On Tuesday, April 2, 1974, Allen Pearson, who was the Director of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City Missouri called Bob Ferry, Meteorologist in Charge of the National Weather Service Office in Birmingham to inquire about the tornadoes that had popped through the state the night before.

Two F2 tornadoes had produced some damage in the Sherwood and Research Park area of Huntsville. One fatality occurred in a mobile home park north of Huntsville. Pearson thought that Monday night was rough, he should wait and see what was coming the following day, April 3rd. It was already apparent to forecasters that a massive outbreak of severe weather was likely the next day. Pearson notified National Weather Service Offices in a large area east of the Mississippi River that there would be a large tornado outbreak over the next two days. He instructed them to perform radar maintenance and to upgrade their staffing.

Pearson had no idea how incredible the display of power from Mother Nature would be. 148 tornadoes would come from the sky in a twenty hour period, killing over 315 people. The outbreak affected eleven states and Ontario, Canada. Alabama was one of the hardest hit states. It would come to be known as the Superoutbreak, or the Jumbo Day Outbreak. Damage totaled over $500 million.

Pearson would receive the Commerce Department’s Gold Medal for his excellent work in preparation for the outbreak. More all weekend on the greatest tornado outbreak to ever hit the United States.

That pesky line of thunderstorms continues marching eastward rapidly.

At 5:20 PM, the line extended from Scottsboro in extreme NE Alabama...southwestward to east of Guntersville...to Ashville...through Shelby County...to near Clanton and Selma.

Gusts to 35 mph common with this line.

Danger of severe thunderstorms over when the line passes your place.

Sharply cooler behind the line of storms and cold front. Temperatures now down in the lower 50s NW Alabama.

Let's all enjoy a non-stormy weekend.

We deserve a break...

Line of thunderstorms now moving through Birmingham Metro Area. Gusts to 32 MPH at 3340 WxNet on press box at Legion Field.

Gusts to around 35 seems to be the number of choice along this line.

No confirmed damage reports all afternoon.

Weather will be much quieter in Birmingham by 5:15 to 5:30 but brisk westerly winds will feel much cooler behind the line and front.

Heavy rain and sharp lightning in NE Trussville now but surprisingly little wind.

Line of showers and thunderstorms at 4:15 extended from Huntsville to Cullman through East Walker County to 15 miles east of Tuscaloosa...to Greensboro...to Linden south of Demopolis.

Strongest part of the line from Tuscaloosa County southward.

No known damage reports. One report from public estimated 50-60 gust in his part of Tuscaloosa.

The showers and thunderstorms will be moving through Birmingham by 5 PM with strong gusty winds and brief heavy rain.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch continues till 6 but the danger ends as soon as the line of storms moves through.

Sharply cooler soon after the line moves through.

The Friday afternoon web video is on the server:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

Just when you think it is safe to go outside, here comes another band of thunderstorms. This final round of storms should be out of the state by 7:00 p.m... but...

A chilly northwest wind will really pick up tonight and tomorrow, with gusts to 40 mph possible at times. And, clouds wrapping around the back side of the departing storm system could very keep us overcast much of the day tomorrow. Looks like highs only in the mid 50s tomorrow, and with clouds and strong winds the day will be downright blustery.

Sunday morning should feature lows in the 35 to 39 degree range, but I am beginning to think there will be enough wind to prevent frost. Where the wind can go calm, some light frost is certainly possible. And, I can't totally rule out a light freeze for the coldest valleys.

NEXT STORM: GFS still very persistent in advertising another potent storm next Wednesday, April 6 with the dual threat of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. Then, the following day, a deep, cold core upper low sets up over Alabama and Georgia. Some very weird things can happen under those... so stay tuned.

Not much time to write today; busy watching ongoing thunderstorms. Our next live update on ABC 33/40 comes at 4:00...

The line of thunderstorms has slowed somewhat. We had originally estimated arrival time for Birmingham between 2 and 4 this afternoon. Looks like to may be closer to 4.

Severe Thunderstorm warning for Marion County in NW Alabama.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch continues until 6 PM. Scan down to a previous post for all the details on the watch.

When the line of storms came through Columbus, Miss., a motorist reported the wind was too strong to drive, He witnessed a few trees uprooted near U. S. 45.

Flash Flood Watch also continues...

More updates later

Well, it was too good to be true. The break in the showers and thunderstorms for the north half of Alabama did not last long.

We are in for more trouble.

The National Weather Service (Storm Prediction Center) has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for a large part of North and Central Alabama until 6:00 p.m. CST. It extends all the way from the Tennessee border down to about the Selma area and from the Mississippi border over into East-Central Alabama.

