Archive for July 11th, 2012
Beneficial Rain
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COOL JULY DAY: Just checked the data from our SKYCAM at Decatur, overlooking the Tennessee River in Morgan County, and the high so far today is only 73 degrees. About 20 degrees below average… quite a gift for July in Alabama. And, a good steady rain fell over much of the Tennessee Valley this morning.
RADAR CHECK: Widespread light to moderate rain is falling over the western half of Alabama, and is moving into the Birmingham metro area as I write this update around 3:00. Nothing severe today… some thunder and gusty winds, but mostly a good, beneficial kind of rain. Birmingham, with 85 degrees, is one of the warmest spots around here, but that temperature will drop back into the 70s over the next hour as the rain falls.
Check out the shelf cloud image below… this was taken at the Walmart in Brent by @bethgleaton
TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Not much change as the unsettled period continues. Deep tropical moisture, a stalled front to the north, and colder air aloft will mean scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms both days. We expect a high in the mid 80s tomorrow, and upper 80s Friday.
WEEKEND FORECAST: The air aloft will be a little warmer over the weekend, so showers and storms should thin out a bit, but they will still be around in scattered spots, mostly during the afternoon and evening hours. The high Saturday will be around 90, with low 90s Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: Heat levels continue to slowly rise, and parts of the state could hit the mid 90s Monday or Tuesday, but there is no sign of any really serious heat for the latter half of July. See the Weather Xtreme video for details.
AT THE BEACH: Pretty much routine weather for the Gulf Coast through the weekend; about 5 to 7 hours of sun each day from Panama City west to Gulf Shores, with the daily risk of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Highs along the immediate coast will remain in the 86 to 89 degree range. The water temperature this afternoon at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is 86 degrees.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Clouds And Rain
Here is a radar check at midday…
A gentle rain has been falling over the Tennessee Valley most of the morning, and rain is increasing over West Alabama at midday. This rain will expand eastward throughout the afternoon. Another positive is that temperatures are only in the 75-80 degree range. Scroll for the full discussion…
Summer Rain
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
Anybody remember the song by Johnny Rivers?
“Summer Rain taps at my window
West wind soft as a sweet dream
My love, warm as the sunshine
Sitting here by me, yeah
She’s here by me
She stepped out of a rainbow
Golden hair shining like moonglow
Warm lips, soft as her soul
Sitting here by me, now
She’s here by me”
Anytime we can get good summer rain here in Alabama without a tropical storm or hurricane involved, we are blessed, and the chance of occasional showers and storms will remain high through tomorrow.
UNSETTLED: We will forecast occasional showers and thunderstorms statewide through tomorrow thanks to a moist airmass, stalled surface front just to the north, and cooler air aloft. The rain won’t be continuous, of course, but every community across North/Central Alabama has a very good chance of receiving beneficial rain over the next 84 hours.
Yes, we still have some that feel their neighborhood has a “force field” overhead that keeps it from raining, but the cumulative rains between now and Friday should make that idea fade away. The NAM is printing 0.98″ for Birmingham, while the GFS is at 1.35″ over the next two days. But, the synoptic scale models don’t have the resolution to handle summer rain events here due to the somewhat scattered nature of the heavier convection; the guys at HPC have North/Central Alabama in a zone where 2 to 3 inches are likely, and that sounds correct here.
“COOL” FOR JULY: Both the GFS and the NAM are printing a high of only 84 degrees today… interesting yesterday during our 6:00 news I showed an Alabama temperature map (for the northern two-thirds of the state), and all of the reporting stations were in the 70s because of clouds and rain. A very nice break from the heat here in the dead of summer. Most places won’t get out of the 80s today and tomorrow; by Friday the high will be near 90.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The air aloft warms a bit, and the showers and storms should become a little more scattered on these three days. Temperatures will trend upward slowly, with low 90s likely Saturday and Sunday with a mix of sun and clouds both days. Look for similar weather early next week… we might even see some place with mid 90s by Monday or Tuesday.
But, the good news is that we don’t see any evidence of “runaway” heat like we dealt with 10 days ago… in fact the GFS continues the idea of an upper trough over the eastern U.S. late in the month that could mean temperatures a little below average here. See the Weather Xtreme video for details.
GULF COAST WEATHER: We are forecasting about 5 to 7 hours of sun each day on the Gulf Coast from Panama City west to Gulf Shores, but you will have to deal with a few passing showers or storms from time to time. Highs will be in the 86 to 89 degree range on the immediate coast, and the water temperature remains in the mid 80s at most spots.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
