MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Getting ready for Christmas meant more than last-minute shopping and present-wrapping this year in Alabama as emergency planners spent Monday preparing for what forecasters said could be a holiday marred by severe storms, possible tornadoes and hurricane-force wind gusts.
With the National Weather Service saying there is a high risk of twisters and damaging winds on Tuesday, the director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Art Faulkner, said he was briefing both local officials and Gov. Robert Bentley on plans for dealing with a possible outbreak.
“The likelihood of severe storms has increased,” he said.
Forecasters said storms would begin near the coast and spread north through the day, bringing with them the chances of storms, particularly in central and southwest Alabama. Strong storms are possible from eastern Texas into southwest Georgia, officials said.
No day is good for severe weather, and Faulkner said Christmas adds extra challenges because people are visiting unfamiliar areas. Also, people are more tuned in to holiday festivities than their weather radio on a day when thoughts typically turn more toward the possibility of snow than twisters, he said.