Just hit send on the morning forecast package...and posted the internet information...

Back to the radar...

NE Sector (N of I-20 and E of I-65)...Strong storms continue tonight over Jackson and Cherokee County. Some pretty good hail is north of Centre. The other stronger storm is northeast of Scottsboro. The storm west of Hytop is probably stronger than it looks on the Hytop radar since it is so close to the radar. A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 11:30 for Jackson County.

There is a lone storm just west of I-65 just north of the Tennessee River north of Decatur. It will move ESE through Mooresville, just brushing Decatur.

Showers and storms will continue moving south through the night ahead of a cold front.

The severe weather threat continues from the Northwest corner of Alabama down to just east of Birmingham then on to near LaGrange, Georgia. The severe thundertorm watch remains in effect for these areas until midnight.

NW Sector (N of I-20/59, W of I-65)...a strong storm is over Prentiss County Mississippi. It will move into Franklin and Winston Counties within the hour, perhaps clipping NE Marion County. It could be guilty of some hail.

A long area of newly developing showers is oriented from NW to SE from southern Tennessee through the Tri Cities area of Northwest Alabama across Winston, Walker, Jefferson, Shelby and into Coosa County. I think this is the old outflow boundary from earlier beginning to get active under the large scale ascent of the approaching upper level wind max.

I think these showers will hold together and increase some in intensity and coverage overnight. The front should sweep them south later. But I wouldn't expect any severe weather.

SW Sector (S of I-20/59, W of I-65)...Showers and storms should move into this area during the pre-dawn hours. Coverage will be spotty to scattered, but may increase toward sunrise in areas from Tuscaloosa on south.

SE Sector (S of I-20, E of I-65)...Showers and storms should move into this area during the pre-dawn hours. Coverage will be spotty to scattered, but may increase toward sunrise in areas from Clanton on south.

We will be watching the storms through the night until they calm all the way down...

Yesterday I started telling you about my favorite episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. “Granny vs. the Weather Bureau.” Episode number 61 originally aired in black and white on March 25, 1964. Granny has been upset with the pretty television weather girl for missing forecasts. Granny says her name, the “Weather Miss” is a good one since she is “since she ain’t hit it right all week.”

Granny steps outside to teach Ellie about weather signs. She explains that the bobcat licking its fur against the grain is a sign of rain. That a rooster crowing before dark is another sign. That ants piling dirt in front of their holes is another. Others include cats sneezing, dogs eating grass and leaves that turn up their lighter colored undersides (actually a very good one.) But Granny’s secret weapon is a beetle in a matchbox. When she opens it, he turns over on his back and kicks. “A dead for sure sign,” she tells Ellie.

Jed makes a call and finds out the television weather girl got her forecasts from the government. “Whose government?” asks Granny. Meanwhile, Addison goes through stacks of weather data on his desk, including observations, satellite data, ship reports weather balloon observations and computer output and laments that it all leads to a two word forecast: Clear tonight.

Granny gets on the phone with the weatherman and scolds him for telling everyone that it wasn’t going to rain when it was going to come down in buckets. He gave her his assurance “that there would be no precipitation” that night, to which Granny retorts, “well, maybe not, but there will be a whole slew of rain.” They argue back and forth until he says, “TIROS says it won’t.” Granny retorts, “Cecil says it will. Cecil can out predict you TIROS any day.” In vain, Addison explains that as a taxpayer, she had a right to know about the satellite TIROS 7, which had cost millions of dollars and in a sense belonged to her. “Millions of dollars for a beetle that says it ain’t gonna rain tonight? I want my money back!” She hangs up, demanding to know where were the first six beetles they helped pay for. “The government is paying an outrageous price for their beetles.”

Funny!

Things continue to calm over North and Central Alabama...

The NWS has cancelled the severe thunderstorm watch for the following counties...
Bibb, Chambers, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Marion, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.

The threat for severe weather continues until midnight for northeastern and eastern sections of the state.

At 10 p.m...

...Moderate rain was over Central Marion County...

...Strong storms were over Northeast Alabama...from 8 miles NE of Guntersville in Marshall County to just west of Fort Payne in DeKalb County...

...More heavy storms indicating hail were over Limestone County. Others were over eastern Madison and Jackson Counties.

A fairly strong cold front is located over southern Tennessee. This front will move into North Alabama overnight.

Both of our major numerical weather prediction models hint at a rejuvenation of rain and storm activity in the morning along the front as it slides into Central Alabama south of Birmngham. We will leave a chance of rain and storms in the forecast mainly south of Birmingham through noon tomorrow.

Areas from Birmingham north should see a gray start, but clearing skies later in the day.

