***WEATHER ALERT TODAY ***

6:24 pm | Tornado Watch cancelled for Marion County.

6:02 pm | Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Cullman County until 6:45pm.

1:55 pm | Tornado Watch for Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Marion, Pickens, St. Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston County until 8:00pm.

A cold front is moving through this evening. Ahead of it, we will be warm and humid with unstable air with high temperatures in the mid 70s and dew points in the mid 60s. All of these combined variables will be fuel for thunderstorm development. Some storms are expected to become severe.

SPC has placed areas along and west of I-65 in a Level 3/5 Enhanced Risk, and the rest of Central Alabama is in a Level 2/5 Slight Risk. Regardless the risk area you are in, we could have damaging winds, a few tornadoes, hail and heavy rain. Some flash flooding is also possible late in the day. The best chance for tornadoes will be over western and southwest Alabama, and they could be strong (EF-2 or greater).

Right now, the storms will develop and move in during the early afternoon and will continue into tonight. Unfortunately, this means the storms will move through during the warmest part of the day, and that is another reason why they are expected to be severe.

The severe threat will end tonight, but we will have lingering rain until sunrise on Friday. It will be breezy and turning colder with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Friday will start out cloudy, but we will gradually clear out the clouds by the afternoon. We will be breezy and much colder. High temperatures will only be in the mid 40s. Friday night will be clear and cold with a freeze. Lows will be in the mid to upper 20s.

Weekend Outlook: An area of high pressure will sit over the Southeast U.S. on Saturday and Sunday. This will make Saturday mostly sunny and a little warmer with high temperatures in the mid 50s. The high pressure will move more to the east on Sunday, so southerly winds return. A weak upper-level wave will move across the state. This will make it mostly sunny and warmer with high temperatures in the mid 60s.

Next Week Outlook: We will start the week off dry, but changes arrive mid-week along with spring-like temperatures. High temperatures warm up into the 70s Monday with a partly cloudy sky. Scattered showers return to the forecast Tuesday and Wednesday as a few upper-level waves move across the Southeast U.S. A few storms are possible Wednesday into Thursday. They do not look to be severe, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s. The rain will end on Thursday with highs still in the 70s. Friday will be dry with highs still in the 70s.