Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday issued a state of emergency for all 67 counties as weather forecasts predict severe storms, and potential for tornadoes, on Wednesday.
Ivey’s state of emergency went into effect Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. The National Weather Service predicts severe thunderstorms are likely Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday morning across all of Central Alabama.
“Threats include strong long track tornadoes, large hail up to tennis ball size, and damaging winds up to 80 mph. Winds may gust to near 35 mph outside of thunderstorms Wednesday night. Locally heavy rainfall may cause minor flooding of poor drainage areas Wednesday and Wednesday night,” according to the NWS weather outlook.
Severe Weather Update: A significant severe weather event is likely on Wednesday. Strong to violent tornadoes are expected. Ultimately, the risk colors do not matter – everyone in Central AL is at risk of seeing severe weather. #alwx pic.twitter.com/RbXHK7NsVv
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 17, 2021
“The threat for potentially dangerous weather is rising for much of Alabama tomorrow,” Ivey said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, I have issued a state of emergency for all 67 counties to ensure we are ready to act in any way needed from the state level.”
“Projections are showing that this will likely be a widespread event, with some of the most severe weather anticipated late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning,” Ivey continued. “Please make preparations now in the event your area is impacted in some way. I will continue keeping a close eye on the system and encourage every Alabamian to do the same.”
