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Severe Weather Threat May 20-21, 2025

East-Central AL storms still troublesome. SPC MD says tornado, wind threat will continue for a few more hours.
Mesoscale Discussion 0917
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1125 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

Areas affected...North-central Alabama...Northern Georgia

Concerning...Tornado Watch 308...309...

Valid 210425Z - 210630Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 308, 309 continues.

SUMMARY...A severe threat may continue for a couple more hours
across north-central Alabama and northern Georgia. An isolated
tornado threat, along with a potential for hail and severe wind
gusts will continue.

DISCUSSION...The latest mosaic radar imagery shows a broken line
segment with multiple embedded supercells over parts of northern
Georgia and north-central Alabama. A moist but weakly unstable
airmass is located to the southeast of the line. Across this
airmass, surface dewpoints are in the mid to upper 60s F, and the
RAP has MLCAPE from 500 to 1000 J/kg. In addition, the WSR-88D VWP
near Atlanta has 0-6 km shear near 60 knots, and 0-3 km
storm-relative helicity near 370 m2/s2. This will support an
isolated tornado threat over the next couple of hours, with the
strongest of supercells. Recently, a transition to more linear
structure has occurred with many of the cells. As this transition
continues to occur, isolated wind damage will be possible with the
more organized line segments.

..Broyles/Gleason.. 05/21/2025

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...FFC...BMX...

LAT...LON 33708666 34218527 34568440 34498395 34278391 34028407
33858431 33328563 33028656 32748742 32768782 32918796
33068796 33248772 33708666

MOST PROBABLE PEAK TORNADO INTENSITY...100-130 MPH
MOST PROBABLE PEAK WIND GUST...55-70 MPH
MOST PROBABLE PEAK HAIL SIZE...1.00-1.75 IN
Click to expand...

Storm Prediction Center Mesoscale Discussion 917

Severe weather, tornado, thunderstorm, fire weather, storm report, tornado watch, severe thunderstorm watch, mesoscale discussion, convective outlook products from the Storm Prediction Center.
www.spc.noaa.gov
 
AL/GA storm getting pretty suspect. Wouldn't be surprised to see it go TOR soon.
Edit: SVR, TOR possible issued by FFC.
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
1234 AM EDT Wed May 21 2025

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Haralson County in northwestern Georgia...

* Until 115 AM EDT.

* At 1234 AM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Mars Hills,
or 11 miles west of Buchanan, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage
to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Buchanan, Bremen, Tallapoosa, Waco, and Draketown.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain alert for a possible tornado! Tornadoes can develop quickly
from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the
basement or small central room in a sturdy structure.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

If you see wind damage...hail or flooding...wait until the storm has
passed...and then call the National Weather Service toll free
at 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6 or tweet us your report at NWSATLANTA.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 200 AM EDT for northwestern
Georgia.

&&

LAT...LON 3388 8505 3384 8504 3381 8504 3381 8505
3372 8505 3369 8512 3369 8513 3370 8513
3369 8516 3370 8535 3389 8539
TIME...MOT...LOC 0434Z 277DEG 25KT 3380 8538

TORNADO...POSSIBLE
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH
Click to expand...
1747802043325.png
 
Clancy said:
AL/GA storm getting pretty suspect. Wouldn't be surprised to see it go TOR soon.
Edit: SVR, TOR possible issued by FFC.

View attachment 42910
Click to expand...
Undergoing a split. Two separate circulations, with one jutting off to the north a bit, and the other moving just south of due east.
1747802535050.png
 
Still some embedded mesos this late, and some almost semi discrete structures back into AL; never really did transition to the bowing clusters I kinda expected. Very interesting day and night, might have underperformed in places for damaging wind threat but a much more robust supercell tornado day than I had thought it'd turn out to be
 
Equus said:
Still some embedded mesos this late, and some almost semi discrete structures back into AL; never really did transition to the bowing clusters I kinda expected. Very interesting day and night, might have underperformed in places for damaging wind threat but a much more robust supercell tornado day than I had thought it'd turn out to be
Click to expand...
Very much not the rainy mess I figured it'd turn into.
KMXX_loop.gif
 
Everything isolated is still rotating. The rest of the kinematics just aren't there. The mid level lapse rates aren't high enough to force those explosive updrafts, which means the atmosphere is mostly stable. Just learned about LRs with the April 28th MN/IA bu$t. Doesn't mean all that hot, wet air isn't evacuating the area as quickly as possible, and stable atmospheres can still blast folks quite efficiently.

What we traded away in strong tornadoes we gained back in insane swaths of strong winds. I just looked it up and i'm kind of flabbergasted. There have been 3,589 storm reports since May 14th. It's tough to comprehend the costs homeowners and insurance companies are facing. regional roofing companies hit the jackpot with all this hail. Arborists too with all this wind.
 
Last edited:
Very solid forecast by SPC yesterday - even the northward constriction of higher tornado probs during the afternoon! There will likely be a number of additional tornado reports in the coming days - there was at least 1 confirmed tornado in Middle Georgia early this morning. Pretty much a perfect scenario to put out an Enhanced Risk for as well. Yesterday was a really interesting setup for the Deep South, featuring a combination of upper-level and mesoscale features that made this event somewhat unique - a very late-Spring season, synoptically-driven tornado event, with discrete supercells lasting into the late evening after dark and robust QLCS mesocyclones persisting well after midnight. Hopefully this will be the last organized, significant severe threat for the Spring and Summer season in the South. Also, haven't heard of any serious injuries yet, and I hope it stays that way.
1747846866261.png
 
Interesting TOR Stats for NWS Huntsville CWA in May:

118 total (1950 to 2024)
Strongest May tornadoes was F4 intensity on May 18th, 1995 and May 19th, 1973
The last tornadoes occurred in May 2024
EF1 tornado on May 26th, 2022

ArcGIS Web Application

noaa.maps.arcgis.com noaa.maps.arcgis.com
 
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