40 inches of rain at Gadsden Skycam

* 3.25 inches if rain, Center Point

4.04 inches Inverness

* Helena Police report numerous roads flooded and closed throughout Helena.

PERSONAL NOTE
In my opinion, this is going to be one of the more costly flood events we have seen in a long, long time. Much infrastructure damage to roads and bridges. Countless homes and businesses probably have flood damage.

True surface based instability remains confined to Southwest Alabama… where a tornado warning is in effect for Washington County. Here is the current surface based CAPE:

While a few storms could easily produce hail over West Alabama over the next few hours, the most significant tornado threat will be in that general region from Demopolis south to Mobile, with the storms can become truly surface based.

Rain continues to fall over much of East Alabama, where serious flooding issues continue in spots, especially across counties like Talladega and Clay.

The good news is that tonight won’t be as wet as last night, but we will still deal with occasional showers and storms….

WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 21
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
450 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED TORNADO WATCH 21 TO
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AREAS UNTIL 8 PM CST THIS EVENING

IN ALABAMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 11 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

COOSA ELMORE MONTGOMERY

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

CHAMBERS LEE MACON
RUSSELL TALLAPOOSA

IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA

BARBOUR BULLOCK PIKE

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ALEXANDER CITY…AUBURN…EUFAULA…
LANETT…MILLBROOK…MONTGOMERY…OPELIKA…PHENIX CITY…
ROCKFORD…TROY…TUSKEGEE…UNION SPRINGS…VALLEY AND WETUMPKA.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
537 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

ALZ014-015-110015-
WALKER-WINSTON-
537 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR WALKER AND WINSTON COUNTIES UNTIL
615 PM CST…

AT 531 PM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR JASPER…MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE…
GAMBLE.
JASPER.
MANCHESTER.
CURRY.
LAKE SHORE.
FALLS CITY.

IF ON OR NEAR SMITH LAKE…GET OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVE INDOORS OR
INSIDE A VEHICLE. REMEMBER…LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE OUT TO 15 MILES
FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER…YOU ARE
CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER NOW.
DON’T BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER IN A THUNDERSTORM!

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO…COMMERCIAL RADIO…OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
441 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

SHELBY AL-
441 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR…
SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…WILSONVILLE…PELHAM…MONTEVALLO…
HELENA…COLUMBIANA…CHELSEA…CALERA…ALABASTER…

* UNTIL 730 PM CST

* AT 437 PM CST…HEAVY RAINFALL HAS CAUSED WIDESPREAD FLOODING AND
ROAD CLOSURES ACROSS SHELBY COUNTY. FLOODING PROBLEMS WILL CONTINUE
FOR SEVERAL HOURS UNTIL WATER LEVELS RECEDE. THIS IS A VERY
DANGEROUS SITUATION. AVOID UNNECESSARY TRAVEL. TURN AROUND…DONT
DROWN.

A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN REPORTED.
STREAM RISES WILL BE SLOW AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED.
HOWEVER…ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS
IMMEDIATELY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

TO REPORT FLOODING…HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.

* NOTE: A separate Severe Thunderstorm Warning just issued for North Montgomery County until 5 pm>
————————————————————-
BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
434 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
SOUTHWESTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA…
NORTHWESTERN LEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF AUBURN…
SOUTHEASTERN TALLAPOOSA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA…
NORTH CENTRAL MACON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF NOTASULGA…

* UNTIL 500 PM CST

* AT 431 PM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL…AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MARTIN DAM

..AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
LIBERTY CITY BY 440 PM CST…
8 MILES NORTHWEST OF NOTASULGA BY 445 PM CST…
WAVERLY…9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF STURKIE AND 9 MILES WEST OF OAK
BOWERY BY 500 PM CST…

THIS INCLUDES…
INTERSTATE 85 EXIT NUMBERS 51 THROUGH 58

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH…PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS…DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER…
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER…
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

The reports are coming in quickly–trying to keep up. (please scroll down for earlier reports:

* Just over 4 inches of rain so far at Oxford, one mile from Anniston Airport as of 4 pm.

* 4.30 inches of rain at FarmLinks Golf Course at Sylacauga.

* Public in Talladega County reports numerous roads along school bus routes flooded and impassable.

* at 3:58 pm, large hail one inch in diameter at Hayneville in Lowdnes County, Report from EMA.

* 3.18 inches of rain at Sycamore–3340 Skywatcher

* 3.31 inches of rain, Inverness–3340 Skywatcher

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
valid until 5 pm for Chambers, Lee, macon and Tallapoosa County. (full text follows shortly)

But first, a late rain report…at 4 pm, just over 4 inches of rain at Oxford about one mile from Anniston Airport. ————————————————————– BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 413 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 COOSA AL-TALLAPOOSA AL-CHAMBERS AL-CLAY AL-RANDOLPH AL-TALLADEGA AL- CLEBURNE AL-CALHOUN AL-ST. CLAIR AL- 413 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 [...] - [Read more]

Quite a severe weather day across Alabama. Here are some additional notes.

* 2:54 pm…Alabaster…people trapped in their vehicles along highway 31 near Alternative School.

* 3 PM…US 31 closed near Shelby Baptist Hospital because of flooding.

* Numerous roads flooded in and around Sylacauga.

* Jasper area…one foot of standing water along parts of Old US 78.

* Shelby County Highway 42 closed between County Roads 37 and 47, flooding.

