Tornadoes rumble through Alabama as another round of storms threaten the South
Parts of the South are bracing for storms that could bring dangerous tornadoes, only a week after twisters wreaked havoc in several states.
Multiple tornadoes were confirmed across Alabama on Thursday afternoon as a line of intense thunderstorms pushed eastward into north Georgia, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
A fast-moving tornado was reported south of Birmingham near Moundville at 12:21 p.m. CT, weather officials said. In the western part of the state, a ”long lived supercell” spawned a large “wedge” tornado in Calhoun and Cherokee counties, causing significant damage to homes and businesses in its path.
Families in Cahaba, about 60 miles west of Montgomery, had to be pulled from what was left of their homes after a possible tornado touched down there, according to ABC 33/40 News.
A tornado watch was issued early Thursday afternoon for parts of Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, according to weather officials. Strong storms are forecast to move in Thursday evening, bringing the potential for heavy rain, hail the size of tennis balls and wind gusts up to 80 mph.
Parts of the South also remain under severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings.
A wind advisory is in effect for southwest Louisiana and coastal Mississippi through the evening, forecasters said.
The line of storms come on the heels of a similar system that spawned more than two dozen tornadoes across several states last week, including northern Mississippi and Alabama.
A “moderate 4 out of 5 risk level” for storms is predicted through Thursday night in parts of the lower Mississippi Valley, from south of Jackson to north of Memphis and east of Birmingham and Huntsville, according to the National Weather Service.
Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Biloxi is at a level 3 “slight risk.” Local flood warnings have been issued for the Biloxi River and the Wolf Rivers, which is forecast to crest at 10.5 feet by Friday morning, according to emergency management officials in Harrison County.
Forecasters say the most intense “long tracked supercells” are capable of producing “violent tornadoes, very large hail and substantial damaging winds.”
“Thunderstorms will be fast moving, meaning it will be important to take action when warnings are issued and not wait to visually confirm the danger,” Bill Bunting, chief of forecast operations for the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, told Newsweek. “Also, multiple rounds of storms will affect some areas, and people should not lower their guard until all storms have passed.”
Bunting urged residents in the storm track to have a severe weather safety plan in place.
The threat of severe storms in the region is expected to last into early Friday, forecasts show.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Tornadoes rumble through Alabama as another round of storms threaten the South."