All Over Albany

Thursday afternoon, evening weather could be rough

The NWS radar from picture from Thursday morning.

The weather forecasts for Thursday include some potentially severe weather. From the National Weather Service forecast:

Today: Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then occasional showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain. High near 84. South wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Some storms could be severe, with large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

The NWS hazardous weather outlook also mentions that some of the large thunderstorms "could even spawn an isolated tornado or two." (The key part of that is that it's a possibility, not a certainty.)

Apparently the possibility of bad weather is strong enough that state officials got a briefing about it and the state's Emergency Operations Center will be activated this afternoon, in case anything serious happens. [Cuomo admin]

Of course, this isn't the best evening for outside stuff -- Alive at Five has been moved to the TU Center (as mentioned).

And because this kind of weather isn't too common here, it's probably a good time to go over the watch vs. warning distinction again -- here's a quick review of the difference from a few years back. Here's a NWS brochure on severe weather safety (pdf), including what to do in the event of a tornado (not just a watch, a warning or report of a tornado). The short story: head for the basement, or -- if you don't have a basement -- an interior room without windows on the first floor (bathrooms are often a good spot).

image: National Weather Service