Showers and thunderstorms are likely.
The weather service in Birmingham said areas roughly south and west of a line from Reform to Tuscaloosa to Centreville to Selma will have the highest risk of seeing severe storms.
There are no watches at this time. Rain will spread northeast on Friday across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and lower Great Lakes. If a watch is issued, students should be alert and aware that they may need to quickly move to safety. By late Friday night, forcing for ascent may become strong enough southward toward southeast Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama coastal areas, to overcome inhibition and support increasing convective development.
ROUND TWO: This round could develop as the air becomes very unstable Saturday afternoon.
Nigerian airstrike on refugee camp leaves 52 dead
It has been pushed out of most of that territory over the past year by Nigeria's army and troops from neighbouring countries. The Associated Press reported, citing a Borno State official, that the overall death toll may reach 100 or more.
FLASH FLOODING: Rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches are possible. This will certainly impact the Friday morning commute, especially on the earlier end, as it looks like the window for steadiest rain will be from about 5-7am, with lingering showers lasting through mid-morning. The convective layer may be sufficient for low topped supercells, with a risk for strong surface gusts and perhaps a tornado. The threat of unsafe weather will continue, periodically, through Sunday evening. Rain and snow will start first in Washington and OR before shifting south across California and the Rockies. Seas could increase to 15 feet offshore, forecasters say.
Storms could possibly re-fire later Saturday evening and Saturday night across parts of the Gulf Coast region. We are going to see high instability values, deep layer shear, and steep lapse rates, which will promote strong and severe storms in Alabama late tonight through Sunday morning.
Storms early tomorrow morning over Central and South Alabama will be capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. This is when we are expecting the final round of storms to move across Alabama. Damaging winds are also possible.
A sliver of the area is under a "slight" risk of severe weather weather this evening.
