Strong to severe thunderstorms may impact parts of the North/Central Alabama offering damaging wind gusts and a tornado threat.
The Storm Prediction Center just released an update to their Day 1 Severe Weather Outlook and they have pulled the Slight Risk for severe storms (level 2 of 5) over into the extreme west and southwestern parts of Central Alabama. They have also expanded the Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) northward and eastward to now include most of North Alabama and a good bit of Central Alabama.
The Slight Risk is for locations in Central Alabama along and west of a line from just east of Belk (Fayette Co.) to Coker (Tuscaloosa Co.) to just west of Forkland (Greene Co.).
The Marginal Risk includes locations in North Alabama along and south of a line from Vina (Franklin Co.) to Meridianville (Madison Co.), while excluding locations north of a line from Hytop to Ider (Jackson Co.).
The Marginal Risk also includes all of Central Alabama west of a line from Sand Rock (Cherokee Co.) to Riverside (St. Clair Co.) to Benton (Lowndes Co.).
Thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon to our west and eventually move into the western and southwestern parts of Central Alabama. A few supercells may be possible in the Slight Risk locations as that is where the best instability will be located, but the majority of storms will be in a squall line that may include a few bowing segments. Main threats continue to be from isolated damaging wind gusts up to 60 MPH and a brief tornado or two.
Storms will weaken as they move farther into North/Central Alabama, but there will continue to be a low-end threat of severe storms throughout the Marginal Risk locations.
Central Alabama Weather 