Don’t let yourself get caught off guard with the break in storms this afternoon. Any breaks in the clouds allowing sunshine and heat have actually increased the risk for tornadoes and severe weather for some of us.

Storms are expected to fire up again later this evening and go through the night.

The latest from the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service is:

A Level 3 risk covers southwestern Alabama including Demopolis, Selma, Butler, Camden, Grove Hill, Greenville, Andalusia, Mobile, and the Gulf Coast communities. In this zone, severe storms are likely with tornadoes possible. There is also a risk for damaging winds, hail, and heavy rainfall.

A Level 2 risk covers the rest of the state except for a small area of a Level 1 in northeastern Alabama. Risks in these areas are the same as above without the same level of confidence in widespread storms.