This, of course, includes all of the greater Birmingham area.

A line of thunderstorms in Eastern Misssissppi was growing stronger this afternoon. The thunderstorms will advance eastward. Conditions are quite favorable for some of the storms to produce hail. Of course, a severe thunderstorm may also produce damaging winds. lightning is always a danger.

A Flash Flood Watch is also still in effect. These new thunderstrorms may dump some very heavy rain that could set off flash-flooding especially since the soil is like a sponge.

For the Greater Birmingham Area, we estimate that the main line of thunderstorms will be a mid-afternoon event...say between 2 and 4 pm.

This is the lest of specific counties:

AUTAUGA BIBB BLOUNT
CHILTON CHOCTAW COLBERT
COOSA CULLMAN DALLAS
DEKALB ETOWAH FAYETTE
FRANKLIN GREENE HALE
JACKSON JEFFERSON LAMAR
LAUDERDALE LAWRENCE LIMESTONE
MADISON MARENGO MARION
MARSHALL MORGAN PERRY
PICKENS SHELBY ST. CLAIR
SUMTER TALLADEGA TUSCALOOSA
WALKER WINSTON

As noon approached, we were still getting a break from any heavy rain over the entire north half of Alabama. We are also getting intervals of sunshine.

That is not good.

It helps make the atmosphere more unstable.

Off to our west, a line of thunderstorms is developing near a cold front and upper level disturbance across North Mississippi. They are also growing stronger. There is a good chance that some of those storms will produce hail.

The line of storms will continue to move east.

The Storm Prediction Center in Noirman, Okla., says a new severe weather watch (probably Severe Thunderstorm Watch) may be issued early this afternoon for parts of East Mississippi, West and Central Alabama. In this area, the thunderstorms may exist until late afternoon or early evening.

Shux...

A FEW WEATHER THOUGHTS LATE ON THIS FRIDAY MORNING

1. The SPC had dropped the moderate risk severe weather threat that covered North Georgia and much of the Carolinas. They are now under a slight risk. Glad to see that happen. The several "moderate risk" areas lately have just not played out.

2. Despite several Tornado Watches across the southern USA in the last 24 hours, have not seen a single confirmation that a tornado touched Mother Earth. Several reports of hail. The big story has been the excessive rainfall.

3. The Flash Flood Warning for Jefferson and Shelby County expired at 9:30 am. The rain slacked off sooner than most of us expected. Don't think we had any serious problems.

4. Radar at 10 am showed no real heavy rain over the entire north half of the state. That is good news. We will still get some more before this event is all over but the weather news does look more encouraging.

5. One of several reasons that we did not get severe thuderstorms this far north was the huge (really big glob of thunderstorms that moved ESE during the night across the coastal sections of Mississippi, Alabama and NW Florida. That partially cut off the action for North Alabama. To use Old West cowbow lingo, "we got cut off at the pass."

6. Lock for sharply cooler weather Saturday with NW winds that may gust 25-30 at times...making the day feel really cool.

7. Sunday looks like a model example of pleasant weather.

8. We deserve a break. Lots of folks stayed up all night Wednesday night because of dozens of thunderstorms rolling through. Homes shook from the loud thunder and we weather humans soaked the coffee. Sleep patterns were disrupted and a lot of people were yawning yesterday. I saw them at the supermarket.

9. Besides, Little Miss Molly has her sleeping hours all mixed up. Loud thunder sends her heading for the hills (in her case under the bed) She was awake at 1:30 this morning but still asleep at 10. Let sleeping dogs stay that way. Life goes on...as long as there is fresh coffee.

It has been raining continuously at Mobile Airport since 3:32 yesterday afternoon except for one brief break. These notes:

They measured 2.50 inches in one hour early this morning.
3.18 inches in only 90 minutes
5.44 inches between midnight and 6 am
7.41 inches in the last 24 hours.
10.79 inches at Silverhill in Baldwin County (through 5 AM)

Widespread very serious flash flooding underway thropughout much of Mobile and Baldwin County. In Gulf Shores, a lady crawled on top of her car to await rescue after the car went under water.

The roof of Albertson's Super Market on Mobile Highway collapsed from the weight of the water.

The EMA in Baldwin County urges people to stay off the roads due to widespread flooding.

One foot of water covering one part of I-10 in the Mobile area.

Along the NW Florida Coast, at Fort Walton Beach, 20 apartments being evacuated because the hill where the apartments are located is collapsing.

A few South Mississippi rainfall reports for the last 24 hours:

7.41 inches in Gulfport
4.41 in Hattiesburg
7.30 in Pascagoula (2.55 in one hour)

In NW Fla., Pensacola also reports more than 24 inches during the last 24 hours.