* Talladega County…numerous flood reports on area roadways in and around the cith of Talladega.

* Two updated rain totals from 33/40 Skywatchers: 3.23 inches Bessemer and 3.98 Inverness.

RADAR TRENDS
West side of Alabama getting somewhat of a break from the worst storms. Powerful thunderstorms however in Talladega and Clay County.

TORNADO WARNING
For part of talladega and Clay County until 4:15

Thanks to our readers/viewers for these images of flooding across Central Alabama… included are images of Buck Creek in Helena, and Bishop Creek in Pelham…

Thunderstorms continue to form in central and eastern Alabama, and radar shows that rainfall amounts since last night have been heavy. Flooding has been reported in numerous locations (see James’ post below), so be very careful driving home from work today. Lower your speed when driving in rain, and don’t drive across a road covered by water…it may be deeper than you think and can wash your car away if you cross it.

A tornado watch is in effect for parts of west Alabama, from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery and westward. On satellite, you can see the thunderstorms in central and east Alabama, with sunshine to the west. Temperatures are in the mid 70s in SW Alabama and most of Mississippi, where the sun has been out.

Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop in the warm, unstable air over MS and western AL anytime. The boundary between the warm and cold temperatures set up by the cloud cover and rain may cause a higher threat of storm rotation along it. It remains to be seen how quickly clouds will move out of central Alabama…if they wait until 5 pm, little sunshine will get through. Still, the warm air to the SW will move into west Alabama this evening, and isolated tornadoes are possible, especially given the boundary drawn in the satellite picture.

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
252 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
SOUTHEASTERN AUTAUGA COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PRATTVILLE…
NORTH CENTRAL LOWNDES COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…
NORTHWESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 315 PM CST

* AT 249 PM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR LOWNDESBORO

..AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
AUTAUGA COUNTY AIRPORT AND 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BOOTH BY 310 PM
CST…
PRATTVILLE AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF HUNTER BY 315 PM CST…

THIS INCLUDES…
INTERSTATE 65 EXIT NUMBERS 173 THROUGH 186

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER..

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. RIGHT NOW: Flooding is the big concern; scroll down for some late flooding reports; lots of issues across North-Central Alabama this afternoon, with rain totals in [...] - [Read more]

*People trapped in 2 vehicles at alternative school on Hwy 31 in Alabaster. They are requesting aid from Pelham FD.

*Citizen reporting to Talladega County E911 that Grogan Rd, about a half a mile from Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park, a vehicle is disabled in the roadway due to flooding. City of Talladega Public Works reports South Street is flooded and is being barricaded. Talladega PD reports 20 foot wide area of roadway flooding on Taylors Mill Rd at Willowbrook Dr

*A person is stuck in a drainage on Woodvale Drive in Helena with water up to her head. Reported by Shelby 911 and Helena PD

*Hwy 11 between Pelham & Chelsea on the Chelsea is severely flooding. Water washing over road.

*BMX: Childersburg [Talladega Co, AL] emergency mngr reports FLOOD at 01:00 PM CST — numerous flood reports on area roadways near childersburg including center hill road and kymulga road

*BMX: Winterboro [Talladega Co, AL] fire dept/rescue reports FLOOD at 01:18 PM CST — flooding along ledbetter flats road

*BMX: Talladega [Talladega Co, AL] law enforcement reports FLOOD at 01:47 PM CST — numerous flood reports on area roadways in and around the city of talladega. several roads impassable.

*BMX: Jasper [Walker Co, AL] emergency mngr reports FLOOD at 01:00 PM CST — one foot of standing water along portions of old highway 78

*Pea-Size hail reported in Yellowleaf Estates in Chelsea

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Perry Counties till 2:15 PM CST

Instabilities have really increased over much of Central and South Mississippi extending into West and Southwest Alabama.

A tornado watch is in effect for the western part of Central Alabama until 8 p.m.

It’s gonna be a busy afternoon folks. Be ready for severe thunderstorms with the potential for damaging winds, hail, flooding and tornadoes.

WUUS54 KBMX 101950
SVRBMX
ALC001-021-047-105-102015-
/O.NEW.KBMX.SV.W.0008.100310T1950Z-100310T2015Z/

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
150 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
NORTHWESTERN AUTAUGA COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
SOUTHWESTERN CHILTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
EASTERN PERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
NORTH CENTRAL DALLAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 215 PM CST

* AT 148 PM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS STORM
WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF PAUL M GRIST STATE PARK

..AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
PAUL M GRIST STATE PARK BY 200 PM CST…
PARNELL…MAPLESVILLE AND 8 MILES WEST OF PLECHER BY 215 PM CST…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

Here is the latest…

Tornado watch now for West Alabama until 8 p.m.

Areal flood warning for Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega Counties until 415 p.m. CST.

Another areal flood warning up until 345 p.m. for Fayette, other parts of Jefferson, Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa and Walker Counties.

REPORTS FROM TALLADEGA CO
…Minor flooding Bullocks Ferry Road at Bobwhite Road
…Flooding on Ledbetter Flats Road in the Fayetteville area.
…Flooding within 10 feet of a residence on Childersburg Fayetteville Highway.
…Flooding in the Mill Village area of Sylacauga (approximately 1.5 feet), Alabama Ave at Tuskegee (approximately one foot), Odens Mill Rd, Wynette Rd and Wagon Wheel Rd.
…Center Hill Rd by creek is flooded all way across the road. Reported from citizen to SO. Located between Childersburg and Oak Grove on the north side of 280
…Flag Pole Road by quarry in Sylacauga flooded reported by deputy
…400 block of Kymulga Road flooded across roadway reported from deputy. location off of 76 between Hwy 21 and 280.