Things are calm for the most part across North and Central Alabama tonight.

A severe thunderstorm complex is over Chambers and Lee County in extreme East Alabama, about to enter into Georgia.

Light to moderate showers are moving across Marion and Lamar County.

In the Tennessee Valley, strong storms are near Huntsville, northwest of Scottsboro and about 6 miles northwest of Fort Pyane in De Kalb County. The Huntsville storm is the strongest with penny sized hail indicated. Madison County was under a warning untl 9 p.m. That warning will likely be extended.

A weakening storm complex is over the Tri-Cities of Northwest Alabama. It prompted a severe thunderstorm warning until 915 for Lauderdale and Colbert Counties.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues for all of North and Central Alabam until midnight.

...Quarter sized hail reported at 7:35 p.. on highway 280 near Merkle Mountain.

...Quarter sized hail was reported near Center Hill just northeast of Sylacauga at 7:40 p.m.

Quick radar check shows large hail continuing north of Alexander City in Tallapoosa County.

A severe thunderstorm warning continues for Tallapoosa County until 8:45 p.m.

A newly developed thunderstorm is moving out of Blount County into northern St. Clair County. It will move just south of and near Ashville. It could become severe fairly quickly. We will monitor it.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues for North and Central Alabama until midnight.

A large severe thunderstorm cover much of northwestern Tallapoosa County. Hail to the size of golfballs is possible with this storm mainly north of Alex City. People in Goldville, New Site and Daviston should prepare for the large hail.

Small hail is probably occurring along the Randolph/Chambers County line and in southern Clay County also.

The warning is in effect until 8:45 p.m. CDT.

Light to moderate rain in occurring across Blount and St. Clair Counties.

Huntsville has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Limestone County until 8:45.

Add southwestern Clay and northeastern Coosa Counties to the list of severe thunderstorm warned counties.

Drop Shelby County. The thunderstorm activity has moved out of the county.

A very strong storm with hail up to two inches in diameter is indicated along the Clay/Coosa County line about 7 miles west northwest of Goodwater. The storm is moving east at 40 mph.

Pea sized hail has just been reported in Sylacauga.

The NWS has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for eastern Shelby and southwestern Talladega counties until 7:45 p.m.

A large mass of strong to severe storms is over eastern Shelby, southwestern Talladega Counties over into southern Clay County.

The storm just west of Childersburg shows increasing reflectivity. The storm south of Sylacauga shows increasing indications of large hail.

An area of light to moderate rain now covers eastern Walker County and much of Cullman County. It is moving southeastward and may affect northeastern Jefferson County as well as much of Blount County.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues for North and Central Alabama until midnight.

Showers and storms continue tonight in three main areas across Alabama...

...A complex of showers/storms continues over eastern Franklin and Marion Counties over into Winston and Lawrence Counties. This system has weakened a good bit and is no longer severe. It will cut across northern Walker, Cullman and into Blount Counties. It might clip northern Jefferson County eventually. Shower activity extends southward through Lamar, Fayette and into Pickens and Sumter Counties. It is mving east southeastward.

...Showers and storms continue over the Tennessee Valley. A severe thunderstorm warning has just been issued for northern Madison County. The storm exiting extrme northeast Jackson County looks like it has some pretty good sized hail.

...Showers and thunderstorms are developing across Shelby, Talladega, Clay, Tallapoosa and Chambers Counties. These are the most impressive storms in the range of the Birmingham radar. The strongest activity is from Wilsonville down to Talladega Springs and just northeast of Childersburg. It is moving east at 40 mph. These storms could become severe soon.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues in effect until midnight for all of North and Central Alabama.

This has been an interesting day in the weather department. Thunderstorms this morning that I know I did not expect. After producing one inch hail in Marion County the thunderstorm decreased in intensity as a large area of light to moderate rain spread across Central Alabama. After reaching the Alexander City area, the area intensified with some heavy rain showing up on the East Alabama Doppler radar.

Now, shortly after 6 pm, thunderstorms have begun firing in Northeast Mississippi and extreme south central Tennessee. The Storm Prediction Center has placed a large area of Central and Northern Alabama, small section of Northeast Mississippi, and a small slice of South Central Tennessee within a Severe Thunderstorm Watch valid until midnight.

While the air mass is not particularly unstable, the presence of an upper level jet streak seems to be aiding the development of strong thunderstorms. The Huntsville NWS office had placed Franklin County under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 6:45 pm.

With the marginal instability we'll have to keep an eye on future development to see if it can sustain itself. If it does, we will probably see additional warnings for part of North and Central Alabama tonight.

-Brian-