Why Our Severe Weather Threat is Minimal on Tuesday

Hello, I'm CBS 42 Chief Meteorologist, David Sawyer.

A developing storm system off to the west will come our way on Tuesday. Winds will increase out of the south between 10 and 20 mph boosting temperatures to the upper 60s, which is about 10 degrees above normal. Although a stray shower can't be ruled out during the day on Tuesday, the more likely chance of showers and thunderstorms will arrive as the front crosses central Alabama Tuesday evening and overnight.

Now, you may wonder about the very mild air we expect on Tuesday clashing with this approaching cold front and ask, "Why don't we have another threat of severe weather?" Well, the latest forecast information shows the most unstable air confined to the Gulf Coast. The main component we study when evaluating the instability of the atmosphere is the dew point, when is a measure of moisture. Generally, severe thunderstorms need dew points greater than 63 degrees to become a significant threat. These richer dew point readings are not forecasted to get much farther north than the Interstate 10 corridor. As a result, the best chance of severe weather will stay in the southern part of our state primarily toward Mbile. There may be a few strong thunderstorms in the CBS 42 viewing area, but the severe threat remains minimal for us.