COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – The ALERT day is still in effect for the valley, although there are finally much drier and calmer conditions following the severe storms that moved through earlier today. The calm conditions will not last long as another round of strong to severe storms will hit the Valley later tonight and well into Friday morning. This has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for our East Alabama Counties until 11:00 PM CT. The first round of strong storms will move in from the west late tonight and push eastward, meaning rain/storms will likely occur sometime tonight into tomorrow. Since this is a nighttime severe weather event in our region, it is VERY IMPORTANT to have a way to receive warnings that can wake you up if one of these storms actually becomes severe. The main concerns for this evening/tomorrow’s storm are primarily damaging wind gusts and widespread rainfall. The risk of hail and tornadoes is still present, but much lower…BUT NOT ZERO. Plan for possible sporadic power outages. The valley will dry out by the late morning hours, making for a very pleasant Friday with increasing clouds and highs in the mid 80s. The beautiful weather continues over Mother’s Day weekend! We will wake up Saturday morning to clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. A pleasant afternoon is expected as we reach a high of around 80 degrees. On Sunday it’s about the same; It seems to be just a few degrees warmer and maybe a few more clouds. Active weather is possible again at times next week, especially on Monday evening and Tuesday, as it currently looks. Occasional rain and storms are possible for the remainder of the work week.