Alabama Faces Mid-Week Possible Damaging Wind and Tornado Threat

The Townsquare Media Weather Center is monitoring a powerful storm system that is set to travel eastward from Texas and Oklahoma, bringing with it highly moist and unstable conditions across a broad swath of the Central Southeast.

Tracking the Storm System

The track of this system on Monday is from “Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas. Hail larger than baseball size is possible in north Texas, potentially including parts of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro. Damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes are also possible, said The Weather Channel.

Tuesday, this system lingers in nearly the same area. The Weather Channel said the threat of “tornadoes, some of them at least EF2 intensity, are possible in parts of southeast Texas into western Louisiana.”

The system pushes into the lower Mississippi Valley and Deep South Wednesday.

Alabama’s Outlook for the Mid-Week Severe Weather Threat

With this incoming active weather system, there are two concerns: the potential flooding and the severe weather threat.

Timing

According to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, the current thoughts for timing for the flooding and severe weather threat are Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night.

Risk Areas

Alabama's western and southwestern counties could see the greatest chance of severe weather. At the same time, all of Central Alabama should be concerned about the potential flooding issues.

Currently, the Storm Prediction Center has the entire Townsquare Media coverage area of Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties under an "enhanced risk" (level 3/5) of severe thunderstorms.

Probable Threats

Flooding

“Widespread showers and storms are expected to develop across Central Alabama starting during the day on Wednesday and lasting through Wednesday night.  Torrential downpours are possible as an almost tropical air mass moves northward from the Gulf of Mexico, which will lead to significant flooding concerns,” said the National Weather Service in Birmingham.

Severe Weather

The National Weather Service in Birmingham said the main threats for severe weather include “damaging winds up to 60mph and a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.”

James Spann, ABC 33/40, and Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa Chief Meteorologist, said, “Thankfully, the air should be generally rain-cooled and stable; the main issue will come from strong, gusty winds. However, an isolated tornado can't be ruled out, mainly in the "enhanced risk" area.”

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As this more extensive system develops and tracks toward Alabama, the outlook could change, and we will publish necessary updates.