Lee County residents urged to prepare for severe weather

People in Lee County and the surrounding areas are encouraged to take precaution as severe weather is expected to hit sometime this evening.

Rita Smith, public information officer with the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said the National Weather Service has recently placed north Alabama under a PDS Tornado watch, meaning particularly dangerous storm, which will affect east Alabama as well. Smith noted the NWS issued a PDS tornado watch the day of the  tornado that came through Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011.

“Anytime they issue a PDS warning, that is pretty serious,” Smith said.

Smith said that as of Monday afternoon, the Lee County area is expected to get its first weather system sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. Tuesday. Smith said the area is already in severe weather alert, although no tornado warning or watch has been given for the area as of Monday afternoon. lee County is currently under a flash-flood watch until Tuesday.

“The NWS seems pretty confident that we will have some of the severity of the straight-line winds, the potential for flooding, hail, things of that nature and the potential for tornado watches and warnings tonight,” she said.

Smith said that after the first system is through, temperatures will drop to the 60s and a predicted second weather system would likely come into the area sometime Tuesday afternoon or evening, although the severity of that system is yet to be determined.

“They haven’t even nailed it down to a time for us because they’re unsure about it,” she said. “It depends on if it slows down or accelerates, so right now, we’re just trying to prepare.”

Smith said it would be important for families to have the proper supplies, but to not depend on the outdoor siren system to be alerted.

“I can’t reiterate enough is that those are for outdoor warnings,” she said. “Those are not intended for you to hear inside your house.”

Smith said to contact the EMA at 334-749-8161 for any questions.

“Have your plan, be ready and be prepared,” she said.

Emergency shelters have been placed at Providence Baptist Church in Beauregard, as well as Greene Hall and Ralph Brown Draughon Library on campus at Auburn University.