CAHABA RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS
…For Cahaba at Cahaba Heights, Suttle and Centreville…

Tornado watch has been issued for parts of Central Alabama until 8 p.m. CST. The counties in the watch include:

Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa.

SPC DISCUSSION:
…THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WATCH AREA IN
RESPONSE TO SURFACE HEATING AND INCREASING INSTABILITY. VEERING
SHEAR PROFILES…PARTICULARLY VICINITY WNW/ESE THERMAL BOUNDARY
FROM CENTRAL MS TO CENTRAL AL ARE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELL
DEVELOPMENT. STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND DRY AIR AS NOTED ON
18Z JAN SOUNDING ARE VERY FAVORABLE FOR LARGE HAIL. ALSO TORNADOS
WILL BE POSSIBLE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SUPERCELL THAT FORMS.

From our old friend Herb Coleman, who lives in North Pelham in Shelby County…

Hi J.B., and Bill,

J.B. hope you were able to get in your power nap and get a little rest. Hope all is well with you and your family.

I read the rain gage at noon today and we had have picked up another 1.71 inches since 7:a.m. This added to our previous total of 3.37 will bring us up to a total of 5.08 inches at noon and the heavy rain continues to fall at times. I can see Bishop creek with a pair of binoculars from where I am and it is over it’s banks at several points. I hope we will have a little break in the rainfall this afternoon so that some of this can run off before we get to a flood stage along the creek.

I have kept records of when Bishop creek flooded the area around it in past years, and it has taken an average of around 9 inches of rainfall in 48 hours for this happen. Hopefully we won’t reach that this time.

- Herb

Fortunately, it looks like the rain in Shelby County will taper off soon for a little while. More showers and storms will continue to develop through the afternoon and tonight and there is a threat of severe weather as well.

The SPC has included western Alabama in a Slight risk outlook for severe weather this afternoon and evening.

The primary threat for severe weather will be damaging wind and hail, with about a 10% chance that winds of 58 mph or greater or hail 1 inch or larger in diameter will occur within 25 miles of your location if you are over western Alabama. There is about a 5% chance there will be a tornado within 25 miles of your location over West Alabama.

The best chances for severe weather will be this afternoon as the airmass becomes unstable and upper level wind patterns remain favorable for organized storms.

The chances will continue overnight however, as a disturbance swings across the area along with colder air aloft, raising the chances for hail. As the probabilities indicate, the chance of a tornado cannot be ruled out.

The NWS has issued a new Areal Flood Warning for a part of Central Alabama. It includes parts of Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Shelby and Talladega Counties. This warning replaces the flash flood warning issued early this morning.

Talladega EMA reports: citizen reported to dispatch that Horns Lake Road is completely covered in water. This is off of Old Hwy 77 South.

The NWS Birmingham has issued a big areal flood warning for much of the area.

It is in addition to the flash flood warning for Bibb, Shelby, Chilton, Talladega and Coosa Counties.

The areal flood warning means that heavy rain has occurred and more rain is still falling. Major flash flooding is not expected, but there will be considerable ponding of water on roadways, with flooding of creeks and low lying areas.

ANOTHER LATE REPORT
From our old friend Herb Coleman…relayed through JB…
As of 7:a.m. our 24 hour rainfall total here in North Pelham is 3.37 inches and the rain is still heavy.

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
831 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010

…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A FLOOD
WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN ALABAMA…

CAHABA RIVER AT CENTREVILLE AFFECTING BIBB…DALLAS AND PERRY
COUNTIES.

.HEAVY RAINFALL OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES OVER THE UPPER CAHABA BASIN IS
PRODUCING RISES ON THE RIVER…AND A FLOOD WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT
FOR THE CAHABA RIVER AT CENTREVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE CARS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. TURN AROUND…DON’T DROWN.

ANOTHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THURSDAY MORNING…OR SOONER IF
CONDITIONS WARRANT.

&&

ALC007-047-105-110231-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FL.W.0017.100311T1000Z-100313T0051Z/
/CKLA1.1.ER.100311T1000Z.100311T1800Z.100312T1251Z.NO/
831 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR
THE CAHABA RIVER AT CENTREVILLE.
* FROM LATE TONIGHT TO FRIDAY EVENING…OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS
CANCELLED.
* AT 8 AM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 8.4 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 23 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FORECAST…RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY EARLY THURSDAY AND CONTINUE
TO RISE TO NEAR 25.5 FEET BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE RIVER
WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY FRIDAY MORNING.
* IMPACT…AT 23 FEET…PASTURE LANDS BEGIN TO FLOOD IN THE
CENTREVILLE AREA.

We had been running a bit behind in the rainfall department across Central Alabama. That is changing this morning.

Moderate to heavy rain continues across about 90 percent of the region from US-278 in North Alabama to US-80 in South Central Alabama.

It’s a real downpour in lots of places. Some of the heaviest rain at this hour is generally along or approaching the I-20 corridor.

