The Lamar County EMA Office reported trees down at 10:40 tonight along Tomlin Road in South lamar County. This is believed to be in or near Millport.

The most intense thunderstorms now moving into Extreme North Pickens County.

Still moving toward the SSW overloaded with lightning. May be producing large hail and damaging winds.

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1031 PM CDT TUE JUL 18 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
SOUTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
SOUTHEASTERN LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
NORTHERN PICKENS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1115 PM CDT

* AT 1031 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES
EAST OF MILLPORT...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FAYETTE...AND
MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
REFORM BY 1115 PM CDT

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
ON THE WEB WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BMX (SUBMIT A STORM REPORT)
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

I do appreciate Drew McCombs writing his series here on the “Great Plains Storm Chase Adventure” back in May. Drew is a meteorology student at Mississippi State University, and is from Center Point (a graduate of Erwin High School).

Drew has been here in our office since late May, and he has been a great addition to our office this year. Drew handles a wide range of daily tasks, including sending our WeatherFax, updating the ABC 33/40 web site with J.B. Elliott’s afternoon forecast package, and preparing the weather graphics you see on the 5:00 and 6:00 newscasts on ABC 33/40. This takes a load off my back, and gives me a little breathing room as I handle podcasts, vodcasts, webcasts, blog posts, and radio audio for two dozen stations around the nation (as far west as Phoenix, and as far east as Jacksonville. Drew will be leaving in a week or so, headed back to Starkville getting ready for the fall semester and more adventures in meteorological education.

My very first weather intern, about 15 years ago, was none other than our current weekend meteorologist, John Oldshue. John was also a student at Mississippi State. I figure at least 100 college students have passed through here during the summer program over the years, and many have gone on to big markets and are living wonderful family lives. The morning meteorologist here at ABC 33/40, Jason Simpson, is also a former intern and a Mississippi State grad. Guess you get the idea it pays to be an intern here if you want to work in the weather office!

Our summer intern program is open to meteorology majors only; preferably those about to enter their junior or senior years. We begin to take applications in the spring, and the program runs from May through July!

Thunderstorms have grown stronger in Fayette County tonight.

At 9:45 pm, the Fayette County EMA Office reported hail dime to quarter size in downtown Fayette.

The thunderstorms were moving south.

Several strong thunderstorms persist over West Alabama tonight.

At 9:45, the strongest ones were:

* Over South Fayette County
* North edge of Sumpter County
* Along Marion-Winston County line (those seem to be redeveloping)

Lots of lightning with these storms as they move toward the south.

Other strong storms were just over the border in Extreme east Mississippi.

A few rainfall amounts from this evening:

0.43 in Hamilton
0.28 at Riverchase (33/40 Weather office)
0.35 in Greystone Cove (James Spann)

How about this...

RGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
552 PM MST TUE JUL 18 2006

AZZ023-190300-
/O.EXB.KPSR.DS.W.0015.000000T0000Z-060719T0300Z/
GREATER PHOENIX AREA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BUCKEYE...CAREFREE...CAVE CREEK...
CHANDLER...FOUNTAIN HILLS...GILBERT...GLENDALE...MESA...PEORIA...
PHOENIX...SCOTTSDALE...SUN CITY...TEMPE
552 PM MST TUE JUL 18 2006

...DUST STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A DUST STORM
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING.

A BAND OF STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS TO NEAR 40 MPH...GENERATED FROM
THUNDERSTORMS...WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA FROM THE
SOUTHEAST. AREAS OF DENSE BLOWING DUST WITH VISIBILITIES UNDER 1/4
MILE WILL OVER-SPREAD THE AREA.

A DUST STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN WINDS HAVE GENERATED LARGE
AREAS OF BLOWING DUST OR BLOWING SAND THAT HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY
REDUCED VISIBILITIES...TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS...RESULTING IN
HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS IN SOME AREAS. MOTORISTS ARE
ADVISED TO USE CAUTION AND SLOW DOWN...AS OBJECTS ON AND NEAR
ROADWAYS WILL BE SEEN ONLY AT CLOSE RANGE. IF YOU ENCOUNTER
BLOWING GUST ON THE ROADWAY OR SEE IT APPROACHING...PULL OFF THE
ROADWAY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE AND PARK. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND
KEEP YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL.

$$

At 8:40 tonight, a few strong storms were moving south near the Alabama/Mississippi border.

In Alabama, the strongest storm was over South Pickens County passing south of Aliceville.

Just over the border in Mississippi, a strong storm was over south Lowdnes County...some 15 miles south of Columbus. The NWS issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for that storm until 9 pm.

While we are blogging, we will include some high temperatures for today:

ALABAMA
91 in Orange Beach
93 in Mobile and Heflin
94 in Clay
95 in Cullman and at Shelby County Airport (NWS)
97 in Albertville
98 in Birmingham, Anniston, Montgomery
99 in Pinson, Auburn, Fort payne, Helena, Jasper, Crumly Chapel
100 in Demopolis and Alabaster
101 in Decatur, Muscle Shoals
102 in Huntsville, Meridianville, Concord/Hueytown

Widely spaced (very isolated) thunderstorms all that remained across North and Central Alabama early this evening.

At 6:45 pm, the strongest storm was centered over East Marion County in NW Alabama about midway between Hamilton and Haleyville.

It was moving slowly and still producing heavy rain. Dime size hail was reported at Hamilton late this afternoon. Smaller storms at 6:45 lingered:

...over West Blount County
...North edge of Talladega County
...West Pickens County

At 3:45 this afternoon, the Fayette County EMA Office reported several trees down on Alabama State Route 107 in the Kirtland community in NW Fayette County.

Be sure and scroll down for tons of information. this has been an unusually busy day on the blog. Check out those pictures from atop Mt. Cheaha by Brian Peters.

Thunderstorms over the north half of Alabama much weaker and very few in number.

The storm that was passing near Alabaster and Pelham in Shelby County has weakened over Extreme SW Shelby County.

In West Alabama, several thunderstorms were between Fayette, Sulligent and Vernon but not very strong.

The storms were a bit more numerous over South Alabama from about Wilcox County southward.

Everything moving toward the SW.

0.28 of an inch of rain from the earlier storms at the ABC 33/40 Studios and the temperature had cooled to only 79 at 5 pm.

The cluster of strong thunderstorms that was passing SW along the Jefferson-Shelby County line has decreased in number. However a strong thunderstorms was near Alabaster and Pelham moving toward the SW. Very heavy rain was reported at Pelham just before 4:30.

Another strong thunderstorm was over West Fayette County in West Alabama...passing near or just west of the city of Fayette.

Thunderstorms are a little more numerous over the south third of Alabama. There was a strong one over North Macon County east of Montgomery.

We received a report of an estimated two inches of rain in about an hour in the Mount Olive community of North jefferson County earlier this afternoon. Some high wind also reported. This is the storm that triggered the Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Jefferson County.