WVUA-TV Weather Blog

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
8:15 PM CDT FRI JUNE 27, 2008

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GREENE AND HALE COUNTIES UNTIL 9:00 PM CDT…

AT 8:15 PM CDT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BOLIGEE… OR 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF EUTAW… MOVING EAST AT 17 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE…
BOLIGEE.
ALLISON.
THORNHILL.
EUTAW.
WALDEN QUARTERS.
SELDON LOCK AND DAM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO… COMMERCIAL RADIO… OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
7:17 PM CDT FRI JUNE 27, 2008

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR SUMTER COUNTY UNTIL 8:00 PM CDT…

AT 7:16 PM CDT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS… FROM 9 MILES WEST OF WEST UNION TO 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CUBA… MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE…
INTERSTATES 20 AND 59 WELCOME CENTER AT CUBA.
CUBA.
PAYNEVILLE.
GEIGER.
BOYD.
WEST UNION.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES… TREE LIMBS… AND POWER LINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

There are a few showers and thunderstorms south of Tuscaloosa this afternoon, mostly in Marengo County.

We could still see some more of these scattered storms develop around the rest of West Alabama this afternoon.

Tonight, a shower or storm is possible early, otherwise, we’ll see partly cloudy skies with mild temperatures, in the lower 70s.

Tomorrow, another chance for some scattered showers and thunderstorms around the area, especially during the heat of the afternoon. Rain chances for Saturday are at about 40%. Highs Saturday will be near 89 degrees.

Sunday we have a better chance for some showers and storms as a front pushes in to the area. Some of the storms on Sunday could be strong. Highs will be near 88.

Monday, there might be a shower or storm before lunchtime, especially south of the Tuscaloosa area. Highs will be near 87.

Tuesday through Thursday, there could be a stray storm or two out there. We’ll see partly to mostly clear skies those days with temperatures around 90 during the day and in the middle to upper 60s overnight.

Friday, the 4th of July, there’s a chance for a few thunderstorms in the area. the chance is about 20% right now. We’ll be keeping a close on on that day and tweak the forecast as we get closer to it!

I’ll be in with more weather on WVUA News First at 4 and WVUA News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

Click here to send in weather pics!

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

There are a few showers starting to pop in some parts of the area this afternoon. I expect more development as we go through the rest of the afternoon and early evening hours. We could see some strong storms develop, with gusty winds, hail and frequent lightning.

Temperatures are in the upper 80s to low 90s around the region and there’s plenty of moisture available for storms to grow.

Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday there are slightly better chances for rain and storms here in West Alabama.

Each day, some of the storms could be strong. Late Saturday into Sunday, the Storm Prediction Center has us in a “slight risk” area for severe weather. We will, of course, be watching things closely.

Tuesday through Thursday, things look like they’ll return to a more typical summertime pattern, with a few isolated afternoon storms and temperature around 90.

We had some rough weather in parts of West Alabama last night, as well as central and eastern parts of the state. Below are the storm reports from the National Weather Service in Birmingham. The folks there are also working on the recording station at the Tuscaloosa Airport today… it was knocked offline last night for some unknown reason.

Local Storm Report

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
1129 PM CDT WED JUNE 25, 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0230 PM     HAIL             CLAYTON                 31.88N 85.45W
06/25/2008  E0.88 INCH       BARBOUR            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WIDESPREAD HAIL IN CLAYTON UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS.

0547 PM     HAIL             ALABASTER               33.23N 86.82W
06/25/2008  E0.50 INCH       SHELBY             AL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            HAIL SEEN ON INTERSTATE 65 AT EXIT 238.

0605 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LYNN                    34.04N 87.55W
06/25/2008                   WINSTON            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ON HIGHWAY 5 AND HIGHWAY 63
            NEAR LYNN. WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH.

0605 PM     TSTM WND DMG     TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
06/25/2008                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            THE ROOF WAS DAMAGED AT MCFARLAND MALL. ONE VEHICLE HAD
            ITS WINDSHIELD BROKEN FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

0606 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ALABASTER               33.23N 86.82W
06/25/2008                   SHELBY             AL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ONE TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN IN ALABASTER, ONE IN HELENA,
            ONE IN CALERA AND ONE IN PELHAM.

