West Alabama Wednesday Briefing
It is Wednesday January 10, 2024, and everyone is casting a wary eye toward the potential for another significant storm system to move through the state. Friday's outbreak is the second of three storm systems to move across hour area. The third is expected Monday.
All of West Alabama is highlighted in an area of Slight (2 in 5) Risk for strong to severe thunderstorms Friday. That risk includes possible tornadoes, damaging winds to 60mph and quarter size hail. East Alabama is under an Enhanced (3 in 5) Risk for tornados and damaging thunderstorms.
Then Monday comes the third storm system bringing the coldest temperatures of the season into the teens. Snow flurries or snow showers cannot be ruled out.
The Forecast:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 53. West wind around 5 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms between midnight and 3am, then showers likely and possibly a strong to severe thunderstorm after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms, some possibly severe, mainly before noon. High near 66. Southeast wind around 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
The Weekend: Sunny days with highs in the lower to mid 50s. Nighttime lows in the mid 20s to lower 30s. A chance for rain will move in Sunday night.
MLK Day: A 30 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 42.
The Alabama Legislature will have a new House District 16 representative when it convenes next month. Republican Northport Attorney Bryan Brinyark cruised to victory in Tuesday's special general election to fill the vacant seat and represent parts of West Alabama in the state House of Representatives. Brinyark defeated Fayette County Democrat Commission John Underwood.
The position was left empty when incumbent Kyle South stepped down from his elected office to become the next President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama last year.
Ever since that April 27, 2011, tornado devastated Tuscaloosa and heavily damaged the convenience store on the SW corner of 15th and McFarland the building has sat decaying. The city had condemned it but now after repairs it is off that list after a unanimous vote by the Tuscaloosa City Council last night.
Council President Kip Tyner told news partner ABC 3340 he is happy about it and believes we will hear about the future of the structure soon.
The Tuscaloosa City Council has vowed that every officer will use a body cam in the future when interacting with the public. The pledge comes in the wake of an officer involved fatal shooting of 24-year-old Tristan Clark during a traffic stop on December 20th near Bower's Park.
Officers claim Clark pointed a gun while other occupants of the car admit Clark had a gun but deny he pointed it. There is no external evidence in the case that has been revealed.
Schnellecke Logistics, a supplier for Mercedes-Benz, will conduct a collaborative hiring event in partnership with West AlabamaWorks tomorrow. The event is set for 2:00pm to 6:00pm at the Tuscaloosa Career Center located at 202 Skyland Drive. Schnellecke will have recruiters’ onsite and intends to extend contingent job offers during the event.
ATF is reporting a steady increase in the recovery of Glock switches. The switches essentially turn a handgun into a machine gun according to U-S Attorney for Northern Alabama Prim Escolana. She says it is hard to feel safe sending your children to the park or for anyone to go to a mailbox. Glock switches make a gun hard to control putting innocent bystanders at risk during a shooting.
ALDOT has announced they will begin to replace and widen the U.S. Highway 11 bridge over Norfolk Southern Railroad near Clearview Hills in Cottondale. In a release ALDOT says the new bridge will have one lane in each direction and a dual left-turn lane, while a sidewalk is also planned for the east side of the bridge.
Work is expected to begin Monday.
There were no injuries in a house fire that destroyed the entire structure yesterday on Bone Camp Road, north of Northport. Carroll's Creek VFD reports the homeowner was not home at the time of the blaze.
In Sports:
Fresh from a season opening multiple team gymnastics win over the weekend, University of Alabama gymnast Gabby Gladieux has been named Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week for her performance at the Super 16 Gymnastics Championships in Las Vegas.
The Tide defeated defending national champs UCLA and arch-rival Auburn among others un the prestigious meet.
The Alabama’s Men’s Basketball Team easily put away a good South Carolina (13-2) team on the road last night 74-47 to stay undefeated in SEC play at 2-and-0. The Tide heads to Starkville to face a powerful MSU team Saturday night.
Have a happy "Hump Day". Tomorrow we should have more definitive information about that potential severe weather on Friday.
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