On Friday morning the August 21, 1992, Tropical Storm Andrew was located a little under 500 miles north of Puerto Rico, moving west northwest. I was a working at Channel 42 in Birmingham as the relief on-camera weather man.

I went in at noon to check the latest on the storm. It was clearly evident that the storm was slowly strengthening under favorable upper air conditions. The official forecast was for it to become a hurricane within 24 hours.

The forecast brought the storm to the east of the northern Bahamas by the following Monday morning, and to Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday. By the afternoon, Emergency Management Officials across Florida were told that nothing should happen during the weekend, letting their guard down.

By Saturday morning, it was evident that the forecast was wrong and the emergency management process shifted into high gear. Andrew would strengthen more dramatically than expected and move westward faster than anticipated, making landfall south of Miami on Sunday night as a Category 5 Hurricane.

Andrew was only the third Category Five storm to ever hit the United States.

Here is a picture of a view that I'll probably never see in person. This was sent in by Danny Peoples showing the sunrise from Mt. Haleakala on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Danny did not send any particulars on the the picture, so I looked up Haleakala on the Internet.

Haleakala National Park preserves the outstanding volcanic landscape of the upper slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui and protects the unique and fragile ecosystems of Kipahulu Valley, the scenic pools along Oheo Gulch, and many rare and endangered species. Haleakala, originally part of Hawaii National Park, was redesignated as a separate entity in July 1961. Haleakala National Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. Of its 30,183 acres, 24,719 acres are designated wilderness. The volcanic peak juts 10,000 feet over the warm Pacific water. Quoted from the National Park Service web site.

What a gorgeous view. Thanks for sending in the picture, Danny.

Sunrise from Mt. Haleakala

-Brian-

Had to post that last report quickly since the storm over eastern Shelby and western Talladega is very dangerous...

Elsewhere...

Besides the Shelby/Talladega storm, things have calmed a bit. Storms extend from eastern Shelby through Talladega into Clay County and then wrap back up into Randolph County at this hour.

An area of moderate rain covers much of eastern Calhoun, Cherokee and Cleburne Counties.

Lighter showers are over parts of Jefferson and St. Clair Counties.

Storms are picking up in intensity over Northwest Alabama. They are over parts of Marion, Franklin and Colbert Counties.

Expanding our view, things have calmed considerably over the Southeast. Storms are still occurring over western Tennessee near Memphis, back into Arkansas.

Our weak front is stationary over northern Tennessee this evening. It will continue to spark storms tomorrow, as well as possibly a few more overnight tonight. One other factor tomorrow will be all these outflow boundaries lying across the countryside. Each one a little miniature cold front for storm development tomorrow.

If you are around a storm, remember lightning kills...also watch out for torrential rains that can blind you while you are driving. The stronger storms could contain some damaging winds....

Some pretty mean storms still out there this evening...

The meanest is the one near Childersburg. It has very intense lightning with it. Skywatcher Brandon Robinson reports that the storm is very severe. He says they are really being hammered. The storm is crossing US-280. It extends between Harpersville and Childersburg. Reports limbs coming down. Estimates winds to at least 50 mph.

Storm is moving toward Wilsonville and Talladega Springs, affecting extreme eastern Shelby County and western Talladega County. Watch out for samll hail, winds capable of bringing down limbs and even trees as well as deadly lightning....

These are not all of the thunderstorms--just some of the main ones:

* Storm over NE Jefferson County is weaker.

* Strong thunderstorms across Central and South St. Clair County including Odenville, Riverside and Pell City. These extend into North Clay County.

* Gust to 47 mph when these passed Anniston Airport at Oxford.

* In SW Shelby County, a thunderstorm brought brief heavy rain and dropped the temperature from 94 to 83. That storm, at 6:45 was SW of Alabaster and NW of Calera. Moving SW. Still lots of lightning around Alabaster.

A strong thunderstorm over NE Jefferson County moving south.

