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STARTS NOW. WICKED WEATHER WEIGHING DOWN PARTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA, AND RESIDENTS ARE LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE ON BRITTANY DECKER. I’M GUY RAWLINGS. IT ALL STARTED OVER THE WEEKEND WHEN WILDFIRES BEGAN POPPING UP ACROSS THE STATE. BRUSH FIRE AFTER BRUSH FIRE REPORTED. AND YESTERDAY WE COULD SEE SMOKE AND FLAMES FROM HERE AT OUR STATION CLEAR ACROSS DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM AND OVER NEAR FAUNSDALE BEND ROAD. THE FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED A BLAZE AND THE WIND WASN’T HELPING, KNOCKING DOWN LINES, LEAVING SOME WITHOUT POWER. BUT IT WASN’T ALL FIRE AND WIND LAST NIGHT. THIS IS A TREE ON A HOME IN FAYETTE. THERE WAS A RAIN AND FLOODING. CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO SHOT BY OUR VERY OWN JARVIS ROBERTSON IN MOUNTAIN BROOK. AND TODAY, PEOPLE STILL FEELING THE EFFECTS. THREE BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS FORCED TO CALL THE DAY EARLY BECAUSE OF POWER OUTAGES THIS AFTERNOON. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU ON WHAT’S NEXT AND THE IMPACTS WE’RE EXPERIENCING FROM THE FIRES, WINDS AND STORMS. �������� 13 LISA CRANE IS LIVE FOR US IN GARDENDALE THIS EVENING. LET’S GET RIGHT OUT TO HER. HEY, LISA. HEY, GUYS. YEAH. YOU KNOW, WE SAW A LOT OF LIGHTNING IN THAT STORM LAST NIGHT, AND THAT VERY WELL MAY BE WHAT CAUSED A FIRE HERE AT THIS GARDENDALE HOME. AND YOU CAN SEE IT JUST GUTTED THE HOME. NOW YOU CAN GET A REALLY A MUCH BETTER VIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE THROUGH OUR DRONE VIDEO. HERE’S A LOOK AT US FROM SKY 13. THE FIRE BROKE OUT AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM AROUND 9:00 LAST NIGHT, AND SADLY, THAT WAS ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT GARDENDALE CITY LEADERS BELIEVE LIGHTNING HIT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT KNOCKED OUT THEIR POWER AND DAMAGED BACKUP GENERATORS. SO 911 CALLS HAD TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH. FULTONDALE FIREFIGHTERS ALSO RESPONDED TO THIS BLAZE. THEIR CHIEF TOLD ME THEY TRIED TO CALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN TO HELP AS WELL. WE ACTUALLY CALLED FOR A COUPLE OF OTHERS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE STORM, THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT TYPICALLY HELP US WERE TIED UP ON TREE CALLS, ON MEDICAL CALLS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON. WRECKS BECAUSE THE STORM CAUSED A LOT OF ISSUES AT ONE TIME. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THOSE HIGH WINDS ALSO BLAMED FOR SOME DOWNED TREES THAT TOOK OUT POWER LINES WITH THEM? �������� 13 MAGDALA LOUISSAINT IS LIVE NOW IN BIRMINGHAM AND MAGDALA. MY POWER IS STILL OUT AT MY HOUSE HERE IN GARDENDALE. I KNOW I’M NOT ALONE IN THAT. YEAH, YOU’RE NOT LISA. IN FACT, IT’S THE WIND THAT’S MAKING IT VERY CHALLENGING FOR THOSE CREW MEMBERS OUT TRYING TO GET POWER BACK ON FOR PEOPLE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. WE SAW SOME OF THOSE CREW MEMBERS OUT TODAY, PARTICULARLY IN THE VESTAVIA HILLS AREA. YOU’RE LOOKING AT THAT VIDEO NOW OF THEM BRAVING THE STRONG 30 TO 40 MILE PER HOUR WINDS TO RESTORE