Severe weather possible for parts of Alabama on New Year’s Eve

Published 9:49 am Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Parts of Alabama may see severe weather on the last day of 2020 as a storm system moves through the region.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has much of the southwest portion of Alabama forecast with a slight risk for severe weather on Thursday and a marginal risk over the central part of the state.

A slight risk is Level 2 out of 5 and means scattered severe storms will be possible. A marginal risk is Level 1 and means the severe storms could be more isolated.

“Forecast trends continue to indicate the chance for severe storms Thursday afternoon through Thursday night. Localized flooding and wind gusts outside of the storms will also be hazards on Thursday,” NWS officials in Birmingham posted on social media.

Because storms could affect parts of the state during the overnight hours, it will be important to have a way to get weather warnings at all hours of the night.

Heavy rain could be an issue statewide, and the weather service said 1 to 3 inches will be possible through Friday evening.

Forecasters also expect it to be windy, even away from storms. The weather service said 30 to 40 mph wind gusts won’t be out of the question on Thursday into Friday.

The best chances of seeing strong storms will be across southwest Alabama, according to the weather service, but isolated strong to severe storms will be possible across much of the rest of the state as well.