May Begins With A Dry Spell
COOL MORNING: Black Creek is at 37… Fort Payne is reporting 39 degrees at daybreak; it might be sometime in October before another North Alabama low in the 30s. The sky is clear, and the air is dry. We expect sunshine in full supply today with a high generally in the low 70s this afternoon.
SUNNY MAY WEEKEND: The air stays dry, and the sky will stay sunny tomorrow and Sunday with a warming trend. We rise into the 76-79 degree range tomorrow, and Sunday’s high will be very close to 80. You could not ask for better weather for race weekend at Talladega, spring sports, or anything else you want to do outside.
SUMMER PREVIEW NEXT WEEK: An upper ridge will begin to build across the eastern part of the nation, and we expect the warmest week so far this year with highs in the low to mid 80s each day. The ridge will also keep the rain producing systems away, and for now we see no reason to forecast any significant chance of rain through the entire week. Bottom line is that at least the first seven days of May will be rain-free.
AT THE BEACH: Sunny days, clear nights on the Gulf Coast from Panama City west to Gulf Shores over the weekend and through next week. Highs on the immediate coast will be in the mid to upper 70s, and the sea water temperature early this morning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is 72 degrees.
MAY BY THE NUMBERS: The average high in Birmingham will rise from 78 degrees today to 84 by the end of the month. The average rain for the month is 4.83?, and this is the last month of the spring tornado season. Hottest May temperature on record is 99 degrees, recorded on May 28, 1962, and May 29, 1898.
The hurricane season is now a month away, it begins on June 1. Most are expecting a rather quiet season again in the Atlantic basin due to the current El Nino cycle; the first named storm this year will be called Ana, followed by Bill, Claudette, and Danny.
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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I have a weather program this morning at Spring Valley School in Birmingham… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
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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