More than 27K customers without power as summer storms sweep across Alabama

FIRST, THIS IS 13 WEATHER WE STILL HAVE SOME INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN PROGRESS HERE AT 5:17 P.M. IN CENTRAL ALABAMA. THEY HAVE MOVED OUT OF CHILTON AND THEY ARE MOVING OUT OF COOSA COUNTY. SO WE’LL FOCUS HERE PRIMARILY ON PICKENS COUNTY, WHERE WE HAVE ABOUT 700 LIGHTNING STRIKES IN PICKENS, TUSCALOOSA, NORTHERN. GREENE AND THE EASTERN PART OF LOWNDESBORO AND NOXUBEE COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI. THERE’S JUST ONE CLUSTER. THAT’S HOW MANY LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE HAPPENED IN THE LAST 15 MINUTES. NOW, IF WE WERE ABLE TO COUNT BACK FOR THE LAST HOUR, WE’D BE MEASURING IN THE THOUSANDS OVER PICKENS AND LOUNDS COUNTY AND UP INTO LAMAR COUNTY. THIS SET OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING SOUTHWARD AND WE’VE GOT SOME INTENSE RAIN FALLING RIGHT NOW AROUND MCMULLEN AND ALICEVILLE ON HIGHWAY 14, GOING UP TO PICKENSVILLE, HIGHWAY 17 AND THEN DOWN TOWARD BENNETT VIOLA. HEAVY RAIN, STRONG, GUSTY WINDS MIGHT EVEN HAVE SOME SMALL HAIL WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 P.M. AND THIS CLUSTER IS MOVING A LITTLE BIT MORE SOUTH THAN SOUTHEAST. REMEMBER THE STORMS THAT CAME THROUGH BIRMINGHAM AND TUSCALOOSA EARLIER? THOSE WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST. THESE SEEM TO BE BUILDING A LITTLE BIT MORE TOWARD THE SOUTH AND MAYBE EVEN A TOUCH DOWN TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST. SO LET’S PUT A STORM TRACK ON HERE AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AS TO WHAT TIME YOU CAN EXPECT THESE TO PASS THROUGH. SO WHAT WE’VE GOT HERE, GREEN AND SUMTER COUNTIES, SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR UNION, VIENNA, CLINTON, UTAH, NEW MOUNT HEBRON AND THE ALLISON COMMUNITIES BETWEEN NOW AND ABOUT 6 P.M. YOU’LL GET THOSE STORMS MOVING SOUTH SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN COOSA COUNTY AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTY RIGHT OVER LAKE MARTIN. THE DANGER HAS ENDED FOR ROCKFORD AND WITH CLANTON JEMISON THORSBY AND THEN UP INTO THE BIRMINGHAM METRO AREA, SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN DROPPED FOR MOST OF CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM BIRMINGHAM NORTHWARD. YOU CAN SEE THE ARCING BAND OF THUNDERSTORM HERE. AND THEN ANOTHER AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER TOWARD THE NORTHWEST THAT WILL BE WATCHING FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. MATTER OF FACT, LOOK AT THIS CLUSTER OF SHOWERS THAT DEVELOPS OVER NORTHEAST ALABAMA IN THE MORNING FOR CAST MODELS. DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF TELLING US THE GENERAL IDEA HERE. WILL THIS BE EXACTLY ON HIGHWAY 431? PROBABLY NOT. IT COULD BE A LITTLE FARTHER WEST OR A LITTLE FARTHER EAST, BUT THERE WILL BE SOME STORMS AROUND EARLY IN THE MORNING AND SOME OF THOSE COULD BE VERY SLOW MOVERS, VERY HEAVY AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE SOME FLOODING THERE IS A FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT EAST OF BIRMINGHAM. STORMS WILL CONTINUE ON THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THAT’LL HELP TO REDUCE THE HEAT A LITTLE BIT TOMORROW. AND THEN BY TOMORROW EVENING, ALL THAT RAIN IS LONG GONE FROM THE BIRMINGHAM AREA. AND I THINK CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO DRY OUT SOME. SO THERE’S THAT STRIPE OF HEAVIER RAIN. REMEMBER, IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT TO THE LEFT, A LITTLE BIT TO THE RIGHT. SOME FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. ALSO, A FEW STORMS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE STRONG. ANOTHER IMPACT DAY TOMORROW, BUT BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF SOME ACTIVE WEATHER FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT HERE ACROSS THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATE. THAT INCLUDES PLACES LIKE CULLMAN, SNEAD, ONEONTA, GADSDEN, ANNISTON AND TALLADEGA. YOU GET INTO FRIDAY, A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND STORMS. THOSE STORMS THIN OUT SOME SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND THEN WE’RE RIGHT BACK AT IT WITH MORE STORMY WEATHER EARLY NEXT WEEK. AND THE HEAT, WELL, IT DOESN’T GO AWAY ANYTIM