A Few Widely Scattered Showers Today

UPPER LOW TO THE NORTH: Not much change in our weather today; an upper low near Nashville will continue to bring cloudy periods to the northern half of the state with some risk of widely scattered showers, mostly this afternoon and early tonight. The high should be close to 70 degrees this afternoon, below the average high of 76 for April 24 (at Birmingham).

REST OF THE WEEK: Tomorrow looks like a dry day with a mix of sun and clouds; we project a high in the low 70s for most communities. Clouds increase tomorrow night, and Thursday looks like the wettest day of the week as a wave moves in from the west. Rain is likely Thursday with a high in the 60s; some thunder is possible but no severe storms are expected. Rain amounts should be around 1/2″.

Then, on Friday, much of the day looks dry, but a cold front will approach and we will mention just the chance of a few scattered showers during the afternoon and evening hours. Moisture will be very limited.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The weather looks delightful as a nice surge of dry air arrives. Look for sunshine in full supply both days; the high Saturday will be in the mid 70s, followed by upper 70s Sunday.

RACE WEEKEND: Thursday looks pretty wet at the Talledega Superspeedway with periods of rain likely along with a high in the 60s. For Friday, just a few widely scattered afternoon and evening showers; the high will be close to 70 degrees. Then, the weather could not be better for the weekend. Sunny Saturday and Sunday; highs in the low 70s Saturday followed by upper 70s Sunday for the Geico 500.

NEXT WEEK: A strong upper ridge will form over the eastern third of the nation; this means a generally warm and dry week. Mostly sunny days, fair nights, and highs in the low 80s. Showers and storms could return late in the week on Friday as moisture levels rise. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

ON THIS DATE IN 2010: Severe storms and tornadoes moved across Alabama. An EF4 tornado struck southeastern DeKalb County in the Mount Vernon area. The most serious damage occurred near the intersection of County Roads 80 and 55, where a church and a two-story home were destroyed. Several mobile homes were destroyed and numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted. Five injuries occurred from this tornado. An EF3 tornado touched down in south Albertville. Throughout the event, the tornado skipped and hit other places along its path from Marshall County to Geraldine in DeKalb County. Fifty-nine homes in Albertville were destroyed by the tornado. Another 198 had major damage while 157 had minor damage – a total of 414 homes impacted by the storm. It also caused damage to the middle and high school in Albertville. Another EF3 tornado touched down in Parrish and tracked through Cordova and Corner. Significant damage to buildings occurred in Parrish and Cordova, while Corner and Blount County primarily suffered uprooted or broken trees, with at least one travel trailer overturned and some minor structural damage. A third EF3 tornado in Alabama struck a trailer park in Mentone and resulted in seven injuries.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

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I have a weather program today at Creekview Elementary in Alabaster… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158908

Scattered Showers Remain Possible Tomorrow

UPPER LOW NEARBY: A deep upper low is passing north of Alabama, and is responsible for scattered showers across the state this afternoon. Most of the rain at mid-afternoon was east of I-65, and north of I-20. Away from the showers we are seeing some breaks in the cloud cover, and temperatures are mostly in the upper 60s and low 70s. Showers will taper off later this evening once the sun goes down.

MID-WEEK: Not much change tomorrow; the sky will be occasionally cloudy with scattered showers possible as the upper trough passes overhead… the high will be close to 70 degrees. Wednesday looks generally dry with a mix of sun and clouds; the risk of a shower is so low is really isn’t worth mentioning it in the forecast. Then, the next wave will bring a chance of showers Thursday afternoon into early Thursday night. The high Wednesday and Thursday will stay very close to 70.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Most of the day Friday looks dry, but we will mention a chance of showers late Friday afternoon and Friday night ahead of a surface front. Moisture will be limited, and rain amounts should be light. Again, the high Friday afternoon will be near 70 degrees. Then, the weekend looks delightful with sunny days, fair nights, and a warming trend. The high Saturday will be in the 72-75 degree range, followed by upper 70s Sunday.

