"Severe Weather Alert: NWS Birmingham Radios Offline for Software Update"

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"Severe Weather Alert: NWS Birmingham Radios Offline for Software Update"

[!CDATA[Severe storms are expected to impact Birmingham, Alabama, and nearby areas on Tuesday night, but the National Weather Service (NWS) radios will be offline due to a major software update. This update comes after a series of severe weather events that caused significant damage and casualties in several states. The highest-risk areas for severe weather on Tuesday include parts of Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Western Kentucky, Western Tennessee, Northern Mississippi, Northern Alabama, Eastern Arkansas, and Southeastern Missouri. The NWS Birmingham NOAA weather radio transmitters in various locations will be offline until Wednesday due to the scheduled software update. This means that if a tornado forms, the storm will not be broadcasted over local NOAA radios. Residents in the affected areas are advised to have alternative ways to receive weather warnings, such as wireless emergency alerts on smartphones, television broadcasts, weather apps, internet sources, and county emergency notification subscriptions. Despite the radio outage, NWS Birmingham will continue to issue watches, warnings, and advisories as usual. The neighboring NWS offices in Huntsville, Mobile, Peachtree City, Memphis, and Tallahassee are not affected by the outage. Cities at risk for tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and hail on Tuesday night include Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Hoover, Talladega, Anniston, Gadsden, and surrounding areas. The software update will keep the NWS Birmingham weather radios offline until May 21. Any weather alerts will be shared on social media platforms and the weather.gov website. It is crucial for residents to stay informed about severe weather conditions and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety.]]