The National Weather Service expects Alabama to be hit by severe storms starting later this afternoon.

The key points as of Tuesday morning:

• Forecasters expect a fast-moving squall line of storms to move into Alabama from Mississippi and Tennessee later today. They could reach west Alabama by 4-5 p.m. and move quickly eastward through Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning.
• The strongest storms could bring wind gusts as high as hurricane force (70-80 mph), according to the weather service. Winds like that could bring down lots of trees and power lines. A few tornadoes will also be possible, especially in southwest Alabama.
• Expect non-thunderstorm winds to increase through the day, and it could get very windy before the storms arrive. Wind advisories have been issued for the entire state from today and into part of Wednesday. Non-thunderstorm winds could gust as high as 40-50 mph. Take time now to secure any outdoor objects (ex. trampolines) that could become airborne in strong winds.
• There is a Level 3 out of 5 (enhanced) risk for severe weather for southwest Alabama today, which means numerous severe storms are possible.
• Most of the rest of Alabama has a Level 2 (slight) risk and could see scattered severe storms. A small area in northeast Alabama has a Level 1 risk as well. Isolated severe storms will be possible there.

The details:

Forecasters expect a squall line of storms to develop today and track eastward toward Alabama. The could reach Alabama’s western border by 4 to 5 p.m., but keep an eye out for changes in timing.

Since the storms could affect parts of the state late tonight, the weather service urged Alabamians to ensure they have multiple ways to receive warnings, including ones that will wake them up in the middle of the night.

Those can be in the form of a NOAA weather radio or phone app — but make sure not to turn phones on “silent” mode tonight.

The line of storms should be moving fast, which can increase the potential for high winds with storms.

Winds will be the main concern with tonight’s storms. However a few tornadoes can’t be ruled out either, according to the weather service.

The western part of Alabama could see the strongest storms. They are expected to slowly weaken as they head eastward during the nighttime hours, but severe storms can’t be ruled out statewide.

Southwest Alabama has the highest probability in the state of seeing severe weather, with a Level 3 out of 5 risk. Most of the rest of the state has a Level 2 risk.

And keep an eye out for gusty winds during the day today. Wind advisories will be in effect statewide starting around lunchtime, and some will last into Wednesday as well. The weather service said winds could gust from 35 mph to as high as 50 mph in some areas before the storms even arrive.

The storms are expected to move out of the state early Wednesday, and cooler and calmer weather is expected for the rest of the work week.

The next chance for rain could arrive by Saturday. So far no severe weather is in the forecast for the weekend but that’s not a sure thing just yet so keep an eye on the forecast later this week.

More from the weather service:

NORTH ALABAMA

CENTRAL ALABAMA

SOUTH ALABAMA