West Alabama Tuesday Briefing
It is Tuesday April 30, 2024. It is hard to believe but this is the last day of April.
Heavy rainfall pounded down overnight. There were a few rumbles of thunder but nothing severe for West Alabama. That rain shield is beginning to move out of the area leaving dry conditions this afternoon.
That torrential rain resulted in a Flood Advisor for small stream flooding in the Parrish, Gorgas, Whitson, Wiley, Tutwiler, Windham Springs and Goodsprings areas. Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas are the main problem. The advisory has since expired.
The remainder of this week will feel more like summertime with highs in the upper 80s. However, small rain chances return for the weekend.
The Forecast:
The search for a missing Tuscaloosa woman is continuing. TPD is still searching for 28-year-old Nathia Lashai Thomas who has been missing since Sunday. She is 5-4, 178 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Thomas was last seen in a 2006 silver Grand Cherokee near Oxford, in east Alabama, Sunday.
The Luxapalila Creek is clogged up with fallen trees, erosion, and sediment for miles up to the Mississippi state line in Lamar County. That is causing concern, because land where cows used to graze on pastures is now underwater. Along the highway rows of timber are dead with water several feet high according to Millport Mayor Stanley Alread says it is hurting the area's economy. Congressman Robert Aderholt's office along with Senators Britt and Tuberville are pressing the Corps of Engineers for help.
Hurricane season is just over a month away and the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency is joining State EMA today for a statewide training exercise to get ready. Land falling hurricanes move inland and actually do more damage there than on the coast. The recent hurricane season forecast revealed warmer than normal water temperatures will help create a significant hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs until the end of May with the peak coming in late August through mid-October.
A government program that helps keeps low-income households connected to the internet is set to run out of money by tomorrow and the bill to extend the program is stalled in Congress. 60 million Americans, many in rural West Alabama, could lose internet service.
A bill that would ban devices that convert handguns into machine guns will be debated on the Alabama House floor today. The legislation had bipartisan support in committee, but the house may be much more divided. There is a companion bill in the senate.
A recent amendment made initial possession a Class C felony instead of a misdemeanor.
A public hearing set for 5-to-7 today at University Church of Christ on ALDOT’s plan to replace the 60-year-old Woolsey Finnell Bridge that takes McFarland Blvd. over the Black Warrior River. A totally new bridge will be constructed next to the old. Construction of the $125 million project is scheduled to begin in 2025.
The UAB football program which struggles to put fans in the stands has become the first Division 1 School to join the Athletes.org player collective. The move was backed by Blazer Coach Trent Dilfer. Many believe this is the precursor to college athletes becoming university employees and unionizing.
Alabama will make its 18th team appearance at the NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament. The Crimson Tide will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face the SMU Mustangs in the opening round of competition on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Alabama Men's Basketball Center Grant Nelson has announced he will remain at Alabama next season instead of entering the NBA Draft.
Havea terrific Tuesday!!
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