A tornado watch is now in effect across NW Florida until 7 AM as a line of severe thunderstorms develops to the west and moves toward the Gulf Coast.
The current Tornado Watch includes counties shaded in yellow
Storms are organizing along a cold front stretching from the Midwest into Texas. A surge of warm, humid Gulf air ahead of the system is helping fuel thunderstorms now forming over Louisiana that are expected to strengthen and push east overnight.
The greatest threats with this line of storms include damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph and the potential for a few tornadoes, some of which could be strong. The Storm Prediction Center places the region under a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe weather.
The entire WEAR viewing area is in a level 2/5 severe storm risk
Timing currently calls for storms to move into southwest Alabama around midnight, with the strongest part of the line pushing east into Northwest Florida between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Thursday.
Timing for the main line of storms will be after midnight and into early Thursday morning{ }
While heavy rainfall is also possible, the fast-moving nature of the storms should help limit the overall flooding threat.
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Residents across coastal Alabama and Northwest Florida are encouraged to stay weather aware overnight and ensure they have multiple ways to receive warnings in case severe storms develop.