A big flash flood warning covers eastern Bibb, much of Chilton, much of Shelby, Talladega and northern Coosa Counties. It goes until 10:30 a.m. for now.

The Central third of the state picked up at least 1.5 inches of rain overnight, with large areas getting over 2.5 inches. Radar estimates indicate parts of Shelby, Chilton and Coosa Counties may have gotten four inches or more.

Parts of NE Alabama look like they have gotten 3 or more inches, over Calhoun and Cleburne Counties mainly.

Rainfall rates may approach one inch in 30 minutes with the heavier cells.

There is a good bit of lightning and thunder out there, as I am sure many of your dogs can attest. Nearly solid band of storms with lightning from Carrollton to Tuscaloosa across Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa and Chambers Counties, up into Randolph County, near Wedowee

FLOOD WARNING FOR CAHABA RIVER
Flood Warning is in effect for the Cahaba River at Centreville.

THE CULPRIT
The primary culprit this morning is a northward moving warm front across Central Alabama. It is triggering showers and thunderstorms across the state.

We also have an active southern branch of the jet stream. It is very strong across northern Mexico, blowing at over 150 mph this morning. It slows down at it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. This is known as an “exit region” of the jet. On the left side of this exit region, there is an area of diverging air aloft, where the air is spreading apart. This makes it very easy for air to rise, and rising air means clouds and rain.

In addition, there are lots of disturbances in this fast flow. As they move northeast over the South today, they will serve to enhance precipitation.

SOME LATE REPORTS
…Michael Mills in Alabaster reporting Buck Creek running high. 2.5 inches of rain at his place. Spring Creek near Shelby has risen out of its banks as ell according to the NWS.

…Skywatcher at Cottondale reports 2.38 inches of rain.

…Talladega County EMA personnel reports 3/4 width of the road flooding, nearly 30 feet long on Berney Station Road (Co. Rd 303) near Taylors Mill Rd. Also, Lay Lake VFD reports flooding on Mcgowens Ferry Rd at both ends and Heasletts Rd is flooding all the way across the road in several places.

150 WGUS54 KBMX 101230 FFWBMX ALC007-021-037-117-121-101630- /O.NEW.KBMX.FF.W.0004.100310T1230Z-100310T1630Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR… EASTERN BIBB COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA… THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…CENTREVILLE…BRENT… CHILTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA… THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES [...] - [Read more]

Numerous thunderstorms parading across the area. Very heavy rain, house-shaking lightning and very loud thunder.

Flash Flood Warning continues for Shelby County. Flash Flood Watch all day today and until late tonight for numerous counties including all of the Birmingham Area.

A few rain amounts so far from 3340 Skywatchers. Additional amounts later:

1.32 Weaver
1.54 Center Point
1.03 Concord-Hueytown
1.17 Coker
0.97 Noccalula Falls

Those amounts are changing almost minute-by-minute

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. FLASH FLOOD WATCH: An axis of heavy rain and storms set up right over the I-20 corridor overnight, and rain totals this morning are much heavier [...] - [Read more]

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 406 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010 ..SEVERAL ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN- CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR- TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON- COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE- MONTGOMERY-MACON-BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…HAMILTON…SULLIGENT…VERNON… FAYETTE…DOUBLE SPRINGS…JASPER…ONEONTA…GADSDEN… ANNISTON…CENTRE…HEFLIN…CARROLLTON…TUSCALOOSA… BIRMINGHAM…HOOVER…COLUMBIANA…PELHAM…ALABASTER… PELL CITY…MOODY…TALLADEGA…SYLACAUGA…ASHLAND…ROANOKE… LIVINGSTON…EUTAW…GREENSBORO…MOUNDVILLE…MARION… CENTREVILLE…CLANTON…ROCKFORD…ALEXANDER CITY…DADEVILLE… VALLEY…LANETT…LAFAYETTE…DEMOPOLIS…LINDEN…SELMA… PRATTVILLE…FORT DEPOSIT…HAYNEVILLE…WETUMPKA…TALLASSEE… MONTGOMERY…TUSKEGEE…UNION SPRINGS…AUBURN…OPELIKA… PHENIX CITY…TROY…EUFAULA 406 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010 ..FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT THE NATIONAL [...] - [Read more]

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
430 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…PELHAM…MONTEVALLO…HELENA…
CHELSEA…ALABASTER…

* UNTIL 630 AM CST

* AT 428 AM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED FLASH
FLOODING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA. SEVERAL ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WARNED AREA IN THE NEXT FEW
HOURS. THE PELHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THAT SOME CREEKS ARE
GOING OUT OF THEIR BANKS. ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OR RAIN IS
POSSIBLE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WESTOVER…
VINCENT…VERIZON MUSIC CENTER AT OAK MOUNTAIN…VANDIVER…OAK
MOUNTAIN STATE PARK…MOUNT LAUREL…MEADOWBROOK…INDIAN SPRINGS
VILLAGE…HIGHLAND LAKES…HARPERSVILLE AND FOWLER LAKE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS…URBAN AREAS…HIGHWAYS…STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER…
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

FLOOD ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
228 AM CST WED MAR 10 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED AN

* URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR…
THESE COUNTIES

* UNTIL 530 AM CST

Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Greene, Hale, Perry, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Fayette, Jefferson, Lamar, Pickens, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, Walker

* AT 227 AM CST HEAVY RAINFALL FROM TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS WAS
FALLING ACROSS THE AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE
WARNED AREA.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE…TURN AROUND…DONT DROWN.

