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After a rainy morning, a cold front will bring drier weather to Alabama this weekend. Check the video forecast for the latest.

RECORD RAINFALL FOR MAY

The month truly brought some impressive rainfall to parts of Alabama, especially to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

By Thursday afternoon, Birmingham's total rainfall for May had swelled to a remarkable 11.29 inches. That's enough to earn the city the No. 2 spot on its list for the wettest Mays on record. It's a lot of water, to be sure, but then you look at what happened just down the road.

Meanwhile, over in Tuscaloosa, residents truly saw an "eye-popping" amount of rain. Their monthly total hit a staggering 14.46 inches. This isn't just a lot of rain for Tuscaloosa; it represents the top spot, making this May the rainiest on record for the Druid City. It seems some umbrellas really earned their keep this past month!

MUCH DRIER THIS WEEKEND

As drier air surges into Alabama Saturday morning, lows will settle in the 50s, perfect for an early morning stroll. While highs still climb to near 80 Saturday, the drier weather will feel much lighter.

As winds continue from the north Saturday, it'll drift some wildfire smoke from Canada to the deep south. The sky will appear a bit hazy tomorrow, especially during the afternoon.

Sunday looks to be mainly dry, but we can't completely rule out an isolated shower or storm. The very low chance of storms will come from mid-morning in northwestern Alabama through the afternoon and evening in Central Alabama.

Most of Alabama will NOT have rain on Sunday. These are spotty, hit-or-miss downpours.

ANOTHER SHIFT TO STORMY WEATHER?

Sunday officially kicks off June, and with it, what we in the weather world call "meteorological summer." Now, the official calendar start for summer doesn't arrive until Friday, June 20, at 9:41 p.m. CDT. But honestly, it's going to feel like summer much sooner than that – as in, next week!

Kicking off the week, Monday and Tuesday look mostly sunny, hot, and, well, humid. While we can't ever say there's zero chance of a sprinkle, don't expect any big downpours or rumbling storms. We're talking temperatures soaring into the mid-80s both days, but with that high humidity, it'll truly feel like 90 degrees or even hotter.

Now, come Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, things take a turn. We're tracking another surge of that tropical moisture, which looks like it will link up with some disturbances high up in the jet stream. What does that mean for you? Well, it sets the stage for more scattered, but potentially very heavy, thunderstorms toward the end of next week.

Exactly when and where these downpours will hit is still a bit fuzzy – that's just how these things work! But what we do know is they look increasingly likely as we head deeper into next week and slide right into next weekend.

Any summer storms that develop may bring locally heavy rainfall, and all thunderstorms carry inherent dangers. These risks include strong wind gusts, which can break branches or topple trees—especially in wet soil conditions—and dangerous lightning. Regardless of severity, every thunderstorm should be approached with caution.

HURRICANE SEASON

The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on Sunday, June 1.

There are already some signs of “life” in the Gulf and Caribbean, and there is a chance – a relatively small chance – that the first depression or storm of the season could be in the Caribbean or southern Gulf within the next two weeks. It does not look big and powerful at this point, but it will be something to watch as the young season is just getting started.

Two popular downtown Birmingham restaurants are getting closer to opening new locations in neighboring Homewood.

El Barrio, a Mexican-inspired restaurant famous for its chorizo meatloaf, masa roasted trout and al pastor tacos, and Paramount, a casual restaurant and bar known for its hot wings, cold beers and two-fisted burgers, are expected to open in June in the new West Row residential and commercial development in West Homewood.

The two restaurants anchor the West Row commercial space at 195 Oxmoor Road.

El Barrio occupies the east side of the building and Paramount the west, with a long hallway filled with arcade games that ties the two restaurants together.

The expansion into Homewood, and specifically West Homewood, is a logical next step for El Barrio and Paramount, the restaurants’ owners say.

“This is an awesome, growing, thriving area,” Geoff Lockert, one of the restaurants’ co-owners, tells AL.com. “We love downtown, but we wanted to try something new.”

Tom Walker of Village Creek Development first approached Lockert and his partners Brian Somershield, Neville Baay and Ben Smith about opening second locations of El Barrio and Paramount -- and putting them together under the same roof -- more than three years ago.

Walker, a Homewood resident and a fan of both restaurants, felt they would be the perfect fit for his West Row project.

“In the real estate world in Birmingham, if you’re going to have a project and you want to be successful, you’ve got to really focus on family,” Walker says. “And I think these guys are some of the best operators in town.”

