TUSCALOOSA, AL — Strong to severe storms are expected to impact Tuscaloosa and much of West Alabama Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday morning.
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In anticipation of the severe threat, the National Weather Service forecast office in Birmingham has placed the area under a Level 3 “enhanced risk” for severe weather.
LIVE UPDATES:
— No active watches or warnings at this time
— No widespread power outages at this time.
Closures:
Tuscaloosa County School System will have a half-day dismissal time on Wednesday. There will be no after school extended day or after school activities/events.
Tuscaloosa City Schools will dismiss early and all after school activities are canceled. Elementary Schools, The Alberta School of Performing Arts, Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools, will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. Middle Schools and S.T.A.R.S Academy will dismiss at noon; High schools will dismiss at 12:30 p.m.
Shelton State Community College will close at noon today.
The NWS says Tuscaloosa sits within the higher-end threat zone, where forecasters warn conditions will be favorable for multiple rounds of severe storms capable of producing tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail.
The primary window for severe weather in Tuscaloosa is expected to begin around 3 p.m. Wednesday and continue through midnight, though lingering storms could persist into the overnight hours.
Forecasters say the main threats include tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds with gusts up to 60 mph and large hail.
Residents are urged to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts, identify a sturdy shelter location and stay updated on changing conditions throughout the day and overnight.
Tuscaloosa County EMA offers a free emergency notifications service — TuscALERT — that sends updates on severe weather directly to your phone, email or mobile device.
Click here to sign up for TuscALERT.
Click here for a map of other storm shelters across the Tuscaloosa metro.
The Tuscaloosa County EMA website also provides regular updates on when shelters open during severe weather events.
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