Dothan, Ala. (WDNews) — A line of severe storms is expected to move into Alabama later today, bringing the potential for damaging winds, tornadoes, hail and heavy rainfall across the state.
Forecasts show the storms entering northwest Alabama this afternoon before pushing south through the state during a 12-hour window between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. Officials say strong winds may pose the greatest threat, especially after earlier storms this week left weakened tree limbs and trees that could fall onto power lines.
Alabama Power says crews are prepared to respond if outages occur. The company recently restored electricity to more than 27,000 customers following storms earlier this week and has teams ready to respond again tonight if needed.
The utility also uses advanced forecasting technology known as SPEAR — Storm Planning, Estimated Time of Restoration and Reporting — to predict how storms could affect the power grid and determine where crews should be positioned ahead of time.
Customers may notice brief flickers in their power during storms. Alabama Power says this is often caused by automated systems rerouting electricity around damaged sections of the line to prevent longer outages.
Officials are urging residents to stay weather aware and follow updates from local emergency management agencies and weather officials.
Residents are also reminded to stay away from downed power lines and assume they are energized. Downed lines can be reported to Alabama Power at 1-800-888-2726 or through local law enforcement.
Customers can also sign up for outage alerts or view the outage map at AlabamaPower.com to track outages and estimated restoration times.
