As a National Weather Service SKYWARN storm spotter, I like to keep a close eye on the weather, especially when severe weather is in the forecast. For those days, I created this web page, together with the larger "mini version" and the full-sized “Daily Weather Charts“. The intent is to give me an amateur's "map room" for north Alabama. However, this is not a map room in the conventional sense, since it is not my intent to make a weather forecast. Instead, the purpose of this page is to answer these questions:

Is today a severe weather day?
If so, what, where and when?

Please feel free to copy and adapt this page to your needs.
Quick Text Links

Current Conditions

Source: Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NCEP, NWS
 24-hour Current Conditions Loop - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center

Other Surface Maps

Fronts/Analysis: North America | CONUS - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, , Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC), National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Department of Commerce 
Analysis/Satellite Composite (North America) - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NCEP, NWS
Analysis/Satellite Composite (N Amer/Pacific) - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NCEP, NWS 
GOES E & W Satellite Composite  - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NCEP, NWS
Current Surface Webpage, RAP Real-Time Weather Data, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) , University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
North American Surface Analysis Products, NCEP, NWS 
North America Surface Analysis (Loop), HPC, NCEP, NWS
Current Conditions, The Weather Channel
Southeast Fronts Surface Map, WAAY-TV
Current Frontal Analysis Plot (Inverted), Unisys
Build Your Own Weather Map and Forecast Tools, Storm Prediction Center (SPC), NWS
Daily Weather Map Weekly PDF Files

Radar Images

Lower Mississippi Valley Sector Radar

Water Vapor – Southeast

Thunderstorm Outlook

This forecast is good for the next 12 hours, as of the date and time indicated on this graphic. For longer range forecasts, consult your local National Weather Service office web site or other reliable media outlets.

Source: Thunderstorm Forecast, The Weather Channel
See also: Weather Underground Interactive Tornado Map of Recent Storms and U.S. Severe Weather Map, Weather Underground
Also for my area: Southeast Severe Weather Map.

16Z-20Z

20Z-0Z

0Z-4Z

National Weather Service's Enhanced Resolution Thunderstorm Outlooks
Storm Prediction Center, NCEP, NWS

Graphical Forecast for the Southern Mississippi Valley

Pryor Field, Decatur, AL - Current Conditions | Meteogram | Text Archive

Local Forecast Text Products

The 7-Day Forecast

Hazardous Weather Outlook (HWO)

24-Hour NAM 4-Panel Plot, Unisys

References

• Acronyms and Glossary at JetStream – Online Weather School at the Southern Region Headquarters of the National Weather Service; an excellent resource.

• Weather Glossary at Fort Worth-Dallas WFO

• Abbreviations and Acronyms, HPC

• Meteorological Conversions and Calculations, HPC

• American Meteorological Society Glossary

• World Meteorological Organization – Acronyms

Other Local Severe Weather Day Resources

• Huntsville Office, National Weather Service

• SKYWARN Storm Spotter Information, Huntsville Office, National Weather Service

• NOAA Weather Radio (162.400 in Huntsville area and streamed over the Internet from Weather Underground)

• Local television weather:

  ▪ Channel 19 Armor Doppler Radar Loop (19-WHNT)
  ▪ Channel 31 Radar Loop (WAAY-31)
  ▪ Channel 48 Live Doppler Radar Loop (WAFF-48)

• Weather Underground Animated Radar Loop for Northern Alabama

• Weather and emergency amateur radio for Northern Alabama
  ▪ SKYWARN (Huntsville: 147.24 / PL 82.5; Moulton: 146.96; Section: 147.36)
  ▪ ARES (Madison Co.: 146.94 / PL 100.0; Limestone Co.: 145.15)
  ▪ RACES (147.220 / PL 136.5)
  ▪ Morgan County Emergency Net (147.00)
  ▪ Alabama Emergency Management Agency ARES Net (3.965 MHz)
  ▪ kBrews Weather Spotting Frequency Lists - Alabama
  ▪ Amateur High Frequency Emergency Hurricane Nets
  ▪ Alabama NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies by County
  ▪ Other Alabama Emergency Nets (courtesy of Birmingham Amateur Radio Club)

• Alabama State Information from NWS

• James Spann's Alabama Weather Blog

• Storm Prediction Center

• Tropical Weather, Weather Underground

• IWIN. IWIN is the web version of the Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) service that allows users to obtain weather forecasts, warnings, and other information directly from the National Weather Service in almost real time.

• NSSTC Collaborative Weather Blog.

Get A Kit - Make A Plan - Be Informed
Links Open In A New Window At ReadyAmerica.Com

Note:

     How far out west do we need to be looking? The average cold front moves at about 30 MPH and can cover 720 miles in a day. By way of an example, the distance from Russell, KS, to Decatur, AL, is 722 mi. But a fast-moving cold front can travel at 60 MPH and can cover 1,440 miles in a day, and 720 miles in 12 hours. Again by way of example, the distance from Decatur to Salt Lake City is 1,424 miles and to Phoenix is 1,438 miles.

     So as Storm Spotters, we sometimes need to be looking much further west than we might think. If I am looking at my weather pages at 6 AM, I'd need to be looking at the Kansas weather maps in order to see a fast-moving cold front that would arrive at 6 PM and I'd need to be looking at the Arizona and Utah maps in order to see a fast storm that could be here in 24 hours.

     Mileages quoted are “air” miles (e.g, “as the crow flies”), based on a distance calculator located at http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/calculate-distance.html

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