Tornado Watch Soon to our Southwest?

Showers and thunderstorms are increasing across Louisiana at this hour as warm, moist air lifts northeastward ahead of an approaching cold front this morning.

The instability is moderate over Louisiana, where the surface warmth and moisture is combining with cold air in the mid-levels associated with an approaching upper level disturbance. This airmass will lift northeastward into southern Mississippi over the next few hours.

It will begin to lift into South Central Alabama after that. Dewpoints in the I-20 corridor should rise into the lower 60s by late afternoon. This marginal instability will combine with high wind shear to produce a threat for severe weather for a good bit of Alabama, generally west of a line from Centre to Talladega to Thomasville.

The showers and storms over Louisiana will continue to intensify as they lift northeastward. A tornado watch will be issued soon for eastern Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi. These storms will stay mainly south of US-82 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and will have the potential to be severe.

A squall line will enter Northwest Alabama by 1 or 2 p.m. It will reach the I-59 corridor by 6 p.m. or so. It looks like the storms might be weakening by the time they reach the Gadsden – Birmingham – Tuscaloosa line. But with high shear, the storms could be severe with damaging winds and the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

The SPC might issue a watch for areas north of Alabama through Tennessee and Kentucky as well ahead of the squall line. There have been several tornado warnings this morning in the Ohio Valley, including some for Louisville.

Category: Alabama's Weather, Severe Weather