…and that means I can’t either.

At 2:40 am, numerous showers and storms continue to pound away early on this Wednesday morning across a broad part of Central Alabama. They extend all the way over into West Georgia and back to the west into Central Mississippi. Now a new storm developing in Louisiana.

Here in Alabama, it is almost like the storms want to use I-20/59 as their main route and about 50 miles either side. Lightning detection equipment shows much lightning across Central Alabama in these storms.

Stephen Pridmore, ABC 33/40 Skywatcher for Montevallo in Shelby County reports that he and his wife has jumped at least 15 times in the last hour because of the frequent lightning and very loud thunder.

The storms are dumping very heavy rain especially from Shelby County southward to near Montgomery and west to east from the Mississippi border to the Georgia border.

So far there has not been a Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued in Alabama. In fact, the last Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued at 2:24 yesterday afternoon by NWS/Jackson for the Meridian area. But check this out:

SEVERE WEATHER RISK WEDNESDAY
The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has these areas under a slight risk for later today (Wednesday)

…Almost all of Missouri
…Arkansas
…Mississippi
…Louisiana
…East Oklahoma
…Extreme East Texas
…Southwest Illinois
…West tip of Kentucky
…Extreme West Tennessee
…Extreme West Alabama, including Florence, Livingston, Mobile

Showers and thunderstorms continue to favor Alabama very early on this dark Wednesday morning. The rumble of thunder is keeping some folks awake and, for sure, Little Miss Molly, my dog. She has made several round trips to hide under the bed.

At 12:40 am, there were numerous showers in a wide band from East Mississippi all across Central Alabama to the Georgia border. The broad band of storms was bordered on the north by Fayette, Birmingham and Gadsden and on the south by Montgomery (approximately)

There was considerable lightning from Central Mississippi to Central Alabama.

The storms are not severe. In fact, the last Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued at 2:24 yesterday afternoon by NWS/Jackson for the Meridian area.

SEVERE WEATHER RISK WEDNESDAY
The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has these areas under a slight risk for later today (Wednesday)

…Almost all of Missouri
…Arkansas
…Mississippi
…Louisiana
…East Oklahoma
…Extreme East Texas
…Southwest Illinois
…West tip of Kentucky
…Extreme West Tennessee
…Extreme West Alabama, including Florence, Livingston, Mobile

WeatherBrains Episode 215 is now online (Mar. 9, 2010). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you! Listen on the player on the left side of the blog, or on iTunes. Tonight’s first Guest WeatherBrain is Kevin Ambrose, the author of the book “Washington Weather.” He specializes [...] - [Read more]

Showers and thunderstorms continue over a good part of Alabama late tonight, including some locally heavy rain.

At 10:45 pm, the heavier rain was over Tuscaloosa and Jefferson County southward to Chilton County and into SE Alabama.. Widespread rain indicated from the Montgomery area east to Columbus, Ga.

Most of the lightning was in the Tuscaloosa-Montgomery areas. Thunder could be heard in NE Trussville.

Everything moving generally eastward.

Birmingham’s 10 coldest winters

We all knew this was one of the coldest winters in a long time. In this blog, I’ll review the meteorological winter period (December-February) for Birmingham and the northern Hemisphere. As shown above, the average winter temperature in BHM was 41.0 degrees. It was the coldest winter since 1978, and the 6th coldest winter on record, going back to 1896.

This winter’s cold was not as unusual due to its severity, but its longevity. Below is a chart showing the high and low temperatures (red and blue dots) relative to the normals for each day in BHM.

Our coldest daytime high was 25 on January 8, and our coldest morning low was 14, on January 5th and 11th. It was much colder than that away from the urban heat island of the city…on January 14, lows included Hamilton 6, Birmingport, Hueytown, and Pinson 8, Cullman 11. Mobile had a low of 15. Perhaps the increasing size of Birmingham’s heat island had some impact on the coldest temperatures at the airport.

However, the temperature was below normal on 63 of the 90 days this winter, and our high temperature was 49 degrees or lower on 44 days, both of those ranking 3rd coldest ever. The low was below freezing on 55 of 90 nights.

The persistent cold air was related to an overall very negative Arctic Oscillation (AO), meaning that cold air moves southward more than normal, causing below normal temperatures in midlatitudes and above normal temperatures near the North Pole. You can see that on the map below of temperature anomalies from normal, where blue is below normal and green is above normal, **in degrees C**.

The largest cold anomalies were in the southeast U.S., with temperatures 2-4 degrees below normal Celsius (4 to 7 degrees below normal in Fahrenheit), and from central Europe into Russia, where temperatures were up to 7 C below normal. However, in some parts of the Arctic circle, temperatures were as much as 8 C above normal.

Snow was reported at the Birmingham airport with 7 different weather systems according to the National Weather Service, and the biggest one in central Alabama occurred on February 12, when 1-3″ fell.

Showers over North and Central Alabama not quite as numerous as they were earlier this afternoon.

However, just before 7 pm. most of the North Alabama showers were from Winston, Blount and Cullman County northeastward. Two typical rain amounts from that area so far:

0.27 Russellville
0.42 Bear Creek

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy showers were occurring across part of West Central and SW Alabama. Most of those were across Greene, Hale and Perry County southward to about Monroeville in Southwest Alabama. Within this area was some thunder and lightning mostly over Clarke and Washington County.

