Update 10:20pm EST: Governor of Alabama declares a state of emergency.
MONTGOMERY—
Today, Governor Robert Bentley declared a State of Emergency for all Alabama counties as a result of severe weather impacting the state. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail, and straight line winds began moving into the state earlier in the day.
"This is a serious storm that has already caused significant damage across the South. I hope Alabamians take extreme caution while these storms move through,” said Governor Bentley. “When this weather system is no longer a threat, we are prepared to assist our citizens and communities that have been severely affected.”
There are confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns in the following Alabama counties: Monroe, Greene, Marengo, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Choctaw. Multiple injuries have been reported in Sumter, Greene and Marengo counties. One fatality has been confirmed in Marengo County.
Sixty nine tornado reports have been made on a swath from Mississippi to Alabama.
Update: 11:11 pm EST
Conditions now favor intensification of a line of severe storms in southwestern Alabama, north of Mobile. Hundreds of thousands of people in the vicinity could be affected by these severe storms.
.........
Update: Storm rotation on radar, which may indicate a large tornado, has been confirmed in central Alabama. Because it's night, it hasn't been officially confirmed to be a tornado. It's now east of Selma.
..........
The massive list of recent tornado reports can be found here. It's now upto 70. Very warm moist unstable air in front of an intense low pressure system moving in from the southern plains is triggering lines of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across the southland.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Exceptionally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico for the time of year, contrasted with snow to the north of the low pressure area has set the stage for the tornado outbreak.
A severe thunderstorm with rotation indicative of a possible tornado is moving from Demopolis, Alabama towards Selma and Montgomery. A number of additional tornado warnings have been issued across Alabama and Georgia. It's going to be a long, lonely night in Georgia.
Conditions are ripe for tornadoes on an intensifying line of storms crossing into southwestern Alabama from southern Mississippi.
Updated by FishOutofWater at Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 09:48 PM EDT
Mobile Alabama NWS simplified map of tornado hazard in Alabama.
Updated by FishOutofWater at Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 10:03 PM EDT
Weatherdude records a tornado warning in Mobile. The tornado passed north, out of sight of the video.
Updated by FishOutofWater at Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 10:14 PM EDT
A severe weather event forecast has been issued for tomorrow April 16 by the Raleigh, NC NWS office. The highest risk for severe storms tomorrow is in the late afternoon and early evening hours in eastern North Carolina.
Updated by FishOutofWater at Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 10:48 PM EDT
Tomorrow's severe weather outlook for the Carolinas from the NWS
...SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG UPPER TROUGH WILL EJECT NEWD OUT OF THE GULF COAST STATES AND INTO THE MID ATLANTIC BY 00Z. AT THE SURFACE...A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT WILL EXTEND SEWD FROM A SURFACE LOW THAT WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES. AS THIS FRONT WILL CROSSES THE APPALACHIANS...MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AS INTENSE WIND FIELDS ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG UPPER JET CORE OVERSPREAD THE AREA.
...WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND A FEW STRONG TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CNTRL AND ERN CAROLINAS ON SATURDAY...