Weather update: rough forecast for parts of Alabama, Tennessee, other areas

At 7:45 p.m. Eastern time, here is what we know about the line of severe weather and possible tornadoes moving through the southeast:

• There is a tornado watch issued by the Storm Prediction Center of NOAA through 11 p.m. for for northern and central Alabama, northeastern Mississippi and southern Middle Tennessee. Cities included in the watch areas are Huntsville, Birmingham, Tupelo and Nashville. 
• The latest statement from the Storm Prediction Center of the NOAA was released at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern time. It said severe thunderstorms were expected over parts of the Tennessee Valley late Monday and into Tuesday.
• The locations of the storm were listed as northern Alabama, the northwest corner of Georgia, the far southern parts of Middle Tennessee, and extreme northeast Mississippi.
• Potential hazards were listed as several tornadoes, “a few intense”, scattered hail, with some of it “baseball-sized’: and “isolated damaging winds.”
• A severe weather watch was listed for approximately 15 counties in Tennessee.
• Hail reports from Alabama listed the size of the precipitation as “half dollar size” near Anderson Hils, “quarter sized hail” near Talladega County, “ping pong ball” sized near Cleburne, Alabama.

Tornadoes do not have a big impact on rates in the market the way that hurricanes and snow storms do. But safety is imperative, as these events are far more unpredictable and can creep up on you. For truck drivers they can create concerning conditions because of the relatively few places to hide with proper shelter. The best thing to do is to seek out a large public secure building with plentiful truck parking. Ditch the truck and find indoor shelter. Do not get stay in the cab when you see tornado activity. Check out your local weather by hitting up Accuweather.