Everything shifting toward the east and northeast

We expect more widespread and heavier rain tomorrow.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. THIS AFTERNOON: Interesting to note a severe thunderstorm has developed over East Mississippi, producing golf ball sized hail near Collinsville. There is very little surface based [...] - [Read more]

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
224 PM CST TUE MAR 9 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
SOUTHWESTERN KEMPER COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI…
NORTHWESTERN LAUDERDALE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MERIDIAN STATION…
SOUTHEASTERN NESHOBA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI…
NEWTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF NEWTON…

* UNTIL 315 PM CST

* AT 224 PM CST…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR NEWTON MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
STRATTON BY 230 PM CST…
LITTLE ROCK BY 235 PM CST…
DUFFEE BY 240 PM CST…
COLLINSVILLE…SUQUALENA…MARTIN AND HERBERT SPRINGS BY 245 PM
CST…
DAMASCUS BY 250 PM CST…
DALEVILLE AND PRISMATIC BY 255 PM CST…

Showers were increasing over West and Central Alabama at high noon and they were all moving eastward…toward the ENE to be exact.

Most of the showers were light but some heavier showers (moderate to heavy) were moving out of Marengo County into Dallas and Wilcox County at 12:15 pm.

Lightning detection equipment showed a small amount of lightning over SE Mississippi and some better return over South Louisiana. However, little or none so far over Alabama, except possibly a few strokes over the extreme SW part of the state.

Wednesday should be a much wetter day across Alabama..

Several reports of severe weather in Oklahoma yesterday including two or more tornadoes. Not major tornadoes although I know if even an EF0 hits your home, it is “major”

A tornado touched down at 5:20 pm yesterday NW of Elk City, Okla., and dissipated at 6 pm NE of Hammond, Okla., in Roger Mills County. The south side of Hammond was damaged. The county barn and four homes damaged.

The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) did not outline a risk area today. However, tomorrow, the SPC has these areas under a slight risk:

…South half of Missouri
…All of Arkansas
…Mississippi except for the NE corner
…Extreme east Oklahoma
…Extreme NE Texas including Texarkana
…North and East Louisiana including New Orleans
…Southwest corner of Alabama including Mobile

Scattered showers continue spreading eastward across Alabama this morning. They were moving between east and northeast.

The showers were light to moderate–no real downpours and no thunderstorms. The showers were grouped in several areas, such as:

* Cullman and North Jefferson north to the Tennessee Valley.

* West Central Alabama counties of Lamar, Pickens, Greene and Sumter.

* Dallas and Chilton County in Central Alabama.

* East Alabama from Tallapoosa and Macon County southward to near Troy.

Mild is the word. It almost seems like OMW (Ole Man Winter) suddenly decided to throw up his hands in total surrender.

We, of course, know that it is way too early to say that!

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. TODAY: I really don’t think we get that much rain today; just a few passing showers, mainly on the western side of the state. And, not [...] - [Read more]

Too bad, Mr. Kudzu, that we cannot give you a speeding ticket. You seem to ignore all traffic regulations. You simply go wild during the spring and summer–taking over thousands of acres of additional countryside.

Every time I drive across one of my favorite highways, Deerfoot Parkway, in NE Jefferson County, I can see how you have spoiled some great scenic vistas.

You were invited to the good ole USA many, many years ago in hopes of slowing or stopping erosion of farm land in the southern states.

You did help with that but you became greedy and over ambitious and draped everything in sight. I once saw a farm house in Hale county where you had covered the whole building, roof and all.

You have now been spotted in as far-away places as New England and the Pacific Northwest. What is your game plan? Are trying to turn the entire USA into a mantel of green?

Fortunately, we have one tool to at least slow you down–a long cold winter. You turn into an ugly gray mantle during those months. But we know you will be ready to go again soon as it gets warmer and warmer.

Please have mercy on us!

Birmingham is now 72 degrees at 3:00… meaning today is the warmest day since November 8, 2009 when the high was 76. Scroll down for the afternoon discussion and Weather Xtreme video…

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. Scroll down for J.B.’s temperature update, but you can clearly see that this is our warmest day so far this year, and since November 2009. Nobody [...] - [Read more]

…a touchdown at that!

…or at least a field goal!

…for sure, an extra point!

The official Bimingham temperature has not been to 70 or higher since last year–last November 16 to be exact, when it reached 71.

Until a few minutes ago, that is.

At noon today, it was officially 70 at Birmingham Airport–the first 70 of the new year.

I thought I heard thousands of cheers from all over town. Probably my imagination.

With our 6th coldest winter of all time, we did struggle to reach 67 on December 2 and December 14 but no 70 in those two months.

We had 69 on January 21 and again a month later on February 21–but still not 70.

It appeared that a barrier was in place. In most winters we do have a few 70+ temperatures sprinkled throughout, but not this time.

Getting a bit too warm for me but I am happy for everyone else.

Come on October!!!

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. STILL DRY TODAY: Today could very well be the warmest day so far this year for many Alabama communities… we begin the day with temperatures [...] - [Read more]

More notes from the National Severe Weather Workshop…

…Aaron Sutula from the NWS Western Region is in charge of the Interactive NWS text alert system. We started promoting this experimental service last spring. The Weather Service is not accepting any new users from the general public, limiting new sign ups to government affiliated emergency planning officials, media and core partners. Lots of new features will be coming soon, including changes in river gauges, ability to browse watch and warning data, storm reports and photos. I did not know there is a delay in sending out the data currently (about four minutes). This will be going away soon.