RACE WEEKEND: For Thursday and Friday at the Talledega Superspeedway, a few passing showers are possible both days, but nothing too heavy. The sky will be occasionally cloudy with a high close to 70 degrees. Then, the weather could not be better for the weekend. Sunny Saturday and Sunday; highs in the low 70s Saturday followed by upper 70s Sunday for the Geico 500.

NEXT WEEK: An upper high should bring warm, dry weather during at least the first half of the week with highs up in the low 80s. Next chance of showers and storms will come toward the end of the week as moisture returns… see the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

STORM SURVEY UPDATE: We reported this morning that NWS Mobile identified two EF-0 tornadoes in Baldwin County Alabama from yesterday… they survey team in Fort Walton Beach, Florida has identified EF-1 damage found so far with max winds of 100-105 mph. The survey is still ongoing to determine the length and width of the tornado.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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. We will produce this week’s episode tonight at 8:30 CT… you can watch it live here.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

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Snapchat: spannwx

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158892

A Few Scattered Showers Today

ON THE MAPS: A deep upper low is over Arkansas this morning; the heavy rain we had last night is now well to the east… and we see only a few scattered, light rain showers over North Alabama. Today will feature more clouds than sun for the northern half of the state, and we will maintain the chance of a few scattered showers as the upper low approaches. Nothing too heavy or widespread; the high this afternoon will be close to 70 degrees.

MID-WEEK: A few showers will remain possible tomorrow as the upper low passes overhead; the sky will be mostly cloudy with a high again right at 70 degrees. Wednesday looks fairly dry with only isolated showers along with a mix of sun and clouds. Then, showers become likely Thursday as the next wave approaches. Again, nothing really heavy and no risk of severe storms. The high Wednesday and Thursday will be in the 67-70 degree range, which is below average for late April in Alabama.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: A cold front will bring the risk of a few showers Friday afternoon and Friday night, but the weekend looks delightful with sunny mild days and fair pleasant nights. The high Friday will be close to 70… then we will forecast mid 70s Saturday, and upper 70s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: The week starts off dry and warm; at some point we should see the return of showers and storms over the latter half of the week as moisture returns. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

BALDWIN COUNTY TORNADOES: NWS Mobile confirmed two EF-0 tornadoes yesterday in Baldwin County… one at Elberta, and the other at Foley.

Concerning the Foley tornado, it first touched down at the Anchors Aweigh RV Resort where it overturned 5 RVs. 3 people who were in the RVs were injured. The tornado continued northeast to just east of the intersection of Highway 59 and County Road 20. Minor damage to a convenience store canopy and to the Lowe`s were observed. The tornado lifted near the intersection of Pride Drive and Juniper Street. Spotty minor tree damage was noted along the path.

Another waterspout/tornado touched down at Fort Walton Beach, and there was other scattered damage across the Florida Panhandle and far South Alabama.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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. We will produce this week’s show tonight at 8:30 CT… you can watch it live here.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
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Snapchat: spannwx

I will be speaking this morning at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158868

Newgarden On The Pole For The Honda Indy Grand Prix Of Alabama

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

The No. 1 car sits on the No.1 position for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, which kicks off at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Barber Motorsports Park.

Josef Newgarden in the No. 1 Chevrolet sits in the pole position, edging out Will Power in the No. 12 Chevrolet by a meager 0.0128 of a second.

RELATED: Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on track for this weekendRounding out the Top 10 qualifiers were Sebastien Bourdais (No. 18 Honda), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Honda), James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Honda), Scott Dixon (No. 9 Honda), Marco Andretti (No. 98 Honda), Alexander Rossi, (No. 27 Honda), Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Chevrolet) and Robert Wickens (No. 6 Honda).

Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158653

The Flood Warning Will Expire At 1130 PM CDT For Eastern Lauderdale, Northwestern Limestone, Southeastern Colbert And Lawrence Counties

…THE FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1130 PM CDT FOR EASTERN
LAUDERDALE…NORTHWESTERN LIMESTONE…SOUTHEASTERN COLBERT AND
LAWRENCE COUNTIES…
The heavy rain is diminishing and widespread flooding is no longer
expected to pose a threat.

