The National Weather Service has placed Hale County under a tornado watch until 7:00 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, March 22. The NWS Birmingham office announced tornado watch 62 at around 12:30 that afternoon.
The storm system was traveling over Mississippi at the time of the watch, where it had already produced several tornado watches and warnings.
In the Black Belt, the tornado watch as announced at 12:40 p.m. includes Greene, Hale, Marengo, and Pickens Counties, as well as most of the rest of the counties along Alabama’s western border.
“A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible,” read the NWS warning. The weather concerns also extended to wind, flooding, and hail: “Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts
to 75 mph possible. Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible.”
Supercells may form in West Alabama in advance of the main storm system, NWS warned, and these potential developments carry a heightened risk of dangerous tornadoes.