The mixed-use West Row development -- which includes 51 two- and three-bedroom townhomes, as well as 18 lofts above the two restaurants -- is on the site of the old Econo Lodge hotel, which was demolished in 2023 to clear the way for construction.

Village Creek Development unveiled plans for the $32.5-million, 98,000-square-foot project in October 2023. Poole & Company Architects designed the project.

The West Row name reflects the sense of pride that the people who live in West Homewood feel in their neighborhood, Walker adds.

“The West Homewood neighborhood very much embraces being West Homewood,” he says. “They like the idea of being the Homewood of the West.

“So we decided to wrap our arms around that and embrace it. And then, we have rows of townhomes, so that’s how (West Row) came about.”

The residential units began leasing earlier this spring.

From urban to suburban

Somershield says that when he and his restaurant partners opened the original Paramount more than a decade ago, they envisioned it as an “above-21 arcade/food/bar concept” that would stay open until late at night.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic caused them to pivot and reduce their hours, the demographics started to shift.

“It just kind of became, especially on the weekends, a lot more of a family-centric place,” Somershield says.

The opportunity to take that concept to suburban Homewood was too good to pass up.

“We felt this is something that families really enjoy,” Somershield says, “and we thought it would do really well in the suburbs. . . .

“And, of course, El Barrio, we’re confident that, with the addition of the access to the arcade, we’ll attract more of a family clientele there, as well.”

Somershield and Lockert, best friends since they met playing youth baseball in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, worked together for Birmingham restaurateurs Frank and Pardis Stitt at Chez Fonfon – Somershield as a sous chef and Lockert as a server – before opening their first restaurant together, the Italian café Trattoria Centrale, on 20th Street North downtown in 2009.

Two years later, they partnered with Baay, a New Zealand native who moved to Alabama and became a private chef, to open their Mexican restaurant El Barrio (Spanish for “the neighborhood”) on Second Avenue North.

Then, on New Year’s Eve 2013, Somershield, Lockert, Baay and Smith, the El Barrio bar manager, teamed to open the original Paramount restaurant and bar in the former Paramount yogurt shop space at the corner of 20th Street and Second Avenue North.

(In 2015, Somershield and Lockert sold their original restaurant, Trattoria Centrale, to two of their longtime employees.)

Learning from experience

So, the four restaurateurs bring more than a decade and a half of lessons learned into opening the new locations of Paramount and El Barrio in West Homewood.

“We were able to address -- through 10, 15 years of running businesses -- things were like, ‘Man, if only we could change this,’ or, ‘If only we could add that,’’’ Somershield says.

On the El Barrio side, for instance, they added a private dining room that will seat about 25 guests and be available for sales meetings and special occasions.

And on the Paramount side, they have installed enough big-screen TVs – 17 – to ensure every guest will have their pick of every NFL game that’s available on Sundays.

“Now we’re not gonna have somebody complaining that one of the NFL games is not on TV,” Lockert says.

Both restaurants also have much larger and more efficient kitchens than their original counterparts.

“The biggest differences that we made probably were in the back of the house for both sides and having more space in the kitchen area,” Somershield says.

“It’s a great problem to have, but we outgrew both of our kitchens (downtown), so the things that people won’t see (in West Homewood) are probably going to benefit us most from an efficiency standpoint.”

Baay, who oversees catering for El Barrio, will also have a designated kitchen for catering orders.

“Neville, with all the catering that he does at El Barrio, was able to design a catering kitchen here where we’ll be able to take on more catering and do it in a way that probably isn’t stressing out the kitchen quite as much as it does downtown,” Somershield says.

New spaces, same dishes

The new Paramount space features many of the same design elements as the downtown location, incorporating vintage license plates, car wheels and industrial lighting to give the bar and dining area the look of a garage and a nostalgic vibe.

The restaurant, which seats 94 guests, also opens out onto a fenced-in outdoor green space with tiered seating and an artificial turf lawn where kids can play while their parents hang out at Paramount.

“The idea is it’s fenced in and secure, and your mom and dad can focus on socializing and watching the game, and the kids are outside on the green space or inside at the arcade,” Walker, the developer, says.

The breezy El Barrio dining room also seats 94 guests, including a custom-built circular family-style table with a lazy Susan in the center that seats six to eight guests.

