Tornado Watch Replaced by Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 AM

The tornado watches for Central Alabama have been replaced by a severe thunderstorm watch. Here is the reasoning from the NWS:

We have transitioned to a severe thunderstorm watch due to the low chance of a tornado. The environment is becoming less conducive for tornadoes. HOWEVER, there remains a very low chance of a brief spin-up, but the main threat will continue to be damaging winds. The new severe thunderstorm watch will include all counties currently in the tornado watches and counties in the east to the GA state line until 8AM. We will cancel counties as we need too.

Still a lot of unsettled weather this morning and the threat for sever weather continues. Storms will be producing torrential rainfall, frequent lightning, and the potential for damaging winds.

WITH THE TORNADO THREAT SEEMING TO DIMINISH EARLY THIS MORNING…
HAVE OPTED TO REPLACE THE TORNADO WATCHES THAT WERE IN EFFECT
ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH ONE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH.
STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS. LIGHTNING
OVER SOUTHERN ALABAMA HAS PICKED UP OVER THE PAST HOUR…AND WE
ARE STILL SEEING SOME ENHANCED VELOCITIES ALOFT IN THE BROKEN
LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER OUR AREA. THIS ACTIVITY
WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK TO THE EAST WITH TIME…WITH INDIVIDUAL
CELLS IN THE LINE MOVING QUICKLY TO THE NORTHEAST.

OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN FOR US WILL BE
FOR EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA…OR AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT…WHICH IS
NOW LOCATED FROM CULLMAN…TO JASPER…TO TUSCALOOSA…TO MERIDIAN
MISSISSIPPI. WILL ALSO BE CLOSELY MONITORING THE CELLS DEVELOPING
AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE OVER SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF OUR AREA…AS
THESE LOCATIONS STILL HAVE A LOW CHANCE OF SEEING AN ISOLATED
TORNADO.

FOLLOWING COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE NEW WATCH:

AUTAUGA BLOUNT CHILTON
COOSA ELMORE JEFFERSON
LOWNDES MONTGOMERY SHELBY
ST. CLAIR TALLADEGA
CALHOUN CLAY
CHEROKEE ETOWAH

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ALABASTER…ANNISTON…ASHLAND…
BIRMINGHAM…CENTRE…CLANTON…COLUMBIANA…FORT DEPOSIT…
GADSDEN…HOOVER…JACKSONVILLE…LINEVILLE…LOWNDESBORO…
MILLBROOK…MONTGOMERY…MOODY…ONEONTA…PELHAM…PELL CITY…
PRATTVILLE…ROCKFORD…SYLACAUGA…TALLADEGA AND WETUMPKA.

BIBB DALLAS PERRY
HALE TUSCALOOSA
CHAMBERS CLEBURNE LEE
MACON RANDOLPH RUSSELL
TALLAPOOSA
BARBOUR BULLOCK PIKE

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…BRENT…CENTREVILLE…GREENSBORO…
MARION…MOUNDVILLE…SELMA…TUSCALOOSA…UNIONTOWN…
…ALEXANDER CITY…AUBURN…EUFAULA…HEFLIN…LANETT…
OPELIKA…PHENIX CITY…ROANOKE…TROY…
TUSKEGEE…UNION SPRINGS AND VALLEY.

Category: Alabama's Weather