Severe storms in Alabama Saturday evening through Sunday morning

THIS IS WVTM 13 WEATHER. THE BULL’S EYE IS TO OUR WEST HERE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, BUT EVENTUALLY THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXPAND INTO ALABAMA TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. IT’S IN MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA AND TEXAS NOW, AND THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE CONFIRMED TORNADOES, SOME OF THEM DOING DAMAGE AND SOME REPORTS OF FATALITIES OUT OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS, WITH SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE STORMS THERE. HERE’S HOW IT PANS OUT AROUND ALABAMA. THE COLORS, AND I KNOW THEY’RE EYE CATCHING, BUT I REALLY DON’T WANT YOU TO PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RED, THE ORANGE, AND THE YELLOW. IT’S ALL STATISTICS. IT’S LOOKING AT WHERE STORMS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE SEVERE. THINK OF IT THIS WAY THERE’S JUST MORE ENERGY HERE FOR STORMS IN TUSCALOOSA THAN THERE IS IN ANNISTON AND GADSDEN AND BIRMINGHAM AND SHELBY COUNTY ARE RIGHT ON THAT DIVIDING LINE IN BETWEEN THE TWO. THE SHOWERS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ARE ACTUALLY DOING US A FAVOR BY PREVENTING VERY, VERY STICKY AIR FROM COMING NORTHBOUND. THE RAIN COOLED AIR IS A BIG HELP, BUT IT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY ERADICATE A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR ALABAMA BECAUSE YOU CAN ALREADY SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING DOWN IN CHOCTAW COUNTY AND SUMTER COUNTY, JUST SOUTHEAST OF MERIDIAN. THERE ARE NUMEROUS WARNINGS OVER IN MISSISSIPPI RIGHT NOW. IN FACT, ONE THAT IS JUST TO THE SOUTHWEST OF ROLLING FORK THAT HAS A VERY PROMINENT TORNADO SIGNATURE HERE THAT VERY WELL COULD BE PRODUCING A TORNADO THAT’S HEADED TOWARD ROLLING FORK. AND IF YOU REMEMBER, HAS NOT BEEN THAT LONG AGO. THAT ROLLING FORK WAS DECIMATED BY A VIOLENT TORNADO. THIS ONE DOESN’T LOOK QUITE AS POWERFUL AS THAT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON. AND THEN EARLIER, ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO, THERE WAS A LARGE TORNADO NEAR BUDE, MISSISSIPPI. AND THIS IS WHAT THAT ONE LOOKED LIKE. DEREK SIBLEY FROM OUR SISTER STATION DOWN AT WDSU IN NEW ORLEANS CAUGHT THIS VIDEO ON HIGHWAY 84 JUST TO THE EAST OF BUDE. THAT WAS THE TORNADO ITSELF, AND IT GOT BIGGER AND BIGGER AS HE WATCHED IT PASS BY. RIGHT NOW, A CONFIRMED TORNADO GOING ON IN SOUTH LOUISIANA. THIS ENTIRE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS GOING TO BE MOVING INTO ALABAMA THIS EVENING, AND IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSCLE. WHAT’S CREATING THE STORMS, BECAUSE WE REALLY DON’T HAVE THE SAME KIND OF FUEL THEY’VE GOT DOWN TO THE SOUTHWEST. SO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS HIGH WIND IS GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE STORMS EVENTUALLY PASS THROUGH ALABAMA. SO ABOUT 9:00 THIS EVENING, THE STRONGEST WINDS A FEW THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WILL BE OVER MISSISSIPPI AND WEST ALABAMA. BUT WATCH THIS. THAT SHOOTS OFF TOWARD TENNESSEE, LEAVING US SORT OF IN BETWEEN, IN BETWEEN THE FUEL AND IN BETWEEN THE STRONGEST STORMS. SO THERE MAY BE A GRADUAL REDUCTION OF THE THREAT OVER ALABAMA AS WE GO THROUGH THE EVENING. BUT I STILL WANT YOU TO BE ON ALERT. SO SPEAKING OF ALERT, WHAT TIME DO YOU NEED TO BE ON ALERT? LET’S BRING IN METEOROLOGIST JORDAN WEST. TIMING AND IMPACTS. GO. GO AHEAD AND GO WITH IT. LIKE YOU SAID, TODAY IS AN ALERT DAY. THAT’S FOR LATER ON TONIGHT WITH THE STORMS COMING FROM MISSISSIPPI INTO ALABAMA, THEY COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 70MPH, WHICH IS STRONG ENOUGH TO KNOCK OVER A FEW TREES. WE CAN’T RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL FOR A TORNADO OR TWO, AND THEN THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LARGE HAIL UP TO ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF IN DIAMETER. THAT’S THE SIZE OF A PING PONG BALL. SO SOME RATHER LARGE HAIL AS WE MAKE OUR WAY INTO TONIGHT, HERE’S A LOOK AT THE TIMELINE FOR TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. WEST ALABAMA ALONG HIGHWAY 43 BETWEEN 9 P.M. AND 2 A.M. THAT INCLUDES TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES. GREEN, HAIL, SUMTER, PICKENS, LAMAR, WINSTON, HAMILTON COUNTIES. AND THEN THAT WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EASTWARD TOWARDS THAT I-65 CORRIDOR. SO THIS IS NOW JEFFERSON COUNTY, SHELBY COUNTY, ONEONTA IN COLEMAN CLANTON CENTREVILLE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 4 A.M. AND THEN I THINK THAT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT STARTS TO DIMINISH QUICKLY AS THAT SYSTEM MAKES ITS WAY EASTWARD TOWARDS THE ALABAMA GEORGIA BORDER. THIS IS ANNISTON ASHLAND ROANOKE ALEXANDER CITY, SYLACAUGA GADSDEN, FORT PAYNE AND CENTRE. BETWEEN 2 A.M. AND 6 A.M. WHEN EVERYTHING IS ALL SAID AND DONE, I THINK BETWEEN LAST NIGHT, WE’LL SEE AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 MORE INCHES OF RAIN THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. I’M NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT A WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING THREAT, BUT SOME LOCALIZED AREAS COULD SEE JUST THAT. BUT HERE’S A LOOK AT THE COVERAGE OF WHAT WE COULD SEE STORMS COMING IN FROM MISSISSIPPI AS EARLY AS 9 P.M. TONIGHT. NOTICE THE ZIGZAG HERE? THESE STORMS COMING OUT OF THE MAIN LINE. THOSE ARE BOWING SEGMENTS, MEANING WE COULD SEE SOME PRETTY STRONG WIND GUSTS INITIALLY. WHEN THIS SYSTEM STARTS TO FIRST COME INTO ALABAMA. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THIS WILL WEEKEND. THE FARTHER EAST THIS SYSTEM GOES AT THIS POINT, ALONG THAT I-65 CORRIDOR, THIS IS 11 P.M. TONIGHT AND THEN CROSS OVER INTO EAST ALABAMA BY 1 A.M. TOMORROW MORNING. THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY THE STRONGEST. ONCE THAT PASSES, IT WON’T BE NEARLY AS SEVERE. HERE’S YOUR SEVEN-DAY FORECAST. WE’LL CLIMB TO THE MID 60S AS WE MAKE OUR WAY INTO TOMORROW, AND THEN COOLER WEATHER TO START THE NEW YEAR ON WEDNESDAY, AND THEN MUCH CHI