They have diminished into a leftover band of rain across the central part of the state. Embeded in all of that is two fairly strong storms:

* Over North Clay County
* Over North Cleburne County west of Centre

Interesting to watch a line of strong storms moving SE through NW and Central Mississippi. Some of those could move into West Central Alabama late tonight if they don't fizzle.

Rainfdall amounts from today's storms:

0.95 at Riverchase (3340 Weather office)
1.38 at Greystone Cove (James Spann)
0.30 at Helena (in five minutes)
0.54 at Helena (Brian Peters)
0.45 in SE Trussville
0.91 in NE Trussville
0.14 in Clay

We have been teasing Nathan Jones, 3340 WeatherWatcher for Helena about living in the "Helena Desert." Today, he got nearly 1/3 inch in five minutes. Only 1/2 mile away, Brian Peters reported 0.54.

We also have a report of power outages in Alabaster (reported by the public)

That line of thunderstorms that got it's start in far North Alabama early this afternoon was all the way down into Central Alabama tonight.

At 8:00 o'clock, the storms stretched from North Green and North Hale Count in the west, eastward over parts of Bibb, Shelby, Clay and Randolph. The strongest storms were:

* Over the west edge of Bibb County west of the Centreville-Brent area.

* over North Clay in East Alabama

Not a solid line of storms by any means and they are dimininishing slowly as they move south.

Some rainfall from this line of storms:

1.38 inches in Greystone Cove (North Shelby County, James Spann)
0.51 at Helena (Brian Peters)
0.46 Pelham
0.33 at Smith Dam
0.48 in Collinsville
1.20 at Hollins (Clay County)
0.59 at Steele (Extreme North St. Clair)

Line of thunderstorms extended from North Pickens County in West Alabama, eastward across Tuscaloosa, South Jefferson, South St. Clair and North Talladega Counties.

Strongest storms west of the Tuscaloosa-Northport area and across North Pickens along U. S. 82.

In Birmingham Metro area, strongest were over NE Shelby County in the Vandiver-Sterrett area. Outflow boundry (or gust front) from those storms almost down to Talladega.

Storms moving toward SSE.

Lots of lightning and locally heavy rain.

Still no formal warnings this afternoon. We are fortunate.

Thunderstorms have now moved through Pinson, Clay, Chalkville, Trussville and Springville.

Storms are now across the south part of Jefco. A new storm developing in the Oxmoor Valley.

Lot's of lightning with these storms but so far no formal warnings.

In NE Trussville, 0.91 of an inch of rain fell quickly....mostly within 20 minutes.

Now pouring in the NE part of Trussville with visibility only 1/4 mile. Sharp ground strokes but no strong wind so far.

Molly in seclusion...

Life goes on...

That line of thunderstorms (not a solid line) at 5:30 pm extended from South Lamar County in West Alabama eastward across South Fayette, North Tuscaloosa, West and North Jefferson, St Clair (near Springville and Ashville) and to North Cleburne.

Storms moving SE

Lots of lightning.

Strongest storms now moving across NE Jefferson toward Chalkville, Pinson, Clay and Trussville.

So far, no formal warnings this afternoon.

Now getting dark with thunder and lightning in NE Trussville

In East Mississippi, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the West Point-Columbus area until 6:30.

The line of thunderstorms across north Alabama at 4 pm extended from...

Along the Marion-Fayette County line on the west side of the state eastward across North Walker, Cullman, North Blount, Etowah and Cherokee County.

Movement is ESE.

Some of the strongest storms will be moving across Walker County. A strong storm was also near Good Hope, south of Cullman.

Lots of lightning involved.

Some of the strongest storms may produce high winds also.

Storms generally not as strong as yesterday and definately not as widespread.

CORRECTION
In the afternoon WeatherFax, 7-Day Discussion and E-Forecast, I referred to the next named storm as Catrina. Definately knew better. I knew it was the "K" storm--thus Katrina.

Blame it on deadline pressure, fatigue or hunger, or a combination of the three!

Life goes on, despite the errors...

The Tuesday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

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

About 30 minutes ago NHC has upgraded the system over the southern Bahamas as tropical depression 12. We had figured this was still tropical depression 10, but I guess NHC figures there has been enough of a change in organization for the new number.

Model spread is pretty wild; the Canadian is an outlier to the west, taking the system to the Texas/Louisiana border toward the middle of next week. The GFS (12Z run) wants to keep thing thing in the Atlantic, moving just parallel to the coast of Florida. The GFDL cuts the system across southern Florida and into the Gulf. Watch the video for details on model output.

I think the 00Z runs will tell a better story since we have a well defined surface low now. Way, way too early to be trying to call a landfall on this one, but just be aware that there COULD be a threat to the Gulf coast as early as Sunday, but more likely next week. And, it COULD very well stay over on the Atlantic side of Florida and keep us high and dry here.

Will be very interesting to see which system gets named Katrina, and which gets named Lee. The system is well developed in the eastern Atlantic near 17N and 35W... looks like a tropical storm to us right now. That one should turn northward before getting anywhere close to the U.S. mainland.

THIS AFTERNOON: Lightning is ramping up big time in Marion and Winston county as I write this. More big time summer storms will continue through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening hours.

The GFS shows drier air slipping in here tomorrow and Thursday, but we will keep the chance of afternoon storms in scattered spots. We could be completely rain-free on Friday and Saturday as the wedge sets up and dry air moves in from the east.

And, again, the weather late in the weekend and early next week will all depend on the development and placement of TD number 12 (Katrina or Lee....

J.B. will be on Storm Watch here on the blog for the rest of the afternoon... back to radar duty!

At 2:45 pm, a line of thunderstorms was across North Alabama from north of Hamilton, in Marion County, eastward across parts of Winston, Morgan, Marshall, South Dekalb and North Cherokee.

The line of storms moving toward the ESE.

Some of the storms are already producing far more lightning than we want to see.

Hurricane reconnaissance aircraft have found that a tropical depression was forming in the disturbed weather over the southeastern Bahamas, so the National Hurricane Center has begun issuing statements on the twelfth tropical depression of the 2005 hurricane season.

Aircraft data along with suface reports indicated that a tropical depression was forming in the area of disturbed weather located over the southeastern Bahamas, an area of disturbed weather we've been mentioning for several days. The center of the broad circulation was estimated to be near the southern portion of Long Island in the southeastern Bahama Islands. Surface winds are around 35 mph or just below tropical storm strength, so the Hurricane Center will being advisories at 4 pm CDT today.

Tropical storm watches and/or warnings will probably be required for portions of the central and northwestern Bahamas later today.

If it achieves tropical storm strength, it will be named Katrina.

-Brian-