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Flshun …a Flood Warning Remains In Effect Until 1130 PM CDT For Eastern Lauderdale…northwestern Limestone…southeastern Colbert And Lawrence Counties…

Apr 22nd @ 10:54 pm

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LAWRENCE COUNTIES… At 1050 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated scattered light rain ending. However, two to three inches of rainfall has already occurred. Additional light amounts are expected through 1130 PM CDT, but most flooding concerns will be from runoff of previous rainfall. Some locations that will experience flooding include… Moulton, Rogersville, Killen, Town Creek, Lexington, Leighton, Courtland, North Courtland, Hillsboro and Anderson.

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Areal Flood Warning Issued For Parts Of Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, And Limestone Counties Until 11:30PM

Apr 22nd @ 8:38 pm

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The National Weather Service in Huntsville Alabama has issued a

* Flood Warning for…
Eastern Lauderdale County in northwestern Alabama…
Northwestern Limestone County in north central Alabama…
Southeastern Colbert County in northwestern Alabama…
Lawrence County in northwestern Alabama…

* Until 1130 PM CDT

* At 833 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain that will cause flooding. 1 to 2 inches of rain has fallen over the last few hours. An additional 1 to 1.5 inches of rainfall is possible over the next three hours.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Moulton, Rogersville, Killen, Town Creek, Lexington, Leighton, Courtland, North Courtland, Hillsboro and Anderson.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158837

A Late Evening Look at Alabama’s Weather

Things are quieting down tonight across Alabama. Currently, there are no severe weather watches or warnings in effect for any part of the state.

There is an Areal Flood Warning in the Tennessee Valley west of Decatur. There is an Areal Flood Advisory for East Central Alabama.

A wind advisory continues until 4 a.m. for much of North and Central Alabama.

Radar indicates that the line of storms is now over East Alabama. It has weakened greatly over the past 90 minutes.

It extends from Albertville to Alex City to Troy to Andalusia. Not much lightning left. There is some over Etowah and Cherokee Counties in Northeast Alabama and some over Lawrence County in the Tennessee Valley.

Temperatures are in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Lows tonight will be generally in the middle and upper 50s.

Tomorrow promises to be a mostly cloudy and mild day with highs in the upper 60s. Winds will die down and there will be a little light rain and a few off and on showers. Rainfall amounts will be barely measurable.

Each day this week will feature a chance of a few showers, but hardly any measurable rain.

It looks like our next chance of decent rain won’t come until the weekend of the 5th and 6th when there could be heavy rain and storms. The week of April 30th looks to be one of the finest weeks you can expect in Alabama’s weather: sunny high pressure with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158855

Strong Storms Affecting Talladega And Coosa Counties…More Flood Advisories Issued

The NWS is deciding to go with significant weather advisories instead of severe thunderstorm warnings as our line of storms moves into Talladega and Coosa Counties.

The line has downed quite a few trees in its trek across Central Alabama, so be in a safe place as the storms approach. Downed trees and kill and injure.

The storms have lots of lightning, gusty winds and heavy rain.

The NWS has issued an areal flood advisory for Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, St. Clair, Talladega and Tallapoosa Counties till 11:15 PM CDT.

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TALLADEGA AND COOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM CDT…

At 902 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from near Westover to near Verbena. Movement was northeast at 35 mph.     Pea size hail and wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph will be possible with these storms.

Locations impacted include…  Talladega, Sylacauga, Childersburg, Wilsonville, Goodwater, Rockford, Kellyton, Talladega Springs, Equality, Stewartville, Weogufka, Lincoln, Riverside, Vincent, Harpersville, Alpine Bay Resort, Dollar, Bradford, Strickland Crossroads and Bentleyville.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158845

Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 915 PM CDT For Chilton…Shelby And Eastern Jefferson Counties

…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM CDT FOR CHILTON…SHELBY AND EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES… At 840 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Patton Creek to 6 miles southeast of Calera to Plecher, moving east at 35 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Radar indicated.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, Bessemer, Homewood, Pelham, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Helena, Hueytown, Gardendale, Irondale, Leeds, Moody, Calera, Fairfield, Chelsea, Clanton and Fultondale.