It was located near Palmerdale and headed south generally toward Pinson, Center Point and possibly Birmingham. Plenty of lightning and probably strong gusty winds.

It was part of a line of storms that extended eastward across Central St. Clair County to near Anniston, North Clay County and South Cleburne.

Some of the strongest storms of all ar near the Alabama-Georgia border over South Cleburne and North Clay County.

Earlier, there was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Columbus, Ga., area. Much lightning in that area.

An irregular line of thunderstorms continues across North central and East Alabama.

At 6 o'clock, these storms extended from Cullman and Blount County eastward to St. Clair, Calhoun and Cleburne County.

Moving south.

Producing lorts of lightning and some areas also getting heavy rain.

Further south, NWS has a Significant Weather Alert for Clay, Talladega, Russell and Lee County until 7 pm.

And...up in NW Alabama a few strong thunderstorms over Colbert and Franklin County.

Broken line of storms from Northwest Alabama through Winston...Cullman and Blount Counties...then to the strongest storm in the state along the Calhoun/Eotwah County line from Glencoe over to Piedmont...it is dropping into Calhoun County.

A storm dropping out of Cullman into Blount County will pass near Oneonta...

In Jefferson County...a storm is over downtown...it is pouring at our Skycam site in downtown...peak wind gust so far only 15 mph...also storm keeps backbuilding over northeastern part of County between Pinson...Chalkville and Clay...an inch of rain may have fallen so far over a small area near Village Springs...

Other storms are over Coosa...SW Chilton and southern Bibb Counties.

The big storm in Randolph County is near Wedowee.

In the Tennessee Valley...the NWS Huntsville has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Colbert County for a storm near Leighton.

All activity is moving generally south at 20 mph. All storms are capable of blinding rains, gusty winds and dangerous lightning.

Thunderstorms continue across North and Central Alabama this afternoon...

A line of storms is dropping south across North Central Alabama. It extends from Colbert and Franklin Counties, then into Lawrence, Winston, Morgan and Cullman Counties then over into Etowah and Cherokee Counties.

It is dropping south at about 20 mph.

Other notable storms are...

Over eastern Jefferson County from north of Pinson to down to Center Point and then to east of the Airport. This activity will be approaching Irondale. Other storms have developed just north of downtown.

A big storm is over Randolph County. This storm is pretty close to being severe.

Intensifying storms are other eastern Etowah and Cherokee Counties from Hokes Bluff to southeast of Centre.

Other storms are over Bibb... Coosa and Chilton Counties. The strongest storm is along State Route 22 near Stanton, moving toward Plantersville in Perry County.

Move into safe shelter if a storm approaches your location.

Widely scattered thunderstorms continue across Central Alabama this afternoon.

They were located in the following areas just before 4 p.m....

...near Gorgas in eastern Walker County...
...just north of Ashland in Clay County...
...near the Shelby County Airport (weakening)...
...northeast of Clanton in Chilton County...
...developing over Coosa County west of Rockford

Significant weather alert (one stop short of a severe thunderstorm warning for Coosa and Chilton from the latter storms...

The temperature at the NWS near the Shelby County Airport dropped from a high of 94 to 80 with the thunderstorm over the station. The high so far at the Birmingham International Airport has been 94.

Showers are trying to develop over Northeast Jefferson County...a neat little storm was near Clay dropping south toward Trussville...

Other showers were over St. Clair, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties...

To the north...a line of storms was filling in and dropping south across the Tennessee Valley...it was entering WInston and Cullman Counties and across northern Marshall and DeKalb Counties. It will affect most of us later. It is moving SSE at 20. On that pace, it could affect the Birmingham Metro area before 7 p.m.

Over western Georgia, some impressive storms were trying to migrate west into Alabama. One of the strongest was just east of Cherokee County, Alabama. It is having a hard time crossing the border. The storms over Marshall county will affect East Central Alabama later, including Cherokee County.

Numerous severe thunderstorm warnings have been coming out of Arkansas.

Go inside if a storm approaches you...