As we have reached the midday hour, we have a clean sweep on the radar for the moment, but some scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to form across the northern portions of the area later this afternoon. Most of Central Alabama has mostly clear skies, but convective clouds are beginning to form over the northern parts of the area and up into North Alabama.
Temperatures as of the 12:00 pm round-up were in the upper 70s tot he lower 80s across Central Alabama. Bessemer and Haleyville were the cool spots at 79 degrees. Birmingham, Montgomery, Troy, and Tuscaloosa were all tied as the warm spots at 82 degrees.
As of the update from the SPC that came out at 11:25 am, we have a LEVEL 1 MARGINAL RISK for severe storms up for locations north of a line from Hackleburg to Hayden to Ranburne. We could see some storms become severe with damaging winds up to 60 MPH and quarter size hail possible, mainly in a window from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
A few thunderstorms may form along a stalled cold front that is located over the northern parts of the area later this afternoon. With the amount of instability and shear that looks to be possible over the northern parts of the area, a threat of damaging winds and hail look to be possible. Helicity levels are too low for the potential of rotating updrafts, so a tornado threat is just about zero.
Another MCS is also expected to move through the southeastern US this evening that may have a similar path as the one that moved through Tennessee and extreme North Alabama last night. We’ll have to watch and alert you if the path looks to make more of a southern turn to it. At this point, there are unorganized storms over the central parts of Missouri down into the northern parts of Arkansas.
So, skies across the northern half of the area will become partly to mostly cloudy as the afternoon progresses and a few scattered thunderstorms may be possible north of a line from roughly Hamilton to Gardendale to Anniston. A couple of storms may become strong to severe with damaging winds and hail being the main threats. South of that skies will be partly to mostly sunny with no rain expected. Afternoon highs will range from the mid-80s in the northwest to the lower 90s in the southeast.
For the evening through the overnight hours, showers and thunderstorms will continue to be possible in the same locations, but as we lose the heating of the day, those scattered showers will begin to dissipate. We’ll have to watch and see if an MCS does get its act together back tot he northwest and if it will actually move into the extreme northern parts of the area. If it does, damaging winds and hail will be possible. South of that, skies will be partly to mostly clear. Lows will be in the lower to mid-60s across the area.
Central Alabama Weather 