From the National Weather Service in Birmingham:

Severe thunderstorms will be possible across all of Central Alabama this evening through Friday morning as a strong cold front moves over the area. Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes will be the main threats as a squall line is expected to move through the state just out ahead of the cold front. The best potential for severe weather will be for the red highlighted area, or for locations to the north and west of a line from Selma to Clanton to Centre. Forecast times of when the front will move through are included, but are subject to change…

Here are the relative threat levels for the possible severe weather this evening through Friday morning. The greatest threat will be of damaging winds with the squall line, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. Large hail will also be a secondary concern with this system. Since we’ll get some heavy rainfall in a short period of time, there could be some drainage issues that could lead to some very localized flooding, so we’ve also bumped up the flooding threat to low.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1126 AM CST THU FEB 20 2014
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AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
1126 AM CST THU FEB 20 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE…THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA STARTING AS EARLY AS 6 PM TODAY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES…AND LASTING AS LATE AS 5 AM FRIDAY MORNING IN THE SOUTHEAST. THE PRIMARY THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SEVERE WEATHER RISK IS DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS…ALTHOUGH ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THE AREA WITH THE GREATEST THREAT OF DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OR AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL BE NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM SELMA…TO CLANTON…TO CENTRE. THE TORNADO THREAT DECREASES TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS STILL POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.

WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO EXIST THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE THE LINE OF

STORMS ARRIVE. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE…THAT COULD BRING DOWN WEAKENED TREES OR LIMBS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

DRIER CONDITIONS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO HIGH FIRE DANGER ON FRIDAY…ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 85 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 65.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.