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…a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 915 PM CDT For Chilton…shelby And Central Jefferson Counties…

Apr 22nd @ 8:24 pm

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…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM CDT FOR CHILTON…SHELBY AND CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTIES… At 818 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Splash Adventure to near Brierfield Ironworks Park to near Parnell, moving east at 35 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Radar indicated.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, Bessemer, Homewood, Pelham, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Helena, Hueytown, Gardendale, Irondale, Leeds, Moody, Calera, Fairfield, Chelsea, Clanton and Fultondale.

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Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued For Parts Of Chilton, Jefferson, And Shelby Counties Until 9:15PM

Apr 22nd @ 7:58 pm

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The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
    Chilton County in central Alabama…
    Shelby County in central Alabama…
    Central Jefferson County in central Alabama…

* Until 915 PM CDT

* At 756 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Lake View to near Ashby to 6 miles southwest of Paul
    M Grist State Park, moving northeast at 35 mph.
    HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
    SOURCE…Emergency management.
    IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include…
    Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, Bessemer, Homewood, Pelham, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Helena, Hueytown, Gardendale, Irondale, Leeds, Moody, Calera, Fairfield, Chelsea, Clanton and
    Fultondale.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158821

Flooding Possible Across Central Alabama

As our line of strong to severe storms pushes across Central Alabama, flooding is possible.

The NWS in Birmingham has issued an areal flood advisory for parts of Jefferson, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry and Shelby Counties till 10:00 PM CDT.

One hour rainfall amounts are approaching 1-2 inches in some of the heavier storms.

This caused flooding in Tuscaloosa.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158827

Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 800 PM CDT For Northeastern Perry And Bibb Counties…

…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR NORTHEASTERN PERRY AND BIBB COUNTIES… At 731 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Eoline to near Harrisburg to near Marion, moving northeast at 35 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Emergency management.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Brent, Marion, Centreville, Lawley, Ashby, Brierfield Ironworks Park, West Centreville, Talladega National Forest, Heiberger, Eoline, Randolph, Trio, Judson College, Radford, Six Mile, Bibb County Airport, Oakmulgee, Sprott, Harmon and Ellards.

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…a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 800 PM CDT For Perry And Bibb Counties…

Apr 22nd @ 7:10 pm

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…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR PERRY AND BIBB COUNTIES… At 709 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 6 miles southwest of Mertz to 7 miles southwest of Heiberger to near Vaiden, moving east at 30 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Trained weather spotters.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Brent, Marion, Centreville, Newbern, West Centreville, Heiberger, Lawley, Ashby, Brierfield Ironworks Park, Low Gap, Mertz, Talladega National Forest, Eoline, Randolph, Radford, Folsom, Six Mile, Bibb County Airport, Harmon and Trio.

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Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued For Parts Of Bibb And Perry Counties Until 8:00PM

Apr 22nd @ 6:55 pm

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The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
    Perry County in central Alabama…
    Bibb County in central Alabama…

* Until 800 PM CDT

* At 654 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 9 miles northeast of Greensboro Municipal Airport to near Greensboro to near Faunsdale, moving east at 30 mph.
    HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
    SOURCE…Trained weather spotters.
    IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include…
    Brent, Marion, Centreville, Newbern, West Centreville, Heiberger, Lawley, Ashby, Brierfield Ironworks Park, Low Gap, Mertz, Talladega
    National Forest, Eoline, Randolph, Radford, Folsom, Six Mile, Bibb
    County Airport, Harmon and Trio.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158794

Wind Advisory Extended to Include More of Central Alabama

The NWS Birmingham has extended the wind advisory to include Bibb, Chambers, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Fayette, Lamar, Lee, Macon, Marion, Russell, Tallapoosa, Walker and Winston Counties.

