WBRC Weather

Another Busy Day Comes to a Close

It was another busy day for us as a line of rain and thunderstorms marched through central Alabama. We were amazed at the midday observations across the area as many cities topped out in the low 80s! There were some wind related damage reports across parts of the area and lots of hail. At one point, golf ball sized hail fell at WBRC on Red Mountain. I was glad to see my car made it through the event with no damage. The hail was really coming down when the storms rolled through the Birmingham area. Now the storms have moved out and cooler air is filtering in. It looks like we're in for some nice weather throughout the rest of the work-week. Look for lots of sunshine tomorrow, with highs in the upper 60s. I have included the summary of local storm reports for the day. This graphic matches up nicely with the slight risk zone that was painted by the Storm Prediction Center earlier.  J-P will have the latest long range forecast coming up on the news at 10:00. Take care!

Wes Wyatt

Fox 6 Meteorologist

wwyatt@wbrc.com

 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

 

A Severe thunderstorm warning is in place for Cherokee County. A storm moving out of Delkab county, prompting a tornado warning, will bring the threat of straight-line winds and hail to Cherokee County. Check out the storm now pushing into Etowah County, heads up north of Gadsden. No warning yet, but we will be monitoring this storm closely.

Wes Wyatt

Fox 6 Meteorologist

wwyatt@wbrc.com

 

Tornado Watch Information

 

A quick note about our Tornado Watch. The SPC gives a High 70% chance of 2 or more tornadoes within this watch, and a Moderate 30% chance of at least one EF2 or greater tornado. Please remain weather aware with FOX 6 WBRC through the afternoon.

Fred Gossage
Severe Weather Analyst
FOX 6 WBRC Weather Blog Team

Suspicious Storm in Cullman County

 

We are currently watching a strong storm on radar from Hanceville up to near Holly Pond. There are no warnings right now, but radar is showing suspicious signs of weak, but tightening, rotation. Those of you in eastern Cullman, southern Marshall, and north central Blount Counties should monitor the weather very carefully over the next half hour or so. We will continue to monitor this, and we will cut-in live on FOX 6 WBRC and FoxAlabamaLive.com if warnings are issued.

Fred Gossage
Severe Weather Analyst
FOX 6 WBRC Weather Blog Team

New Tornado Watch

 
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A new tornado watch has been posted for our area through 8:00 p.m. Stay with Fox 6 for continuing updates.

Wes Wyatt

Fox 6 Meteorologist

wwyatt@wbrc.com

 

Tornado Warning For North Alabama

 

Check out the velocity couplet associated with a tornadic storm now tracking along the Alabama/Tennessee state line.  A tornado warning is in place for Jackson and Madison counties in Alabama through 1:00 p.m.

Wes Wyatt

Fox 6 Meteorologist

wwyatt@wbrc.com

 

Watching Marion County Closely

 

We are currently watching a strong thunderstorm over eastern Marion County. There are no current warnings, but there are radar indications of a possible hook echo, and there is some weak mid-level rotation. This storm is moving east-northeast at around 60 mph, and will move into northwestern areas of Winston County shortly. Those of you in the path of this storm should remain alert for rapidly changing weather conditions and possible warnings. Remember that a TORNADO WATCH continues for this area through 1:00 pm, and will likely be extended later into the afternoon.

Fred Gossage
Severe Weather Analyst
FOX 6 WBRC Weather Blog Team

Watching Volumetric Radar Imagery

 

We are currently watching a few convective cells near I-55 over central sections of Mississippi. Lightning data is turned on, but there are no strikes... and there are definitely no watches and warnings. We're also carefully watching these on the 3D FOX 6 StormScan for signs of vertical development.

 

Right now, the cells are stopping at about 10-12 thousand feet aloft because of the cap... but there are some signs that this cap may starting to weaken. The latest RUC model run suggests the cap over west Alabama is indeed weakening, and will be gone in just a couple of hours. However, there is sinking air on the small scale behind the morning wave of storms over the Tennessee Valley that is holding this convection at bay. This may change toward midday or so as the main upper energy moves across the Mississippi River. We will be watching this extremely closely.

Fred Gossage
Severe Weather Analyst
FOX 6 WBRC Weather Blog Team

Radar Update

The tornado threat continues for parts of the Fox 6 viewing area.  However, the severe potential does seem to be decreasing somewhat based on radar trends and model data.  If we do experience severe weather, it's like to remain north of I-20 and more specifically north of Hwy 278 - that runs through Marion, Winston, Cullman, Blount, Etowah, and Cherokee Counties. 

 

Latest Observations

 
Here is a look at the latest surface observations across the southeast region. Here locally, weather watcher Isaac Williams reports 74-degrees in Tuscaloosa with a partly cloudy sky. The temperature in Starkville as of 8:40 a.m. was 77-degrees. Needless to say the atmosphere is growing increasingly unstable, especially to our west. Stay tuned!

Wes Wyatt

Fox 6 Meteorologist

wwyatt@wbrc.com