BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A significant and multi-day severe weather and rain event is building for Alabama and Mississippi this week — and the timing could not be more complicated. Severe thunderstorm risks are already formally posted for Thursday April 23 and Friday April 24 across states west of Alabama, with that threat pushing directly into Alabama and Mississippi by the weekend. And for the 100,000+ NASCAR fans heading to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, the forecast is carrying 1 to 2 inches of rain across northern Alabama with showers and thunderstorms possible both Saturday and Sunday.
The 7-day precipitation map through Sunday April 26 tells the full story — deep purple and red covering Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi with totals of 1.6 to 2.8 inches across the region, and 1.0 to 1.6 inches spreading across central and northern Alabama including the Talladega corridor. This is not a minor passing shower event — this is a multi-day active weather pattern with severe weather potential attached.
States and Areas in the Week’s Threat Window
- Kansas and Oklahoma: Slight Risk already formally posted for Thursday April 23 — the first firing of this week’s storm system along the dryline
- Mississippi: Slight Risk Friday April 24 — the storm system shifts southeast and targets Mississippi directly with severe thunderstorm potential
- Alabama: Talladega, Birmingham, Huntsville — watching severe weather potential Thursday and Friday from systems to the west, then rain impacts Saturday and Sunday during NASCAR race weekend
- Arkansas: Little Rock, Fort Smith — inside the 1.6 to 2.3 inch precipitation zone for the 7-day period
- Memphis, Nashville — deep purple on the precipitation map with 1.6 to 2.5 inches expected through Sunday
- Mississippi: Jackson, Tupelo — Slight Risk Friday with 1.5 to 1.6 inches of total rainfall through the week
The Thursday and Friday Severe Weather Setup
The severe weather threat this week follows a now-familiar two-day progression — Plains fires first, Southeast follows.
Thursday April 23 — A Slight Risk of severe weather is posted across Kansas, Oklahoma, and into Missouri and Illinois as the dryline sharpens and storm initiation begins across the Southern Plains. This is the same setup that has been highlighted all week with tornado potential along the cold front-dryline interaction zone…