POWER FOR PEOPLE. NOW ALABAMA POWER HAS ITS CREWS OUT, TOO. THEY’RE MAKING THEIR WAY ACROSS THE BIRMINGHAM AND TUSCALOOSA AREA, REPLACING BROKEN POWER POLES WITH NEW ONES. I SPOKE WITH AN ALABAMA POWER REPRESENTATIVE WHO SAID CREWS MAY NOT BE OUT OF THE CLEAR YET WITH RESTORING POWER. SO EVEN AS OUR CREWS ARE OUT WORKING RIGHT NOW, THE WIND COULD CAUSE EVEN MORE OUTAGES AS WE’RE WORKING. SO IT’S REALLY HARD TO PIN DOWN A TIME RIGHT NOW. BUT WHAT WE CAN SAY IS THAT THEY WILL NOT STOP WORKING UNTIL THE POWER IS RESTORED FOR EVERYBODY, AS LONG AS IT’S SAFE TO DO SO AND. AND SO, SPEAKING OF SAFETY, THAT WAS ONE THING WE ALSO SPOKE WITH, SPOKE ABOUT WITH THAT ALABAMA POWER REPRESENTATIVE AND HOW TO KEEP THEIR CREWS SAFE ON THE SCENE WHEN THEY’RE DEALING WITH STRONG WINDS LIKE WE’RE FEELING AND EXPERIENCING TODAY. ANOTHER THING TO NOTE, THE THREE BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS THAT WERE CLOSED TODAY BECAUSE OF POWER OUTAGES. POWER IS BACK ON FOR THEM, SO THEY SHOULD BE BACK IN SCHOOL TOMORROW. WE’RE LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM AT MAGDALA LOUISSAINT �������� 13. MAGDALA. THANK YOU. NOW THERE IS ANOTHER ELEMENT TO THIS AS WELL. THE WIND AND THE RAIN TAKING ITS TOLL, NOT JUST ON THE POWER LINES, BUT HOMES AND STRUCTURES AS WELL. �������� 13 METEOROLOGIST JORDAN WEST JOINS US NOW LIVE IN SPRINGVILLE WHERE ACTUALLY SOME FOLKS OUT THERE GOT SOME DAMAGE AS WELL. JORDAN. THAT’S RIGHT. WE’RE LIVE IN BLUNK COUNTY AND THE WINDS ARE STILL WHIPPING OUT HERE. BUT IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, BEHIND ME, WE ALREADY HAVE SOME STORM DAMAGE FROM LAST NIGHT HERE. WHERE A METAL ROOF ACTUALLY FELL OFF AND HIT A COUPLE OF CARS HERE ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, AND IT’S STILL WINDY NOW. EVERY NOW AND THEN, SOME OF THE PIECES OF THE ROOFS FALL OFF. IF YOU CAN SEE UP THERE, AND THEY KIND OF JUST FLUTTER AROUND IN THE WIND TOO. BUT AFTER A WINDY NIGHT WITH WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 AND 60MPH, WIND GUSTS HIGHER THAN THAT. AND IF YOU ADD THE FACT THAT WE’RE IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS. SO SOMETIMES THE WINDS CAN BE HIGHER THAN THAT, THAT ENDS UP WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THIS ONE WHERE WE SEE SOME PRETTY STRONG STORM DAMAGE. NOW, THIS IS THE ONLY DAMAGE THAT WE’VE SEEN UP HERE ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN HERE IN SPRINGVILLE. WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS, BUT FOR NOW, LIVE IN BLOUNT COUNTY. METEOROLOGIST JORDAN WEST, �������� 13. ALL RIGHT, JORDAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF BRUSH FIRES ALL ACROSS THE STATE IN THE PAST WEEK. THOSE HAVE BEEN WHIPPED UP BY THESE HEAVY WINDS THAT WE’VE BEEN GETTING AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE DELUGE WE GOT LAST NIGHT, PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE STATE GOT THAT. AND WE ACTUALLY SAW ALL OF THOSE FIRES EXTINGUISHED. THEY ARE STILL WATCHING SOME HOTSPOTS THOUGH, TO MAKE SURE THOSE DON’T REIGNITE. NOW, ONE THING TO NOTE ABOUT THOSE FIRES THAT WE HAVE SEEN ACROSS THE STATE, THE FORESTRY COMMISSION SAYS THAT OVER 7000 ACRES HAVE BURNED OVER THE PAST WEEK IN ALABAMA. COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR, WE’RE