ABC 33/40 Student Weather Center!

Severe Weather

When the weather turns bad...

A thunderstorm is a rain storm that may have strong, gusty winds, hail, and of course, lightning and thunder. In a normal year, Birmingham has thunderstorms on about 58 different days.

Thunderstorms can happen any time of the year and at any time of day. They are most common in Alabama during the warm months of Spring, Summer, and Fall. Most of Alabama’s severe weather occurs in the Spring and Fall.

The spring severe weather season is sometimes called our primary season because that is when severe storms are most common. There is another active period of severe weather in the Fall, and that is called our secondary severe weather season.

Clouds
Severe Thunderstorm (cumulonimbus cloud) in Blount County

Alabama’s Worst Weather

Do you know what to do when severe weather is coming? If you're going to know how to be safe, you first have to understand a few things about severe weather so that it all makes sense!

Severe Thunderstorms are storms that have strong winds (higher than 58 miles per hour) and hail that is the size of a dime or larger.

Severe Thunderstorm:
Thunderstorm at Night	Wind: 58 MPH or higher Hail: 3/4" or larger Lightning Heavy Rain

Tornadoes are violently rotating whirlwinds that form as a part of some severe thunderstorms. For a history on Alabama tornadoes, visit Birmingham's National Weather Service Office!

Tornado:
Tornado in Enterprise, AL	Wind: 40 to 250 MPH+ The storm may also have: Hail: 3/4" or larger Lightning Heavy Rain

Tornado Links:
Storm Chasers
Storm Prediction Center
National Weather Service
Skywarn Storm Spotter Program

Watches & Warnings

Severe Thunderstorm Watch: The weather is threatening, and severe thunderstorms with strong winds, hail, and lightning may soon develop. Stay alert! Watches are issued for a large number of counties, and they usually last less than 6 hours.

Severe Thunderstorm WARNING: A severe thunderstorm is happening right now! Take care of yourself by staying indoors, away from windows. A severe thunderstorm warning is usually issued for a single county, and it normally lasts less than one hour.

Tornado Watch: Severe thunderstorms are possible, and they could have strong winds, hail, lightning, AND TORNADOES. Stay alert!

Tornado WARNING: A severe thunderstorm with a tornado is nearby! Take cover immediately! Tornado warnings are issued for one or two counties at a time, and they last less than one hour.

Staying Safe In Severe Weather

When a Severe Thunderstorm approaches...

*Stay indoors, away from windows.
*Don't use the telephone
*If you are caught outside, stay as low to the ground as possible and get to a sturdy building quickly.
*If you cannot get to a safe building, stay away from trees and power lines! Lightning tends to hit the tallest thing around, so make yourself as low to the ground as possible!

When a Tornado approaches...

* Get inside a sturdy building, on the lowest floor, away from windows!
* A basement or storm shelter is the best place to get away from the storm.
* If you don't have a basement, find a small room (closet, bathroom, or hallway) near the middle of the building you are in. This puts more walls between you and the outside, which gives you more protection from a tornado's destructive winds.

Stay Informed!

ABC 33/40 promises that anytime a county in Central Alabama is under a tornado warning, we will stay on television to track it until the threat is over.

If you cannot watch us on television, you can see our severe weather coverage on the internet here:

Or, on television on ABC 33/40, you may see a map in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. This is our StormWarn map, and it shows counties that are under watches or warnings when the weather is not severe enough for us to stay on television with live coverage:

Image of a tornado
ABC 33/40's Live Coverage of a Tornado near Tuscaloosa

ABC 33/40 Doppler Radar