0606 PM     LIGHTNING        PELHAM                  33.30N 86.79W
06/25/2008                   SHELBY             AL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ONE HOME WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN PELHAM. NO ADDITIONAL
            INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

0606 PM     TSTM WND DMG     TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
06/25/2008                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN THE TAYLORVILLE COMMUNITY
            JUST SOUTH OF TUSCALOOSA. ONE LARGE TREE FELL ON A SHED.
            WIND GUSTS WERE ESTIMATED AT 70 MPH.

0632 PM     HAIL             1 W NORTHPORT           33.24N 87.62W
06/25/2008  E1.00 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL BRIEFLY FELL NEAR THE WALMART
            IN NORTHPORT.

0640 PM     HAIL             3 NW NORTHPORT          33.27N 87.63W
06/25/2008  E0.88 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 171 NORTHWEST
            OF NORTHPORT.

0758 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PINSON                  33.69N 86.68W
06/25/2008                   JEFFERSON          AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN BETWEEN PINSON AND CLAY. A
            FEW OF THE TREES WERE BLOCKING ROADWAYS. MANY ADDITIONAL
            TREE LIMBS WERE SNAPPED OFF AND LIGHTNING PRODUCED POWER
            OUTAGES.

0825 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SE HAYDEN             33.90N 86.72W
06/25/2008                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN

0849 PM     HAIL             MORRIS                  33.75N 86.81W
06/25/2008  E0.88 INCH       JEFFERSON          AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR THE KIMBERLEY AND
            MORRIS COMMUNITIES.

0933 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ONEONTA                 33.95N 86.47W
06/25/2008                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN NEAR ONEONTA AND ACROSS THE
            EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY.

Wes is off today, so I’ll be in with the full forecast today on WVUA News First at 4, and WVUA News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

Also, our main website, www.wvua7.com, is being worked on by our host, The Tuscaloosa News. Until it is working correctly, you can point your browser to this link to be take to our main weather page. You can also click the shortcut to the right of this column.

Send me your weather pictures! The email address is wxpics@wvua7.com. You can also email any of us on the weather team with your photos… they don’t have to just show bad weather!

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

We had some isolated, strong storms rumble through the area this evening which created some damage.

A viewer called in with reports of hail in the Big Sandy area of Tuscaloosa County. We didn’t catch their name in the newsroom.

Another viewer, Kirk Junkin, said he clocked a wind gust of 70 miles per hour during the storm that rolled through the Taylorville area of Southern Tuscaloosa County.

Below are some preliminary storm reports from the National Weather Service Wednesday evening:

6:05 p.m. Tuscaloosa Co. Emergency Manager reports thunderstorm wind damage — a few trees were blown down in the Taylorville community just south of Tuscaloosa. One large tree fell on a shed. Wind gusts were estimated at 70 miles per hour.

6:32 p.m. Tuscaloosa Co. Emergency Manager reports hail of a quarter size — nickel to quarter size hail briefly fell near the Wal-Mart in Northport.

6:40 p.m. Amateur radio reports hail of nickel size 3 miles northwest of Northport – nickel size hail was reported along highway 171 northwest of Northport in Tuscaloosa County.

We also have damage reported at the Dillard’s at McFarland mall in Tuscaloosa. Our crew found some debris, presumably from the roof of the building, littering the parking lot of the store located at Skyland and McFarland Boulevards. A customer we spoke to on camera said a manager got on the store’s public address system and told everyone to evacuate the store because of roof damage and water leaking in to the second floor.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
6:09 PM CDT WED JUNE, 25 2008

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR TUSCALOOSA COUNTY UNTIL 6:45 PM CDT…

AT 6:05 PM CDT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A SEVERAL CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS TUSCALOOSA COUNTY… MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE… MAXWELL… MCFARLAND MALL… COKER… UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA… COTTONDALE… LAKE LURLEEN STATE PARK.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES… TREE LIMBS… AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
4:34 PM CDT WED JUN 25 2008

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR TUSCALOOSA COUNTY UNTIL 5:00 PM CDT…

AT 4:31 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR SAMANTHA…OR 9 MILES NORTH OF NORTHPORT…MOVING NORTH AT 6 MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE… SAMANTHA.

