Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2026

Tornado Watch 3

January 10, 202637 counties in Alabama; 20 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 10, 2026, 3:49 AM CST for 37 counties in Alabama; 20 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 9 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 10, 2026, 3:49 AM CST (09:49 UTC)
Expired
Jan 10, 2026, 1:00 PM CST
In force
9 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
0.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 57 counties

Autauga County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Amite County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, Greene County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Jones County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Marion County, MS, Newton County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pike County, MS, Scott County, MS, Smith County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The radar

The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:48 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
50%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
50%

Warnings issued inside it

23 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 10, 3:51 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANCovington, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln, Simpson3 hr
Jan 10, 3:53 AM CSTTornado WarningJANCovington, Jasper, Jones, Smith67 min
Jan 10, 3:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale34 min
Jan 10, 4:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington, Jefferson Davis, Jones58 min
Jan 10, 4:23 AM CSTTornado WarningJANCovington, Jefferson Davis, Jones67 min
Jan 10, 5:01 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLIXAmite, Pike72 min
Jan 10, 5:05 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby6 hr
Jan 10, 5:11 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLIXPike, Walthall64 min
Jan 10, 5:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke, Jasper, Jones, Smith63 min
Jan 10, 5:24 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLIXAmite, Pike, Walthall118 min
Jan 10, 5:35 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANClarke, Covington, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar and 4 more2 hr
Jan 10, 5:48 AM CSTTornado WarningJANClarke42 min
Jan 10, 6:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw52 min
Jan 10, 6:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo, Sumter44 min
Jan 10, 7:31 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANForrest, Jones, Lamar, Marion2 hr
Jan 10, 7:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox41 min
Jan 10, 7:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas, Hale, Marengo, Perry54 min
Jan 10, 8:09 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair, Shelby, Talladega2 hr
Jan 10, 8:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Dallas, Lowndes, Perry48 min
Jan 10, 8:59 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore32 min
Jan 10, 9:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon and 2 more44 min
Jan 10, 9:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Russell and 1 more51 min
Jan 10, 10:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee, Macon, Russell39 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 150 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2026-01-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 173 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2026-01-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -47 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
173 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-100 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

384 
WWUS20 KWNS 100946
SEL3  
SPC WW 100946
ALZ000-GAZ000-MSZ000-101600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 3
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
350 AM CST Sat Jan 10 2026

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Central Alabama
  Northwest Georgia
  Southeast Mississippi

* Effective this Saturday morning from 350 AM until 1000 AM CST.

* Primary threats include...
  A few tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...Thunderstorms will increase in coverage and intensity
through the morning as an upper trough approaches.  Low-level shear
profiles will strengthen, posing a risk of a few supercells capable
of tornadoes and locally damaging wind gusts.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 50 statute miles
north and south of a line from 10 miles northwest of Mc Comb MS to
30 miles east of Anniston AL. For a complete depiction of the watch
see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 2...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 24035.

...Hart

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 10, 2:04 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCSumter116 min
Jan 10, 7:04 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Chilton, Dallas, Marengo, Perry, Wilcox116 min
Jan 10, 9:21 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBullock, Chambers, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon and 3 more84 min
Jan 9, 6:40 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia and 22 more2 hr
Jan 9, 7:46 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAvoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Grant and 9 more13 hr
Jan 9, 11:07 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Catahoula and 23 more2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2026Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2026Every tornado watch in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.