City of Anniston issued the following announcement on March 21.
SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE TUESDAY: While dry weather will continue across Alabama today and tomorrow with highs in the 70s, we have another active day ahead Tuesday.
The best combination of instability, shear, and dynamic support will come together over the western half of the state, mainly west of I-65 and south of I-22.
SPC has defined an “enhanced risk” (level 3/5) of severe thunderstorms for parts of West and Southwest Alabama… west of a line from Tuscaloosa to Mobile. A “slight risk” (level 2/5) extends as far east as Fayette, Clanton, and Enterprise, and a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) to Athens, Anniston, and Dothan.
TIMING: For the western half of the state, the core window for severe thunderstorms will come from 1:00 until 10:00 p.m. Tuesday. Storms will linger into East Alabama after midnight, but they will be weakening at that point.
THREATS: All modes of severe thunderstorms will be possible, including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes… mainly in the enhanced and slight risk areas. A few strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher) are possible in West Alabama in the “enhanced risk” area in the broad zone from Tuscaloosa to Mobile.
WIND: Gradient winds (not related to thunderstorms) will increase during the day Tuesday, with gusts in the 30/40 mph range likely by afternoon. Gusts to 40/45 mph will be possible across the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama… a wind advisory will be needed.
RAIN: Rain amounts will be in the 1-3 inch range across Alabama Tuesday and Tuesday night; some flooding issues are possible with the heavier storms that move through.
BE READY: Have a reliable way of hearing severe weather warnings (NEVER an outdoor siren)…. be sure you have a NOAA Weather Radio properly programmed and with a fresh backup battery. On your phone, be sure “emergency alerts” are enabled in notification settings, and have the free ABC 33/40 Weather app installed.
Know your safe place, and have helmets for everyone. If you live in a mobile home, know where you are going (community shelter, business, etc), and the quickest way to get there. And be sure you have transportation.
REMEMBER: These kind of events are common in Alabama during our tornado season. Don’t get hung up in the hysteria spread by some on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Be ready, and we will get through the day together.
Rain ends early Wednesday, and the rest of the week and the following weekend look dry and pleasant.
Original source can be found here.
