An approaching cold front has forecasts calling for severe weather state-wide Friday and Saturday, with Saturday being rated a three out of five severe threat.
The threat scale is one to five, with five being the highest chance of severe weather. Almost the entire state is under that elevated threat for Saturday, with the exception being the portion of Lauderdale County that juts over into northeast Mississippi.
Having the state under a level three threat is unusual, said Jason Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. On average the statewide elevated threat occurs one to two times a year, he said.
Storm clouds at sunset at the Eat South farm in downtown Montgomery, Ala., on August 28, 2018.
Severe weather can, and does, happen any time in Alabama, but the period of March through May is considered to be when chances are greatest for severe weather. The weekend has a complicated forecast, with the cold front hooking up with two low pressure systems.
Here’s what to expect.
Friday severe weather threat
All forms of severe weather are possible Friday night and into Saturday morning; possible tornadoes, winds up to 60 miles per hour, quarter-sized hail and torrential rains.
The northwest corner of the state, including the cities of Hamilton, Florence and Jasper are in a three out of five threat level. The cities of Gadsden, Tuscaloosa and Selma are in an area with a two out of five threat. Montgomery and points south are in a one of five level threat area.
The timing for the event is 9 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday
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Saturday severe weather threat
There won’t be much of a break in the severe weather threat early Saturday morning. Forecasts are calling for the possibility of tornadoes, with some strong tornadoes, winds up to 70 m.p.h., golf ball-sized hail and torrential rain.
Timing has the greatest threat of severe weather taking place Saturday afternoon in the western counties and overnight into Sunday morning for the southeastern counties.
The threat could last several hours, with severe thunderstorms forming ahead of the cold front, and then a squall line of storms as the front passes, Davis said.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Rare, statewide tornado threat arrives this weekend in Alabama