REMEMBER…IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER…YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

There are a few showers and storms in West Alabama this afternoon. Coverage is very sparse. Temperatures are very warm, we’ve been well into the middle 90s in Tuscaloosa already.

Tonight, there might be a stray storm or two early, otherwise, it will be mild and muggy with lows around 69 degrees.

We have better chances for rain tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies and highs near 89 degrees.

The rain chances stick with us through the weekend.

Wes continues his much needed break, so I’ll be in with the full forecast today on WVUA News First at 4, and WVUA News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

Also, our main website, www.wvua7.com, is being worked on by our host, The Tuscaloosa News. Until it is working correctly, you can point your browser to this link to be take to our main weather page. You can also click the shortcut to the right of this column.

Send me your weather pictures! The email address is wxpics@wvua7.com. You can also email any of us on the weather team with your photos… they don’t have to just show bad weather!

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

It’s been a very nice summer day today across the area. Temperatures have been in the low to middle 90s. Humidity has been lower, so the heat isn’t as uncomfortable as it can be this time of year. There have been some fair weather cumulus clouds blowing by out there, I’m not expecting any rainfall today.

Tomorrow, humidity levels start to increase as winds switch around to the south. That will help usher in some more moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. That southerly flow will stay in place, and strengthen, as we go through the end of the week and into the weekend.

Rain chances are very small for Wednesday, only 10% or less. Thursday they increase slightly, to about 20%. Friday and Saturday, we bump them up to 30%. Sunday, we have a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. The rain chances come up as moisture increase from the south and a couple of boundaries set up across parts of the deep south.

Severe weather doesn’t look likely during this time, but we can’t rule out some strong storms, with heavy rain, gusty winds and lots of lightning.

We do need the rain, the last update from the National Weather Service puts us more than five and a half inches behind for rainfall this year. That’s according to data recorded at the Tuscaloosa Airport.

Wes is off this week so I’ll have more on the forecast today on WVUA News First at 4, and WVUA News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

One more note, our main website, www.wvua7.com, is being worked on by our host, The Tuscaloosa News.  Until it is working correctly, you can point your browser to this link to be take to our main weather page.  You can also click the shortcut to the right of this column.

Robert Stevenson
WVUA-TV Weather

I hope you are having a great start to your Monday! The weather has been hot again for today, with partly cloudy skies around. But, the humidity has been rather low. We will begin to undergo some changes over the next few days, as hot, hazy, and humid weather will be the top story around here. We’ve had a ridge of high-pressure overhead for today, which has kept a cap on most shower and thunderstorm activity, with warmer air aloft. Now, highs will continue to climb into the lower and middle 90s on through Thursday. Our heat bubble aloft will begin to weaken, which will allow for a trough to swing in here from the northwest by Thursday and Friday. With a flow out of the south and cooler air aloft, you can expect a better coverage of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. This will especially be the case when a south wind develops and transports plentiful amounts of moisture in here. Unfortunately, that means humidity levels will be on the rise. Highs will remain in the lower 90s through the weekend, with a 20 to 30% chance for afternoon storms.

As the end of the weekend approaches, the eastern half of the nation will be influenced by a trough, which will keep things rather unsettled here, with the possibility of afternoon showers and storms. Plus, a decaying frontal system will push in here, which will enhance our rainfall chance over the weekend.

The tropics remain quiet, with no organized development expected over the next 24 to 48 hours. If things become more active, we will be sure to fill you in on the latest. Be sure to watch our live newscast today at 4, 5, 6 and tonight at 10. Have a great day!

Richard Scott
WVUA-TV’s Weekend Weather Anchor