Birmingham mixed-media artist Kevin Booth, who previously worked as a server at El Barrio for 13 years, designed the colorful mural above the banquette that runs the length of the main wall.

“He’s an artist, and he’s given that a go -- to just be a professional artist,” Lockert says. “So when we wanted to do a mural, we reached out to him.”

Another former El Barrio server, Jeff O’Neil, built some of the tables for both restaurants.

“(They are) just really good people,” Lockert says of Booth and O’Neil. “It’s awesome to keep the family going, even though they’re doing other things.”

The menus at both restaurants will be the same as those at the downtown locations – at least for now.

Baay, though, hopes to soon offer a more expansive Sunday brunch menu at the new El Barrio with “some cool, unique things that we don’t do the rest of the week,” he says.

The new locations of El Barrio and Paramount are at 195 Oxmoor Road in Homewood, Ala. For more information on El Barrio, go here. For more information about Paramount, go here.

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Nothing beats jamming out to live music in the summertime.

From brewery shows to outdoor festivals, there are all kinds of shows you can attend without breaking the bank. Read on for 13 free concerts happening in the Birmingham area this summer.

1. Symphony in the Summer at Railroad Park

Grab your friends and your chairs and get ready for Symphony in the Summer!

Alabama Symphony Orchestra will be live at Railroad Park this Memorial Day weekend. Bring a picnic or check out what some of the food trucks have to offer. Beer, wine, + cocktails will also be available for purchase inside the park.

2. Crooked Creek Band live concert at Smith Lake

Kick off the summer with a live concert on Smith Lake. Crooked Creek Band is a 90s style country band that is sure to bring you good music and a great time while you enjoy the scenic views that Smith Lake has to offer.

3. Maddie & Tae + Parmalee at Alabaster CityFest

Alabaster CityFest will have live music for you to enjoy from country artists like Maddie & Tae and Parmalee. Plus, there will be vendors, food and more. Bring the whole family and don’t miss out on the vibes.

4. The M-80s + Restless Road at Hueytown CityFest

Check out this 80s tribute band, The M-80s & the country band, Restless Road at Hueytown CityFest on June 14. Get ready for a day of food, vendors, kids’ activities and live music performances.

5. Kyndle Minter live at Woodlawn Theatre’s ladies night

Girls just want to have fun! What’s better than getting dolled up and going out with all your girlfriends? Call the girls and check out Ladies Night at Woodlawn Theatre with Kyndle Minter. Don’t miss out on her original songs inspired by folk, Americana and bluegrass.

6. LeAlan Carter at Dobber’s Five Points Pub

Sit back, relax, order a beer and catch some live music by LeAlan Carter at Dobber’s Five Points Pub. Influenced by Americana, country, blues, and soul, LeAlan Carter’s passion for music should make for a night full of great tunes.

7. Cody Bartels at Jubilee Joe’s

What’s better than a delicious seafood dinner and live music on an Alabama summer night? Check out live music by honky-tonk country music artist Cody Bartels at Jubilee Joe’s.

8. The Trouble Notes at Brock’s Gap

Enjoy world-class beer at Brock’s Gap Brewing in Hoover while you watch The Trouble Notes, known for their contemporary folk sound and lively performances.

9. Bryan Ruby at Culinary Dropout

Do you love good food, good drinks and great music? See rising country music artist Bryan Ruby live, while enjoying a tasty meal and a killer house-made cocktail or an ice cold craft beer.

10. Kelsey Lamb at Tin Roof

Nashville-based country music artist Kelsey Lamb will be ‘raising the roof’ at Tin Roof this summer. You don’t want to miss this night out full of fun, friends and free music.

11. Tyler Nichols at Brock’s Gap

Make sure you catch this live country music concert by Tyler Nichols at Hoover’s only brewery.

12. Cracker + The Record Company at Old Time Live

Don’t miss live music by rock bands Cracker and The Record Company at Old Time Live for the City of Helena’s Fourth of July night. It’s sure to be a blast.

13. We Are Wolves at Brock’s Gap Brewing

Acoustic duo We Are Wolves is a talented cover band based right here in The Magic City. Catch them playing some of your favorite songs while relaxing at this family-friendly spot.

Severe storms were moving through parts of Alabama late Tuesday night while the weather remained quiet for the rest of the state.

The worst of the storms were targeting east and central Alabama as of just before 11 p.m., but the National Weather Service was keeping an eye on western Alabama as well, as a few storms had popped up there late Tuesday.

