Another round of potentially significant severe weather is expected to impact our local area beginning Wednesday afternoon and into the night.

• According to the National Weather Service, a powerful storm system will sweep through the area, with the greatest potential for severe weather bring over southeast Mississippi and much of southwest Alabama, where a Moderate Risk is now in effect.
• An Enhanced Risk of severe weather exists across the remainder of the area.

All modes of severe weather are possible including damaging wind gusts, tornadoes and hail. Heavy rains will accompany the storms which may lead to flooding concerns.

The NWS reports that a Wind Advisory is now in effect for the entire area from mid Wednesday morning through the evening hours for wind gusts to 45 mph outside of the storms.

A High Risk of rip currents is in effect from tonight through Friday, and there’s also the potential for coastal flooding especially for areas around Mobile Bay.

“The key takeaway is that confidence is increasing in a substantial severe weather event impacting our area Wednesday into Wednesday night,” said Patrick Maddox, Okaloosa Public Safety Director. “Other threats during that same general time period will be strong, gusty winds outside of thunderstorms, as well as potential coastal hazards along the coast.”

This is the updated convective outlook, valid as of 5am on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.

According to Meteorologist Spinks Megginson, regardless of which specific risk zone or color your location is involved in, it should be emphasized we ALL have a potentially significant severe weather risk setting up for Wednesday P.M. into Thursday A.M.

“Unfortunately, it appears this will be another overnight severe weather risk for many locales across the region,” he wrote in his morning briefing. “6PM Wednesday to 6AM Thursday is the 12 hour risk timeframe with 9PM to 3AM being the 6 hour ‘core window‘ for severe storms.”