A Later-Than-Midday Nowcast: I Saw Some Sprinkles

Sorry for the Later-Than-Midday Nowcast for today. At this hour, a mix of sun and clouds are covering much of Central Alabama, with a few isolated sprinkles and light showers out there. I actually had a few sprinkles show up on my windshield as I was passing through the northern part of Fultondale about an hour ago. Presently, a shower was located just north or Brilliant in Fayette County, and another was located just east of Bear Creek. Another small isolated shower is located just east of West Jefferson. These were moving slowly to the northeast. The rest of the area is high and dry.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA: At the 2:00 PM hour, temperatures across Central Alabama were mostly in the mid to upper 80s to low 90s. Here is a list of readings from across the state:

Birmingham: 89
Anniston: 89
Tuscaloosa: 89
Muscle Shoals: 90
Huntsville: 92
Alexander City: 88
Montgomery: 90
Dothan: 87
Mobile: 86

REST OF TODAY: A mix of sun and clouds will persist for Central Alabama through the remainder of the day. Most communities in the area will remain dry, but as we have seen on radar already, a very small risk of an afternoon or evening shower is possible. Once we lose the sun heating the air, any showers should dissipate quickly. Afternoon highs will be in the low 90s.

CODE YELLOW AIR QUALITY: The Air Quality Index for the Birmingham Metropolitan Area will be in the “Code Yellow” (moderate range) for ozone and particulate matter. People who are unusually sensitive should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

TODAY’S CLIMATOLOGY FOR BIRMINGHAM: The normal high for June 22nd is 89, while the normal low is 67. The record high for today was set back in 1930 at 101. The record low was set back in 1992 at 51.

TOMORROW’S WEATHER: Little change in our weather for tomorrow. More sun than clouds, and hot afternoon temperatures. Many locations should see highs in the lower and mid 90s, and with higher humidity values, heat index values will be nearing or exceeding the 100° mark. Rain is not expected, but we can not completely rule out a rouge isolated afternoon storm somewhere across the Alabama landscape.

HEADED TO THE BEACH: Great weather along the beaches of Alabama and Northwest Florida. You’ll find a mostly sunny sky, only isolated afternoon and evening showers and storms, and warm temperatures typical of June this week. Highs will be near 90. Lows will be in the middle 70s. The sea water temperature early this afternoon at Perdido Pass at Orange Beach is 82.8 degrees. See a very detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

THE TROPICS: For the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico: Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days. The same can be said for the eastern Pacific as well. Scanning the globe, there are currently no active tropical cyclones ongoing.

TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY: Back in 1972, Hurricane Agnes deluged Pennsylvania and New York State with torrential rains resulting in the most costly flood in U.S. history. In the Middle Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania, 24 hour rainfall amounts were generally 8 to 12 inches, with up to 19 inches in extreme southwestern Schuylkill County. At Wilkes-Barre, PA, the dike was breached destroying much of the town. Flooding resulted in 117 deaths and 3.1 billion dollars damage.

WEATHERBRAINS: This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists at ABC 33/40. This week, the panel entertained Dr. James Fleming from Colby College. Dr. Fleming is a weather and climate historian. You’ll love his stories about the history of weather modification and biographies of weather luminaries Bjerknes, Rossby and Wexler. You can listen anytime on the web, or on iTunes. You can find it here.

Category: Alabama's Weather