…Skywarn training will be moving into the 21st century with centralized registration/database management and online training. There will be standardization of learning objectives. Classroom training will still remain a big part of the program. Skywarn.org will support social networking. The new programs will be in place by October of this year. Tanja Fransen, the Warnings Coordination Meteorologist at the NWS Glasgow, MT will be on WeatherBrains later this summer to talk about the program. Did you know that there are 485,000 trained SKYWARN spotters in the system now?

…Dan Miller, the Science Operations Officer from the NWS Duluth talked about the vulnerability of casinos to severe weather. Many are in remote areas, have poor cell coverage, by their nature don’t promote awareness of what is going on outside their buildings and have a high level of older, less mobile patrons. Throw in building design with wide span roofs over expansive gaming floors and no windows, and you have a potential for disaster. Andy Bailey from the NWS Kansas City will appear on a future WeatherBrains show to talk about this issue.

…Lou Wicker from NSSL will also be on a future show, after VORTEX2 that is. He went over the 2009 results and talked about plans for 2010. He is most excited about the ramifications of storm scale numerical weather prediction that will assimilate observational data into high resolution, small area models that run out to an hour or so and predict where storms will form, where they will move and which ones pose the greatest threat for severe weather. This will allow for warn on forecast within the decade. Please check out my weather history tweets.

…Sheldon Drobot from UCAR says that by 2020, 90 million vehicles will be transmitting data from roads and highways back to a network that can tell drivers about parking places, traffic, gas prices, road conditions and weather. He is greatly concerned about icy road fatalities in the U.S. He also believes that the problem cannot be handled with text warnings. He believes that real time video data displays that warn drivers and fleets are what we will see instead.

…Paul Schlatter from the Warning Decision Training Branch reports that the Norman radar has been upgraded to Dual Pol and is providing test data. This retrofit of the existing 88D radar network will allow for far better precipitation estimates, detection of precipitation type, better hail estimates and lead times on developing hail. It will give forecasters another tool in spotting tornadoes through debris signatures.

Follow my weather history tweets…I am wxhistorian @ twitter.com.

The latest edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme Video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme Video on iTunes by clicking here. Well, the sky may not be as clear as yesterday, but the high cirrus clouds have already produced a beautiful sunrise in many locations across Alabama – [...] - [Read more]

Enjoyed visiting with a group of meteorology students from the University of Western Kentucky this morning at the National Severe Weather Workshop. They were having breakfast with National Weather Association Executive Director Steve Harned. He called me over when he heard them talking about WeatherBrains! These kinds of young people are the future of our industry. Their enthusiasm and energy is very motivational!

More notes from the National Severe Weather Workshop in Norman…

…There are 4,750 National Weather Service employees. This number has not changed substantially in over 40 years according to Southern Region Director Bill Proenza. Forty percent of that workforce is in the Southern Region, which stretches from New Mexico to Georgia. The Southern Region also has some of the most active weather in the world, with major hurricanes and some of the most significant tornadoes on Earth. Proenza made a big point that there was no higher calling of government than saving lives, and the National Weather Service is an investment in that.

…The NWS Central Region will be experimenting with an experimental verification tag at the end of their convective warnings listing the gives as expected maximum wind and hail size.

…The SHAVE Project is working on verifying actual hail sizes from the swaths of thunderstorms and comparing the actual sizes to the output of the NEXRAD hail algorithm. This research will eventually lead to automated hail swath forecasts that will pinpoint expected hail size at locations in the paths of storms.

…WeatherBrains Guest Dave Freeman (show #211) had a great presentation on audience expectations from weather forecasts. His primary point was that forecast accuracy is not the issue, but rather the forecast user’s perception of that accuracy. Even if the forecaster gets the forecast right, it doesn’t matter if the perception of the user is that it was wrong.

…Dave also had the line of the week. “Why did God make economists? Answer: To make meteorologists look good.”

…Valerie Ritterbusch of WeatherCall: “Never use the word polygon when speaking to the public.” Since the WeatherCall system is based on the storm based warning polygons, they use graphical images to show their customers where they were in SBW polygons when questions arise about whether they should have received a warning call.

Follow my daily weather history tweets on Twitter @wxhistorian.

The headlines in early March 1967 were dominated by war news from Vietnam. President Johnson announced that he was going to order a lottery type draft. Another hot story was the investigation by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison into Clay Shaw’s possible involvement in a JFK assassination conspiracy.

In The Birmingham News, famed sports columnist Alf Van Hoose was busy previewing the upcoming Major League Baseball season. Roger Maris had become a Cardinal. In college basketball, UCLA’s Lew Alcindor was named the player of the year.

Locally, the final route of I-459 around the southern half of Birmingham had been decided.

On the morning of Thursday, March 6, 1967, forecaster Jerry Couard greeted Chief Meteorologist Charles Bradley as they came on duty at the Birmingham Weather Bureau office. The office was located at the airport then. They commented that it was going to be an interesting day. Forecasters had known since Sunday that it was going to potentially be a day for bad weather.

