Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued to Our West

As expected early this afternoon, we are beginning to showers and thunderstorms develop along the frontal boundary to our west. The SPC has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 PM this evening for portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. This will certainly be the first of several watches that will be issued today as this storm system pushes east.

We continue to hold to the evening into the overnight hours will be the time frame for strong and possibly severe storms to be impacting Central Alabama.

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
PARTS OF EASTERN ARKANSAS
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN LOUISIANA
PARTS OF WESTERN MISSISSIPPI
PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1250 PM
UNTIL 800 PM CST.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…
SEVERAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE
A FEW LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 105
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES EAST
SOUTHEAST OF LUFKIN TEXAS TO 60 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
GREENVILLE MISSISSIPPI. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH
SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

DISCUSSION…PRE-FRONTAL STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY IN A
NE-SW BAND FROM E TX INTO SE AR THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. INSTABILITY
AND DEEP-LAYER VERTICAL SHEAR WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR A RISK OF
DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED LARGE HAIL WITH THE STRONGEST EMBEDDED
LINE SEGMENTS/CELLS…SOME OF WHICH COULD HAVE SUPERCELL STRUCTURE.
WHILE A TORNADO OR TWO CANNOT BE RULED OUT…THE TENDENCY FOR MORE
LINEAR CONVECTION AND WEAKENING LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WITH A NOTED
VEER-BACK SIGNATURE AROUND 700 MB ALL SUGGEST THAT TORNADOES SHOULD
NOT BE THE PRIMARY THREAT.

Category: Alabama's Weather, Severe Weather