It continues for Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega Counties.

The advisory is in effect until 4 a.m.

Winds may gust to 35 mph at times and to over 40 mph at higher elevations.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158811

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning For Northeastern Hale County Is Cancelled

…THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN HALE COUNTY IS     CANCELLED…     The storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area.     Therefore the warning has been cancelled.     LAT…LON 3282 8756 3300 8756 3300 8742 3283 8742     3283 8747 3266 8747 3265 8753     TIME…MOT…LOC 0016Z 240DEG 29KT 3309 8740 3291 8734 3265 8741                         

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…a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 730 PM CDT For Northeastern Hale County…

Apr 22nd @ 7:09 pm

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…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR NORTHEASTERN HALE COUNTY… At 708 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 6 miles southeast of Shelton State Community College to near Mertz to near Newbern, moving northeast at 25 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Trained weather spotters.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Phipps and Wateroak.

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…a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Remains In Effect Until 730 PM CDT For Eastern Hale County…

Apr 22nd @ 6:57 pm

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…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR EASTERN HALE COUNTY… At 656 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Shelton State Community College to near Mertz to near Newbern, moving northeast at 35 mph.

     HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
     SOURCE…Trained weather spotters.
     IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include… Greensboro, Moundville, Newbern, Mound State Park, Elliots Creek, Harper Hill, Wateroak, Moundville Airport, Laneville, Phipps and Havana.

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Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued For Parts Of Hale County Until 7:30PM

Apr 22nd @ 6:38 pm

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The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
    Hale County in west central Alabama…

* Until 730 PM CDT

* At 637 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Moundville to 7 miles northeast of Sawyerville to near Arcola, moving northeast at 35 mph.
    HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
    SOURCE…Trained weather spotters.
    IMPACT…Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include…
    Greensboro, Moundville, Newbern, Greensboro Municipal Airport, Gallion, Moundville Airport, Phipps, Mound State Park, Elliots
    Creek, Harper Hill, Wateroak, Cedarville, Laneville and Havana.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158784

A Detailed Look at the Severe Weather Threat for Later Today Across Central Alabama

Rainy and stormy is the word for Alabama for this Sunday as a big bowling ball of an upper level low and its corresponding trough moves towards Alabama with its attendant lift and moisture. Showers are already moving across the state this morning. Since we can now see the whites of this system’s eyes, let’s look at timing, rainfall amounts, severe weather threat, etc.

RADAR ROOM: Checking the radar 8:30 on Sunday morning, we see showers already occurring across Nthe Tennessee Valley of North Alabama with heavier rain moving across Mississippi. Rain will continue to increase in coverage and intensity through the morning and into the afternoon. You will hear occasional thunder as well.

RAIN AND STORMS: In fact, rainfall will become widespread by afternoon, with a little thunder mixed in for all areas except Northeast Alabama, where a bit of an easterly wedge is keeping things more stable.

THE THREAT AREA: Severe weather should be limited to areas south of a line from Reform in Pickens County to Tuscaloosa to Clanton and Auburn. The presence of a mesolow and stronger main surface low has increased the threat of a few brief tornadoes from low-topped supercell thunderstorms, along with a threat of damaging winds of 60 mph or greater.

TIMING: Storms could become severe along a northward moving warm front by early afternoon, say 2 p.m. Rain will be heavy at times through this evening, with the heaviest rain and storms pushing east of I-65 by 11 p.m. The severe weather threat should be over for East Alabama by 2 a.m. After that, the rain will diminish slowly through the overnight hours.

WINDY AND COOL: It will become breezy during the day today, with southeasterly and easterly winds averaging 15-25 mph and occasionally gusting to above 35 mph. A wind advisory is in effect for areas north and east of Birmingham. With highs in the 60s for the most part, it will feel rather chilly today. Over Northeast Alabama, highs won’t get out of the 50s

RAINFALL AMOUNTS: When the dust settles, rainfall amounts will be generally 1-2 inches with some isolated 3 inch amounts. This should not cause flooding. It is hard to pin down which areas will receive the heaviest rainfall. It could be rather varied, based on where heavier bands of rain set up.

HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA: The racers will be driving in the rain today at Barbers. But strap on the rain gear and go out and enjoy some of the finest racing in the world. If you hear thunder, seek safe shelter as you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Kids 15 & under are admitted free with a ticketed adult, and three-day general admission tickets are $69. Single day tickets are $15. Pack a picnic/cooler and bring the family out for a weekend full of activities and racing! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!!! We have a forecast page set up for it on the blog, click here to check it out.

NEW WORK WEEK: The back edge of the rain will be pushing slowly eastward through East Alabama during the morning tomorrow but probably won’t exit completely into Georgia until after 10 a.m. Monday highs will be in the upper 60s areawide. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with generally only a few peeks of sunshine.

THE WEEK OF TROUGHS: By Tuesday, the lows will be pushing east of Alabama. Skies will be mostly cloudy Tuesday with a few showers possible. Highs will be in the upper 60s. By Wednesday, another trough will be sliding east out of the central Plains states. This means another round of potential showers. The trough will be east of Alabama by Thursday, with any lingering showers remaining rather light. The first total dry day may not come until Saturday.

GULF COAST WEATHER: Rain should exit late today along the beautiful beaches of Alabama and Northwest Florida and it will be springlike all week along the coast. Highs will be in the 70s and lows around 60F each morning. Water temperatures are around 73F.

Click here to see our Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHERBRAINS: This week, the team will talk to Ben Pringle and Jay Prater from Wichita. Check out the show at www.WeatherBrains.com. You can also subscribe on iTunes. You can watch the show live at live.bigbrainsmedia.com You will be able to see the show on the James Spann 24×7 weather channel on cable or directly over the air on the dot 2 feed.

ON THIS DATE IN 1997: Midafternoon F2 tornado struck the small northeast Alabama town of Rainsville without warning, injuring 12 people. Over 30 homes were damaged by the twister and 50 buildings in the small town received damage, including the city and police and fire stations. No tornado warning was in effect at the time of the storm since NWS Doppler radar did not show significant signs of storm rotation. Ironically, a more powerful Doppler radar was being prepared for installation, very near the location of the tornado ay Hytop in Madison County. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter. I am @wxhistorian at Twitter.com.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158672

Median Sales Price In Athens Up Significantly From A Year Ago

By ACRE Research

Click here to view or print the entire monthly report compliments of the ACRE Corporate Cabinet.

Sales: According to the North Alabama Multiple Listing Service, Athens-area residential sales totaled 143 units during March, a decrease of 5.3 percent from one year ago, when sales totaled 151 units. Existing single-family homes accounted for 63 percent of all March residential sales, while newly constructed homes were 36 percent. Two more resources to review: Quarterly Report and Annual Report.

For all Athens-area housing data, click here.Forecast: March sales for the Athens area were 21 units, or 12.8 percent, below the Alabama Center for Real Estate’s monthly forecast. ACRE projected 164 sales for the area during March, while the actual sales were 143 units. Year-to-date there have been 379 closed residential transactions in the area, 2.1 percent below ACRE’s forecast of 387 year-to-date sales. 

Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158650

Heads Up: Severe Storms Possible Later Today For Parts of Central and South Alabama

The severe weather threat for later today has increased somewhat, and I wanted to get this post up right away to alert you before you start your day. The video will be slightly delayed this morning. I will have it posted by 8 a.m.

We often say with spring storm systems in the South, expect the unexpected.

We have been watching a low-end severe threat across Alabama for today for several days, and it appears there may be a bit more of a threat of brief tornadoes than earlier expected for parts of West Central and South Alabama.

We have a surface low over Arkansas this morning that is a bit stronger and tracking a little further north than earlier thought. Its warm front may get a little further north than expected into the weak easterly wedge that covers Northeast Alabama this morning.

