Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

Another Severe Weather Threat Ahead

| March 17, 2008 @ 6:22 am | 5 Replies

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…

Be sure and take some time to see all of the pictures from the weekend severe weather event on the blog… just scroll down below this post, or check out the “pictures” category on the left sidebar. No doubt our five year “severe weather drought” is over.

THIS WEEK: Today will be a sunny and breezy day, and we should warm into the mid 70s by mid-afternoon. Winds will be even higher tomorrow in advance of a major storm system to the west, which is already producing severe weather over Oklahoma this morning.

Severe storms will develop tomorrow west of Alabama, and SPC indicates a moderate risk could be required for states like Louisiana, Arkanasas, and Mississippi thanks to the intense forcing from the deep upper trough now over the southwest part of the nation. Around here, tomorrow should be mostly dry with a high back in the mid 70s.

OUR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT: Looks like the greatest severe weather risk for Alabama will be in the 3:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. time frame on Wednesday. The models are suggesting the storms entering West Alabama during the pre-dawn hours, then moving into Georgia by mid to late morning. This has certainly been the year of the early morning severe weather outbreak in Alabama.

While 0 to 1 km helicity values are going to be very impressive, along with all wind fields from the surface on up, there is hardly any surface based CAPE available on projected soundings from the NAM and the GFS early Wednesday morning. One way or another, there will be a significant risk of damaging straight line winds, and if the CAPE values are higher than forecast, tornadoes will be a threat as well.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY: All three of these days looks wonderful, with sunny mild days and fair cool nights.

EASTER SUNDAY: A disturbance will pass north of Alabama Sunday, and could bring the risk of a shower or storm to the northern half of the state. For now, it doesn’t look like a major rain event, and the risk of severe weather seems minimal. But, lets review that later in the week after the Wednesday storm system.

VOODOO LAND: The next major system shows up around March 26-27… out in voodoo country. Still no sign of the wave train slowing, so the active weather pattern should continue into April.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left. We will record a new show tonight, and needless to say, the Atlanta tornado will be one of the big topics. Josh Johnson of WXIA-TV in Atlanta will be our guest; that show should be available by 10:00 or so.

I will have the next Weather Xtreme video ready by 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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About the Author ()

James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.

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