WEATHER ALERT:

THURSDAY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT: Ingredients are coming together for a significant severe weather event across the Deep South on Thursday. Very warm and humid air at the surface will build in across the state of Alabama, while colder air higher up in the atmosphere will move in by afternoon, leading to a highly unstable atmosphere.

A cold front will be moving from west to east across Mississippi and into Alabama by Thursday afternoon, triggering a broken line of storms. Further up in the atmosphere, an upper air trough will be slowly pushing east. While this trough does not appear to be as stout as initially forecast, it should provide just enough lift in the atmosphere, coupled with the surface cold front and highly unstable air to support thunderstorms capable of very strong updrafts. Enough wind shear will be in place to allow storms to rotate and become better organized, with near-surface spin just strong enough to support rotating updrafts.

Storms should quickly become organized and severe in this environment, with a broken line and cellular storms more likely give the overall ingredients in place. Storms move into West Alabama around lunchtime and push east ahead of the cold front through the afternoon and evening.

Storms may slow some as they move across the state, which would enhance the flooding threat. By 10 pm, the severe weather threat should be ending across Central Alabama, but additional rain and thunder may continue past midnight for some.

Make sure you’re prepared for severe weather Thursday. Storms will be capable of destructive straight line winds, tornadoes, large hail, and localized flash flooding. Some tornadoes across parts of Mississippi and Alabama could be strong on Thursday. We’ll keep you up to date on the severe weather threat as it evolves on Thursday on CBS 42 and online.

The Rest Of The Forecast:

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: A passing shower can’t be ruled out, but generally cloudy and warm. Lows in the low 60s.

FRIDAY: Cold and breezy behind the storms. Highs in the 40s Friday afternoon despite ample sunshine. Northwest winds could gust as high as 35 mph.

THE WEEKEND: We’ll start the weekend out below freezing on Saturday, but a sunny sky Saturday and Sunday afternoon will allow temperatures to trend back up. Highs in the mid 50s Saturday afternoon, and back into the 60s by Sunday afternoon after another cool start.

NEXT WEEK: Temperatures trend up into the 70s by Monday. We’ll kick off the week dry, but scattered showers return to the forecast Tuesday and Wednesday, with a few more storms possible by Thursday. At this point, that next round of storms doesn’t look to be severe, but we’ll keep an eye on it.