Hurricane Irma Slowing Down, But Still Expected to Have Impact on Eastern and Central Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Hurricane Irma is moving slower than it was yesterday, but it is still expected to have noticeable impacts across the eastern half of Central Alabama through Monday night. Wind gusts of 35 to 45 MPH are already occurring across far southeast Alabama at this time. Several school systems have announced they will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of disaster for Alabama earlier Saturday in anticipation of Irma heading toward the state. The tropical storm warning issued by the National Weather Service includes Gadsden, Anniston, Sylacauga, Alexander City, Auburn, Montgomery, Troy, and Dothan. It does not include Birmingham or Huntsville.

According to WBMA meteorologist James Spann, the highest winds across Alabama will come from about 12:00 noon today through 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. Winds over the eastern counties, in the tropical storm warning, will average 30-40 MPH with higher gusts, especially on ridges. For the rest of the state in the wind advisory, winds will average 20-30 MPH with an occasional higher gust. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

According to the NWS office in Birmingham, conditions will worsen through the afternoon and evening as strong winds spread northward with gusts possibly reaching 55 MPH. Scattered tree and power line damage is possible along with power outages. Some minor structural damage is also possible. The greatest wind gusts and impacts are expected to be generally along and east of a line from Oneonta to Sylacauga to Montgomery to Troy. Conditions will are expected to gradually improve on Tuesday as Irma continues to move northwestward into Western Tennessee.

National storm updates can be found here. A Tropical Storm Warning was issued Sunday for counties east of I-65, but Monday, almost all of Central Alabama will be under some form of severe weather advisory during the day. Spann said rain amounts of 2-4 inches are possible over East Alabama, with 1-2 inches for the rest of the state between now and early tomorrow morning. Major flooding issues are not expected. And, there is no risk of tornado in Alabama today.

Tornado watches went up Sunday afternoon for many counties in Irma's path. In the Tampa Bay area, watches are in effect until 12 a.m. Monday for Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Polk and Hernando counties. Tornado watches mean that conditions are favorable for tornado development.
With the threat of Irma still looming large, communities across the Tampa Bay area announced curfews Sunday afternoon. Residents of Tampa, Manatee County and Temple Terrace were among those affected by curfews.

"We must also be prepared to help meet the needs of our neighboring states that may face the brunt of the storm," Gov. Ivey said. "I have spoken with Governor Scott of Florida and pledged the full support of the people of Alabama. I am also remaining in contact with my emergency operations team to monitor any threat Irma may pose to our state. In that vein, I have declared a State of Emergency so that we can respond however necessary at the appropriate time."

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(Image courtesy of the National Weather Service)