In addition to the more southeasterly winds that the close, stronger surface low will lead to, the development of a smaller low that would track across Northwest Alabama could increase low-level wind shear enough to create the threat of a couple of brief tornadoes in low topped supercells that develop, especially along the warm front.

Damaging winds to 60 mph are possible

The main threat is south of a line from Reform to Tuscaloosa to Clanton to Auburn.

The timing for the main threat will be from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. for areas west of I-65 and from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. for areas along and east of I-65.

A few explainer graphics…

Surface at 6 p.m. from HRRR showing stronger surface low over Mississippi and mesolow over West Alabama:

Temperatures along and south of the warm front will be near 70F:

Dewpoints south of the warm front will be near 65F.

Instability values could be approaching 1000 j/kg, which is plenty sufficient for strong updrafts:

The increased low level helicity associated with the surface lows will produce a threat of brief tornadoes. Here is the SIGTOR off the HRRR which depicts the threat area pretty well:

Here is the HRRR radar reflectivity for 6 p.m.:

Two caveats: there is lots of precipitation possible with this system, which could cool the air enough to lower the threat and any storms that develop along the Gulf Coast could cut off the moisture supply.

There is now a wind advisory for today for the northeastern quarter of the area as winds averaging 15-25 and gusting to 35-40 mph will occur.

Widespread rain will affect all of the area as well, with amounts averaging two inches and isolated three-inch amounts possible. No flash flood watch has been posted, but there is a threat of flooding for areas that get the heavier amounts. Stay alert.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158658

Genecapture Inc. Announces Novel Platform For Portable Rapid Infection Diagnosis

By GeneCapture

GeneCapture Inc. has demonstrated a new process for rapidly determining the genetic signature of a pathogen – a germ-causing infection. In less than an hour, this new, patented technique analyzes a human or animal sample – whether it is blood, urine, saliva or swab – to detect the presence of a broad range of specific bacteria, viruses or fungi.

The disposable test cartridge is about the size of a smartphone. Signature probes for newly discovered or mutated pathogens can be added to the cartridge in just a few days, providing fast intelligence for new epidemics.

“Our team of biochemists and engineers has combined several cutting-edge technologies into an innovative and rugged solution for a very critical problem we face today – the diagnostic delay in identifying the source of an infection,” said CEO and co-founder Peggy Sammon. “During that one- to three-day turnaround, contagion spreads and the microbes mutate, making conditions for epidemics and antibiotic resistance highly concerning. We want the patient to get a diagnosis within an hour and get on the right medicine right away.”GeneCapture is based at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, a leading nonprofit research institute that brings together genomic researchers and for-profit businesses under one roof to create an environment for the rapid deployment of solutions. The institute is close to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) campus, where the original idea was conceived and patented. GeneCapture’s chief technology officer, Krishnan Chittur, Ph.D., has been working on rapid infection diagnosis since he endured a suspenseful three-day wait to see if his premature baby had pneumonia.

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from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158647

Great Weather Today, Rain Returns Tomorrow

Terrific weather across Alabama today, if you can, get out and enjoy it, because it will not last. We are seeing tons of sunshine, but we note clouds are beginning to increase in coverage across southern portions of the state, and these are heading north.

We are all into the 70s this afternoon, and with our winds switching around from the south, moisture levels will begin to increase ahead of our next system to the west.

USA BRIEF: A low pressure system moving across the southern Gulf States will bring a threat of isolated severe thunderstorms containing hail and damaging winds this weekend. Fire Weather threats remain elevated for portions of western Texas and along the New Mexico border. Cooler than normal temperatures continue in the east, while above normal temperatures are forecast for the west coast.

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. If forecasters are correct, the Lyrids will peak this weekend with as many as 20 meteors per hour–a minor display compared to greater showers like the Perseids and Geminids later in the year. However, dense clumps of dust in Thatcher’s debris stream sometimes produce unexpected outbursts.

