Continuing our list of the deadliest individual tornadoes in Alabama history:

15. (tie) February 12, 1945 (26 deaths) - This wartime F3 tornado ripped across the southern and western sections of the City of Montgomery. The twister killed 26 people. The entire city was blacked out for hours following the storm. Another spectacular tornado spawned by the same supercell storm derailed thirty nine of forty one cars of a freight train as it passed over a trestle over the Suchanoochee River in Sumter Co.

15. (tie) February 19, 1884 (26 deaths in Alabama according to the Tornado Project) - A tornado moved across Northeast Alabama into Northwest Georgia in the same area as the Palm Sunday tornado of 1994. A tornado reportedly struck the schoolhouse at Goshen, AL, near Piedmont, blowing it “to atoms.” The schoolmaster was killed and 25 students injured. Part of the Enigma Outbreak, one of the worst in recorded history in the U.S.

12. April 20, 1920 (27 deaths) - An unusual morning onslaught of tornadoes killed 219 people across northern Mississippi and Alabama. The deadliest tornado killed 27 people as it roared across Madison County. Gurley and Brownsboro were hard hit. This deadly outbreak also features the second deadliest twister ever observed in Alabama, a monster that moved across Marion, Franklin, Colbert and Lawrence Counties. Another deadly tornado that day started near Carbon Hill and killed 21 as it moved across Walker, Winston, Cullman and Morgan Counties.

12. May 27, 1917 (27 deaths) - May 27th is a famous day for tornadoes in Alabama. Not only was there a memorable outbreak on this date in 1973, but also in 1917. A deadly F3 twister carved a path across northern Jefferson County into Blount County. Hardest hit was the town of Sayre, where 9 people died. There were so many trees uprooted in Bradford that runners on foot were sent to plead for help.

12. March 21, 1913 (27 deaths) - March 21st is not only famous for the big 1932 outbreak, but for this 1913 tornado that killed 27 people as it tore across Clarke and Wilcox Counties in South Alabama.

11. April 3, 1974 ( 28 deaths) - Two tornadoes from what is arguably Alabama’s worst tornado outbreak. The eleventh deadliest Alabama tornado touched down in Lawrence County and roared across Morgan, Limestone and Madison Counties. 14 people died near Mt. Moriah and 9 near Moulton. Initial reports described it as “big and powerful and taking everything in its path.” Twenty two people were killed by a second tornado that paralleled the path of the this tornado, separated by only 1/2 mile and thirty minutes.

Here a few thoughts as we approach the first major severe weather threat of the year:

*Our live Pinpoint Doppler radar on Double Oak mountain is down this morning... Ron Thomas and our great engineering team will head up on the hill and take a look this weekend; we will do our best to get it back online for Monday and Tuesday. Please use the Birmingham NWS NEXRAD as a backup until we get back in operation.

*The Day 3 SPC severe weather outlook includes the western half of Alabama in a risk for Monday:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day3otlk.html

*Based on the model guidance, it is beginning to look like the greatest risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will now come from 2:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.

*The new 12Z NAM has completed, and our severe weather parameters for noon Tuesday are very, very impressive:

CAPE 2340
Lifted Index -8.9
Surface temperature/dewpoint 73/64
SWEAT Index: 511
Total totals: 59

If you want to learn about severe weather parameters, here is a great site to help you: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/soo/docu/indices.htm

Remember, the ultimate placement of the greatest risk of severe weather will depend on small scale features that we really won't know about until we get within 24 hours of the event. But, there is no doubt we will have a potent severe weather setup late Monday night and Tuesday.

Once again, this is a great time to review your severe weather plan for your home and business. And, if you don't have a NOAA Weather Radio today is a great day to buy one. Be sure and get one with the new digital encoding so you can choose the county for which the alarm sounds (called S.A.M.E.), and with a battery backup.

Hopefully the worst of the weather will pass us by on Tuesday, but we have to be ready.

We will stay in touch this weekend as new data comes in this weekend!