GOING TO TALK TO THEM AND FIND OUT HOW THE STORM THAT HIT THE GARDENDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT MADE FIGHTING THIS FIRE HERE AT THIS GARDENDALE HOME EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. LIVE IN GARDENDALE LISA CRANE �������� 13. IT’S PRETTY SCARY HOW THE WEATHER AFFECTS SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. STRUGGLING TO GET THE POWER ON IN SOME PLACES AND IT’S NOT HELPING THE THE FIRES. YEAH, IT REALLY SO MUCH GOING ON AND JUST HEARING THAT WIND YESTERDAY WAS UNBELIEVABLE. AND WE’RE STILL WINDY TODAY. NOT NEARLY AS WINDY AS WE WERE YESTERDAY, BUT WINDY ENOUGH THAT WE DO HAVE AN IMPACT DAY WIND ADVISORY LASTS THROUGH 6 P.M. LET’S GET A LOOK AT WHERE THIS SYSTEM IS NOW. VERY LARGE SYSTEM HERE. YOU CAN SEE THIS LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MOVING UP THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. AND WE’VE GOT WRAP AROUND MOISTURE IMPACTING OUR STATE FROM THIS SYSTEM TODAY. THAT MEANS CLOUD COVER. AND WE’RE SEEING A FEW SPRINKLES FROM TIME TO TIME. THESE ARE VERY LOW IMPACT SPRINKLES. WINDS ARE STILL GUSTY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM. HERE’S ALL THE STORM REPORTS. WE HAD OFFICIAL STORM REPORTS FROM YESTERDAY. YOU SEE A LOT OF THOSE TODAY. NOT NEARLY AS WINDY. AND WE DON’T HAVE ANY NEW REPORTS COMING IN FROM TODAY. BUT THIS IS STILL ENOUGH THAT SOME OF THESE WINDS AT TIMES HAVE MADE IT HARD FOR SOME OF THOSE POWER CREWS TO BE OUT THERE WORKING. THIS IS THE WIND ADVISORY LASTS THROUGH 6 P.M. THIS EVENING. SO A FEW MORE HOURS. WINDS SUSTAINED 15 TO 25, GUSTING UP TO 40MPH AT TIMES. AND SO THAT DOES MEAN WE’LL JUST HAVE TO WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL POWER OUTAGES IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. HERE’S WHAT GUSTS LOOK LIKE AT THIS POINT, GUSTING TO 30 IN BIRMINGHAM. JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO, WE WERE GUSTING TO 36 IN TUSCALOOSA. RIGHT NOW WE’RE GUSTING TO 2420 NINE MILE PER HOUR GUSTS. IN COLEMAN. AND SO AS THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES LIFTING AWAY THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING, EVENTUALLY OUR WIND SPEEDS WILL CALM DOWN A BIT. IT DOES STILL STAY BREEZY. AND WHAT YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO NOTICE BY EARLY TOMORROW MORNING IS WE ARE TURNING MUCH COLDER. WE’VE GOT TEMPERATURES THAT WILL BE DROPPING INTO THE 30S, AND A LOT OF SPOTS BELOW THE FREEZING MARK IN SOME AREAS, BUT EVERYBODY FEELING MORE LIKE THE 20S WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE BREEZE. EARLY TOMORROW MORNING WE ARE GOING TO SEE SUNSHINE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, AND WE’RE LOOKING AHEAD TOWARDS THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME RAIN THIS WEEKEND. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST JASON SIMPSON COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. TAYLOR, THANKS SO MUCH. WE HAVE MORE FROM OUR METEOROLOGIST COMING UP A LITTLE LATER ON IN THE SHOW, BUT DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR CONTENT ONLINE. WE HAVE THE LATEST MODELS AND MAPS, PLUS ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ON THE POWER OUTAGES, STORM DAMAGE, AND WILDFIRES AS WELL.