Tara Goggins of the National Weather Service in Birmingham said the system posing the threat to the Calhoun County region will enter northwest Alabama early Friday afternoon.
A National Weather Service rep said a new forecast will be created around 4 a.m. Friday to more precisely estimate the time bad weather is expected.
“All the conditions are favorable” for tornadic activity in this system, she said.
The system will be a little pokey as it moves generally southeastward, not reaching Calhoun County until around 9 p.m. — meaning everyone should be able to get home from standard school or work activities without encountering troublesome conditions, Goggins said.
The rough weather, likely to include thunderstorms, hail and still the possibility of a tornado or damaging straight-line winds, is expected to move out long before sunrise Saturday — maybe even as early as 2 a.m, Goggins said.
Areas north of Interstate 20 face the highest threat of tornadoes, she said, emphasizing that the threat rises only as one travels farther north through the state.
From a threat perspective, the greatest probability is for strong, damaging winds around 58 mph and hail to hit the area, said Tim Oram, a meteorologist for the weather service.
