Showers/Storms To Increase On Friday
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THIS AFTERNOON: A few “illegal” showers are in isolated spots across North Alabama…. that is a famous J.B. Elliott term that describes showers that form on a day when no rain was forecast. These small patches of light rain were left over from a thunderstorm complex that moved through parts of Arkansas and North Mississippi. They are fading quickly in the drier air over North Alabama, but are still showing up on radar at mid-afternoon.
And, because of clouds, temperatures are well below forecast values. Haleyville is at 80 degrees at 2:00… Birmingham reports 83. We should be in the low 90s this time of the year.
TOMORROW: I still think much of North and Central Alabama will be dry tomorrow with only an outside risk of an afternoon shower or storm. The sky will be partly sunny, and we should rise into the low 90s in many areas. It is very interesting to note that we have hit 90 degrees on only four days so far this month out of the 15 days in August. Very amazing to be that “cool” during the dog days.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Moisture surges northward at the end of the week, and we will forecast scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms on Friday with a high in the upper 80s. We note the 12Z GFS has backed off a bit on the moisture return, but the NAM looks pretty wet, along with previous runs of the GFS, so we won’t change the forecast.
For the weekend, the weather will all depend on where you are in relation to a surface front that will stall out somewhere over North Alabama. The 12Z GFS suggests it that boundary will be around I-20, but other runs have been closer to the Tennessee border. At this point we will continue to mention a pretty decent chance of showers and storms Saturday and Sunday, but it could very well be drier over the Tennessee Valley of far North Alabama. Highs over the weekend should be in the 80s.
NEXT WEEK: Again, the position of the front will determine our weather. For now we will assume the front will drift deeper into Alabama, allowing drier air to move into the northern counties of the state Monday and Tuesday. Moisture surges northward by Wednesday… see the Weather Xtreme video for details.
GULF COAST WEATHER: Still expecting about 4 to 6 hours of sunshine each day through the weekend from Panama City west to Gulf Shores with scattered showers and storms. Any one spot stands about a 30 to 50 percent chance of seeing a passing storm each day, and highs remain mostly in the upper 80s. Sea water temperatures remain in the mid 80s.
TROPICS: NHC now is suggesting an 80 percent chance the system in the middle of the Atlantic becomes a tropical depression or tropical storm within 48 hours, but it is a high latitude system that will turn northeast and not impact any land mass. Elsewhere, the remnants of Tropical Depression 7 is near the Central American coast and is still very disorganized.
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Category: Alabama's Weather
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James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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