Covington EMA: Severe storms possible on Wednesday

Published 12:45 pm Tuesday, August 16, 2022

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The Covington County Emergency Management Agency is reporting the possibility of a storm with high winds Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said there is a “Marginal Risk” for strong to severe storms, which actually were expected to begin Tuesday afternoon.

There could be several rounds of strong to severe storm clusters moving into the area from the north-northwest into Wednesday afternoon. The best chance for damaging winds will likely be on Wednesday, officials reported. An upgrade to a slight risk for damaging winds may be possible for Wednesday if confidence continues to increase.

The EMA said the strong to severe storm would be capable of producing damaging winds of up to 60 miles per hour.

The first round of storms was expected Tuesday afternoon and into the early evening. A second round is expected on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

After moving through southeastern Mississippi into coastal southwestern Alabama on Tuesday, the front will cover the entire area on Wednesday. However, the best chances will be along and north of Highway 84 on Wednesday.

Confidence in severe weather on Tuesday was low, but Wednesday confidence is higher as a more organized cluster of storms could develop during the afternoon.

Officials also said dangerous heat indices will develop Wednesday afternoon, ranging from 105 to 110 degrees

Several rounds of heavy rainfall could be possible later this week. Localized flash flooding is a concern as rainfall totals accumulate on already saturated soils.

The EMA’s confidence in the exact location and timing of any heavy rainfall is low; however, confidence in an overall wet pattern and multiple rounds of storms each day is high.