Severe weather possible today
Published 9:48 pm Monday, January 5, 2009
The National Weather Service has placed all of central Alabama, including Chilton County, under a slight risk of severe weather between noon and midnight Tuesday.
Meteorologist Kristina Sumrall said the greatest threat will be from damaging winds associated with bow echoes, but there is a possibility for tornadoes.
A warm front is expected to move north through most of the state today, creating warm and moist conditions across central Alabama. Back in Mississippi, a strong line of thunderstorms is expected to develop by noon and then push through the state. This line of storms is ahead of a cold front.
Before the line comes through Chilton County, Sumrall said there is a possibility that super cell thunderstorms could develop in front of the squall line.
“These are the storms that have the greatest possibility of producing a tornado,” she said.
The area that could see super cell thunderstorms is south and east of Jefferson County. The main timeframe for development of these storms would be between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
“Any breaks in the clouds could rapidly destabilize the atmosphere and support the development of isolated super cells,” Sumrall said. “We could possibly have one, two or three storms like this.”
By 6 p.m., the line of severe storms is expected to enter the area with winds possibly greater than 50 knots, or 57.6 mph. The cold front is expected to pick up speed and push through the state by midnight.