Archive for July 23rd, 2012
Showers/Storms Are Widely Scattered
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.
RADAR CHECK: Most of the showers and storms across Alabama today are widely scattered, and over the eastern counties this afternoon. Some of the heavier storms at mid-afternoon are between Dadeville and Opelika… with very little movement. Away from the showers, temperatures are generally in the mid 90s; Birmingham is at 95 degrees at 3:00.
MID-WEEK: Don’t expect much change in our weather through mid-week. Very typical summer weather with partly sunny, hot days and the risk of widely scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon through Thursday. Afternoon highs will be generally in the 94-97 degree range, and the chance of any one spot seeing a cooling shower is only about one in five.
FRIDAY: Again, the GFS on the new 12Z run hints this will be our best coverage of showers and storms this week thanks to a weakness in the upper ridge developing, and a surface front approaching from the north. Heat levels should drop a bit with a high in the low 90s.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Drier air creeps into Alabama from the north, and while we will hang on to some risk of widely scattered showers and storms Saturday, the weather looks pretty dry around here Sunday and Monday. It is late July, so you know it will be hot with highs generally in the mid 90s. The most intense heat, however, remains north and west of Alabama through early next week.
And, out in the “land of voodoo”… still no sign of any serious, long lasting heat that would push over 100 degrees on a consistent basis through August 8. See the Weather Xtreme video for details.
TROPICS: A weak disturbance is over the Northeast Gulf of Mexico, but pressures are high in the area and this will move into the eastern Florida Panhandle without having a chance of get its act together. This feature is helping to bring some soaking tropical showers to parts of the Florida Peninsula this afternoon. The rest of the Atlantic basin remains very quiet.
AT THE BEACH: The disturbance in the Gulf might bring a few decent storms to the Panama City area over the next 72 hours, but generally speaking typical summer weather is expected through the rest of the week along the coast from Destin west to Gulf Shores, with 7 to 9 hours of sunshine each day and only a few widely scattered showers and storms. Highs will remain in the 87 to 90 degree range, and the sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this afternoon is 85 degrees. We note nothing but sunshine on our Gulf Shores SKYCAM at 3:30 this afternoon.
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. Jeff Craven of the NWS in Milwaukee is our guest this week… you can watch the show live tonight at 8:30 p.m. CDT here, or listen via iTunes or your favorite podcast app later.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….
Hotter Afternoons; Fewer Showers
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.
TRENDING DRIER AND HOTTER FOR A FEW DAYS: After the nasty heat spell we had at the end of June, temperatures have been below average for much of Alabama this month, but look for rising heat levels at least for the first half of the week as the big upper high west of Alabama expands east.
No, we don’t expect any serious triple digit heat, but highs will rise into the mid 90s through Wednesday, and we might hear of a few upper 90s in spots over Northwest Alabama, closest to the center of the upper high. Days will be partly sunny, and while we do expect to see showers and thunderstorms every afternoon, like yesterday they will be widely spaced. The chance of an one spot getting wet is about one in five today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY: These two days should offer a better coverage of showers and thunderstorms (especially on Friday) as the air aloft becomes cooler (making the air more unstable), and a surface front approaches from the north thanks to an upper trough over the Great Lakes. Not a huge change, just a little better risk of any one spot seeing a shower or thunderstorm.
WEEKEND FORECAST: Heights rise again over the weekend, meaning pretty typical late July conditions for Alabama. Partly sunny hot days; a few widely scattered showers and storms each afternoon; highs in the mid 90s.
LONG RANGE: Still no sign of any triple digit heat here through the first week of August as the core of the heat stays out west. See the Weather Xtreme video for details.
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. We will record this week’s episode tonight at 8:30 p.m… Jeff Craven of the NWS Milwaukee will be our guest. You can watch live here.
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!