Forecasters J.B. Elliott was on duty that morning. As he pondered the forecast deadline he had at 10:30 a.m., he saw a classic severe weather pattern. “When a new low pressure area started forming at the surface, we were reasonably certain that it would be an ideal situation for a significant tornado to form about 100 miles ahead of a cold front and sweep eastward across the state,” Elliott said the next day in a Birmingham News article.

J.B. had a forecast due at 10:30 a.m. He lobbied for more time as data was pouring into the office. Not only was severe weather possible, there were indications that snow would fall on the heels of the outbreak.

At 11:05, he sent the issuance. It was a good one, alerting about the possibility for tornadoes and giving a heads up for the pending snowfall that would follow on the back side of the system. The first warning was for Pickens, Lamar and Fayette counties based on a tornado report near Philadelphia, Mississippi.

About 3:30 p.m., a tornado was reported near Sumiton, where witnesses described it as a “puff of smoke.” This would be the most significant tornado of the day. The F4 tornado cut a thirty mile path across Walker and Jefferson Counties.

A chilling report came when a caller phoned the Weather Bureau to say he had just emerged from his storm shelter in Dora and was watching the tornado move off to the northeast. The tornado passed near Rocky Hollow, where it killed a sixteen year old young man named Dennis Wright, who was credited with saving a young girl by urging her to safety.

The tornado caused heavy damage at Dilworth and killed a 27 year old woman. The tornado lifted after passing near Warrior. A total of fifty homes were damaged or destroyed across Walker and northern Jefferson Counties. A total of two people died.

At least six other tornadoes were reported across the state, including an F2 tornado that struck the downtown area of Uniontown in Perry County.

The latest edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme Video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme Video on iTunes by clicking here. Untrue to the title of this post, the weekend is not on a diet. But it is shaping up to be a wonderfully spring-like weekend for [...] - [Read more]

This week, I have been at the National Severe Weather Workshop in Norman, Oklahoma. This is the tenth year of the annual event that brings together representatives of the National Weather Service, emergency management, academia and the media in order to improve the severe weather enterprise. Here are a few notes from the conference…

The Director of Emergency Management from Wal-Mart was very interesting. They have a highly developed weather monitoring and disaster response system, including custom software that is tied to the NWS Forecast Database. This system alerts them instantly when adverse weather is going to affect their stores. They also have a fleet of 30 generator trucks on the ready when major storms impact an area. When stores are in NWS Storm Based Warnings, the stores receive an automatic call from their system. He talked about the tornado that hit their Prattville store last spring, partially unroofing it. There was a tornado warning in effect 44 minutes before the tornado hit. Ironically, 44 minutes of lead time is too long when you are asking customers and associates not to leave the store.

The Director of Business Continuity for State Farm Insurance gave an interesting fact during his talk. Sending the 10,000 employees in their Bloomington, Illinois headquarters costs the company $1 million per hour. He also showed amazing surveillance video of when a tornado hit their Greeley, Colorado regional office on a Thursday afternoon last year. Their business continuity plans had the office back up and running the following Monday, despite heavy damage, and the fact that every single employee’s car in the parking lot was destroyed. Good planning in advance paid off.

Jim LaDue of the Warning Decision Training Branch had a fascinating interactive talk on rating the damage caused by tornadoes using the new Enhanced Fujita Scale. One interesting point was that damage indicators for some items only go up so far. For example, for a mobile home, the top damage indicator is EF2, which destroys a mobile home.

Josh Wurman, of Doppler on Wheels Fame, gave a superb talk on extrapolating low level Mobile Doppler wind measurements to ground level. He has been able to compare he Doppler readings with in situ measurements from probes, sticknets and Sean Casey’s TIV. Winds at 3 meters are generally 70-90% of the 18 meter speeds measured up close with the Dopplers. This means that there might be more EF4 and Ef5 tornadoes than we think.

More Sunday and Monday. Follow tweets from conference participants, including yours truly on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #nsww. My Twitter handle is @wxhistorian.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. DOWNTOWN FIRE: Right as I was doing the Weather Xtreme video, looks like a major fire has broken out in downtown Birmingham… see this shot from [...] - [Read more]

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. Remember this one by Loverboy? “Everybody’s working for the weekend Everybody wants a little romance Everybody’s goin’ off the deep end Everybody needs a second chance, oh You want a piece [...] - [Read more]

The National Weather Service in Birmingham is having an open house on Saturday, March 13. You can read about it here.

Unfortunately, the scheduled visit from a Hurricane Hunter is off. Got this note today from John De Block of the NWS:

“Just received some bad news that the Hurricane Hunter will not be able to be at the Shelby County Airport for our open house on March 13th as previously planned. However, we will still be hosting an open house at the office, and the public is more than welcome to attend. While the Hurricane Hunter won’t be here, we will still have an array of emergency response apparatus courtesy of our EMA partners, as well as a tour of the office.

Media partners, I have to ask a favor of you. We are aware that there have been several groups that were planning on attending with the aircraft being the big attraction, to the point that some folks have even chartered busses! Even if you have not previously announced our open house, would you be so kind to take the quiet weather opportunity to mention our event and to pass on to folks that the Hurricane Hunter will not be able to attend?”

So… no Hurricane Hunter, but you are still welcome to visit!

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. Anybody remember this one? “Little darling It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter Little darling It feels like years since it’s been here Here comes the sun Here comes the sun, and [...] - [Read more]

I captured this image from our Cheaha SKYCAM around 6:30 this morning… kind of sums up the type winter we have been dealing with…