Strong storms could be making their way across southern Alabama once again starting tonight.
The storms, which could produce isolated tornadoes will likely start late this afternoon and should dissipate by early Wednesday morning. Areas along the line between Camden and Mobile and later the I-65 corridor will likely be affected by the storms.
Joe Maniscalco is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mobile. He says the storms come from a combination of factors.
“Wind profiles are really gonna be strengthening up tomorrow. We’re gonna start seeing an environment that’s gonna become more unstable. And with the degree of moisture that will be in place, we’re expecting an elevated risk of severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon tomorrow.”
Those in the path of the storm can stay up to date on the forecast and on how to stay prepared through the NWS website.
The National Weather Service’s latest storm spotter class comes while Alabama gears up for tonight’s rough weather.
Tonight’s SKYWARN class will be in Lauderdale County near Huntsville. Forecasters are looking for help in identifying possible storms in the future. The course consists of two parts. Part one is the Basic Training class followed by the Graduate Storm Spotter class.
John De Block is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Birmingham. He says weather geeks can benefit as well as regular citizens…
“At the National Weather Service we offer Storm spotter training classes typically twice a year, ahead of the peeks in our severe weather season. Our equipment and our radar are great, but we really need some boots on the ground, folks to be able to tell us what they are seeing to help us out in our warning process.”
The National Weather Service will follow up tonight’s class with one in Morgan County on Thursday.
The Birmingham City Council has voted to expedite a minimum wage increase. However, state lawmakers are considering legislation to strip local officials of the ability to alter compensation and benefits.
The city council would raise the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour beginning February 25th.
City leaders initially sought to implement the first stage of the increase July 1, but voted to move the effective date to March 1 as Rep. David Faulkner filed a bill mandating uniform minimum wages throughout Alabama and preventing municipalities from establishing their own.
Alabama has no state minimum and uses the federal minimum of $7.25.