Heavy Clouds, Some Rain

Clouds have been fairly thick across Central Alabama this morning as moisture surges in from the southwest in a deep southwesterly flow aloft and a southerly low level flow.

You hear us yapping about precipitable water in our forecasts all the time. It’s simply a measure of the amount of moisture throughout the atmosphere above us. You can see it in the top left panel on the graphic above.

Last night at Birmingham, it was 1.44 inches. Compare that to the Central Alabama average, which is 1.33 inches. By this morning, the PWAT value at BMX was 2.01. Upstream, Jackson recorded 2.27 inches and Slidell 2.43 inches. These values are on the upper end of the scale for this time of year and the radar shows it.

Showers have been moving northeastward in the southwesterly flow which is gliding upward as it slides up and over the dome of high pressure over the Carolinas.

Those showers will increase slowly in coverage and intensity through the afternoon and the evening in the moistening pattern ahead of an upper level trough and cold front. They will decrease tonight but there will be a chance of a few showers through the overnight hours.

That front will push into Northwest Alabama just before dawn and reach Birmingham around noon. Showers and a few storms will increase ahead of the front and end behind it. The best chances for rain tomorrow will be along and southeast of I-59.

Temperatures will be cooler than those of the past few days today and tomorrow with highs limited to the 80s by clouds and showers. Lower 90s will return early next week.

It will be dry for the work week, with good rain chances returning late next weekend.

Category: Alabama's Weather