RAINY TIMES AHEAD: The sky becomes mostly cloudy overnight, and rain should reach western Alabama by late tonight and increase in coverage and intensity through the day on Sunday as the surface low will track slowly eastward across Alabama tomorrow afternoon and evening. Tomorrow will be pretty wet at times with showers and a few thunderstorms across South Alabama. We do not expect severe weather for the northern two-thirds of Alabama, and I doubt we hear any thunder. We note the SPC maintains a “marginal risk” for severe weather in areas south of a line from Demopolis to Greenville to Dothan, where a few storms over the southern counties of the state could produce gusty winds.

This just doesn’t look like severe weather for Alabama, still we will watch things. Highs will be cool in the 60s for most locations. The main threat with this system will be the copious amounts of rain which are expected. Rain amounts between 1 and 3 inches for much of the state.

from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158642

Recipe: Easy Glazed Doughnuts And Cream-filled Doughnut Holes

By Stacey LittleSouthern Bite

Dieters and diabetics, look away. This post is not for you. You’ll thank me later. For everyone else, man, do I have a treat for you! These are one of my favorite “treats” to make for my family. In fact, my mom used to make these for me when I was a kid. She’d coat them in sugar, or even top them with a little bit of canned chocolate icing. Only in the past few years have I started making them and decided to add my own twist to them. The shortcut with these is using canned biscuits for the doughnuts. I know it sounds strange, but man, is it good.

I’ve put my own spin on them by adding a glaze and cream filling to them. Let me take a minute here to note my affection for a Krispy Kreme doughnut. My admiration goes beyond words. And my two favorites are a hot Original Glazed and a Glazed with Kreme Filling. I’ve managed to control myself with this recipe by only filling the doughnut holes with creme versus an entire doughnut. It certainly makes me feel better about eating them. And if you’re a Krispy Kreme Kreme-filled fan, this cream recipe is just about spot on, in my opinion.

You can use almost any kind of biscuits, but I would not use the biscuits with flaky layers. The recipe makes enough glaze and filling for the 8 biscuits, but the recipe doubles perfectly if you need more doughnuts. Also, I am totally not responsible if you decide on your own free will to not cut holes in these and fry the whole things, then make a double batch of cream filling, and make huge cream-filled doughnuts rather than the ones shown below. I am totally not responsible. You have been warned.Easy Glazed Doughnuts and Cream-filled Doughnut Holes

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from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158636

Bill Murray: Beautiful Today, Rain Tomorrow In Alabama

By Bill Murray

Bill Murray: Perfect weather for Saturday events before rain moves in on Sunday from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

A beautiful day is in store across Central Alabama before rain moves in tomorrow. The models have come into agreement on the timing and rainfall amounts, so let’s dig into the details.FOR YOUR SATURDAY: We are starting off cool across the state on this Saturday morning, with lows in the upper 30s over the northeastern part of the state to lower and middle 40s over the rest of the area. Skies are starting out mostly clear, and will remain mostly sunny all day. High temperatures will be right on seasonal norms, running 71-78F across the area, with the warmer readings south of US-78/280. It will actually feel like Spring today in a season that has seen feelings of Spring seem elusive.

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from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158630

UAB Students Make Magic Moment For Cancer Survivor Lizzy Davis

By Donna Cope

Lizzy Davis is floating on cloud nine today, thanks to Magic Moments and UAB Health Administration students.

On April 19, UAB students gave Davis the experience of a lifetime, gifting the young leukemia survivor and her family a free trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

Davis, 11, thought she was handing out trophies to winners of UAB’s 13th annual Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) Classic Golf Tournament at Bent Brook Golf Club in Bessemer, Alabama. Davis watched in disbelief as, suddenly, UAB students in brightly colored Disney costumes surrounded her. Pink, peach and purple balloons wafted upward as Lizzie’s name was called out in congratulations.“I was really, really surprised,” Davis said. “I’m very excited, very happy. I can’t wait to see all the characters. My favorite is Minnie Mouse.”

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from The Alabama Weather Blog https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=158609