Tornado Watch Likely For Parts Of Central Alabama Within The Next Few Hours

The latest Mesoscale Discussion from the Storm Prediction Center is out and explains that a tornado watch will most likely be needed for parts of Central Alabama within the next few hours. Here is the text from the discussion:

SUMMARY…
Thunderstorms will likely intensify over the next several hours across Central Alabama. Timing of a tornado watch issuance will be dependent on short-term convective trends from storms currently over east-central Mississippi.

DISCUSSION…
Radar imagery shows a west-east cluster of strong thunderstorms located from east-central Mississippi through central Alabama. The thunderstorm activity is located to the north of a composite outflow/warm front draped from the southeast corner of Alabama west-northwestward into central Mississippi. It appears storm development during the next few hours will largely cross the warm front and become elevated but potentially yield some risk for hail/locally damaging gusts.

Later this afternoon and especially during the evening, a mid-level shortwave trough will move east into the ArkLaTex. Additional storm development and storms moving into the area from the west will pose an increasing risk for severe. Low-level shear is forecast to strengthen through the early evening. A tornado risk will tend to focus with any surface-based supercells. However, the damaging wind risk may concentrate with quickly moving bowing segments that may preferentially move eastward along and slightly north of the warm front.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Severe Weather