10:40pm radar update- the line of thunderstorms continues to move through the I-59 corridor. Most of the activity is currently below severe limits, but could intensify over the next few hours. pic.twitter.com/YhlKSplWMt

— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) May 21, 2025

The National Weather Service offices in Huntsville and Birmingham issued multiple tornado warnings Tuesday night, and storm damage has been reported in parts of north Alabama’s Limestone, Madison, Colbert, Jackson and Lawrence counties.

The weather service in Huntsville as of late Tuesday had plans to send three storm survey teams out starting Wednesday to look at north Alabama storm damage.

The majority of the warnings on Tuesday, so far, were tornado warnings.

There was one tornado watch still in effect for central Alabama.

However, as of 10:45 p.m. all of storm-battered north Alabama had been dropped from an earlier tornado watch.

The ongoing watch will be in effect until 1 a.m. for part of central Alabama:

The counties remaining in the second watch as of 10:45 p.m. are Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Pickens, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega and Tuscaloosa.

The latest severe weather outlook from the Storm Prediction Center maintains a Level 3 out of 5 (enhanced) risk for areas such as Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Huntsville, Gadsden and Talladega.

Areas in the northwest corner of Alabama, including Florence, have been reduced to a Level 1 (marginal) risk.

Parts of central and northwest Alabama have a Level 2 (slight) risk. Those areas include Montgomery and Auburn. Areas to the south of that, including Troy and Greenville, have a Level 1 risk.

There is no severe weather risk for extreme south Alabama. (See the updated map at the top of this post.)

The next SPC update isn’t scheduled until around 1 a.m.

Tornadoes -- including a strong one -- winds to near hurricane force, large hail and flooding rain will all be possible across the northern half of the state, according to forecasters.

Storms are expected to track southward and eastward through the rest of the night. Eastern Alabama could be dealing with storms into the overnight hours.

All of this will be happening while the National Weather Service in Birmingham is in the middle of a long-planned software upgrade.

Forecasts, watches and warnings will not be affected, but NOAA Weather Radios across central Alabama will be offline through Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Here are the radio transmitters that will be affected:

No other weather radio transmitters in the state will be affected by the software update.

The weather service urged those across central Alabama that rely on weather radio to make sure they have at least one other reliable way of getting warning information.

Other options are weather apps, TV/radio/Internet, local emergency management and family and friends that are weather-savvy.

The weather service expects the storms to slowly lose their intensity as they track to the south and east into the overnight hours.

The storms are expected to exit the state by Wednesday morning, and temperatures will begin to cool off some after the front passes through.

After today no severe weather is expected in any part of Alabama through the rest of the week.

The National Weather Service office in Birmingham will be undergoing a software upgrade over the next few days, and unfortunately severe weather is in the forecast during that time.

The weather service said that watches and warnings will still go out as usual and there will be plenty of eyes on the sky.

However, all NOAA Weather Radio transmitters run by the Birmingham NWS office will be off the air during that time and only broadcasting a recorded message.

The weather service cautioned that now — more than ever — it’s important for the public to have not one but multiple ways to get severe weather warnings over the next few days.

Those methods could include weather apps, local emergency management, TV/radio/Internet alerts and weather-savvy friends and family.

The Birmingham NWS office covers all of central Alabama (areas in light gray in the map below):

The weather service on Monday began what it said was a required, scheduled update to its Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (otherwise known as AWIPS).

It was scheduled to start this morning at 8 a.m. and last through Wednesday.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center is forecasting Level 3 and 2 severe weather risks on Tuesday for central Alabama, as well as other parts of the state.

Strong to severe storms will be possible from the afternoon through the nighttime hours. Damaging winds, hail and a tornado or two will be possible.

Here is the severe weather outlook for Tuesday:

But watches and warnings won’t be delayed during that time. The weather service said another NWS office in Peachtree City, Ga., will be assisting with forecast operations during the process.

“No impacts to our core services of forecast products and weather watches, warnings and advisories are expected during this period,” the weather service said in a message to stakeholders.

However, the weather service cautioned that “all NOAA Radio transmitters maintained by NWS Birmingham will be off the air through the time of the install.”

This includes these transmitters: Winfield, Oneonta, Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Selma, Montgomery, Auburn and Texasville.

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Here are the transmitters that will be offline through Wednesday:

The upgrade is scheduled to be complete on Wednesday, just in time for calmer weather to round out the work week.