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.
RADAR CHECK: Most of the showers and storms across the northern half of Alabama are east of I-65 this afternoon… they are showing little movement, and will fade away once the sun goes down later this evening. Otherwise, we have a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures not as hot as recent days… generally between 85 and 90 degrees. The average high at Birmingham for September 21 is 84 degrees.
James Spann’s video forecast for all the SEC games this weekend plus UAB, Samford and Jax State.
The upper high responsible for the late season heat wave will weaken a bit and drift to the east over the next few days; we project highs today and over the weekend in the 87-91 degree range with a mix of sun and clouds. And, with the air becoming a little more unstable the door is open for a few widely scattered showers and storms each day through Sunday.
ANOTHER SIZZLING HOT DAY: Temperatures are up in the mid 90s again today; some parts of West Alabama are in the upper 90s at mid-afternoon, a good 10-12 degrees above average for mid-September. The sky is mostly sunny, and showers remain very hard to find on radar.
TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND: The upper high weakens a bit, the air aloft becomes a little colder, and moisture levels rise. We will bring in the potential for random, scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly from 1:00 until 11:00 p.m. on these three days. Odds of any one place seeing a shower each day is 30 to 40 percent, and highs will be in 87 to 90 degree range.
HOT: Birmingham’s high as of 3:15 this afternoon was 96 degrees… making this the second hottest day so far this summer. We reached 97 on September 15, the hottest summer day on the books for this year. The sky is sunny, and bone crushing subsidence (sinking air) under an upper high has put a lid on showers over the northern half of the state. Even down in South Alabama we are seeing only isolated thunderstorms.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The upper ridge weakens a bit, and as moisture levels rise we will bring “scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms” back into the forecast on these three days. Chance of any one specific location seeing rain is in the 30/40 percent range; otherwise partly sunny days, fair nights, and highs in the upper 80s. The scattered afternoon showers won’t offer widespread rain, but some communities will see a good downpour.
HOT SEPTEMBER WEATHER: Temperatures are generally in the 90-94 degree range across Alabama this afternoon, well above the average high of 85 for September 18. The sky is mostly sunny, and again today you can pretty much count the number of showers on one hand. The tiny, isolated showers will end once the sun goes down.
HOT SEPTEMBER DAYS: Summer will officially end Saturday at 8:54 pm CT… the autumnal equinox. And a summer pattern sure doesn’t want to let go; we will have hot weather through the rest of the week with highs in the low 90s through Thursday. Mostly sunny days, fair nights, and only very isolated afternoon showers for the northern two-thirds of the state. Odds of any one spot getting wet through Thursday will remain in the 5-10 percent range.
SHOWERS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN: You can count the number of showers over the northern two-thirds of Alabama this afternoon on one hand; they were south of Selma, and north of Prattville at 3:15. We do note heavier storms in scattered spots along the Gulf Coast this afternoon. Away from the isolated showers, it is a sunny, hot day with temperatures around 90 degrees. The average high for September 17 at Birmingham is 85.
SUMMER HANGS IN THERE: Summer doesn’t officially end until this Saturday at 8:54pm; the time of the autumnal equinox when the sun is directly over the equator. A day with approximately 12 hours of daylight, and 12 hours of darkness. And, summer will hang in there this week thanks to an upper ridge; we are forecasting mostly sunny days and fair nights through Thursday with afternoon showers remaining few and far between. The chance of any one spot getting wet each afternoon between now and Thursday is only 5 to 10 percent, and afternoon highs will stay in the low 90s.
Many are asking about the current “Red Tide” situation at Panama City Beach…. Photo above taken Saturday September 15 by Shaun Winn This information is from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: WHAT IS A RED TIDE? A red tide, or harmful algal bloom (HAB), is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plantlike […]
HOT SEPTEMBER AFTERNOON: Sinking air on the periphery of Hurricane Florence is bringing a sunny, hot day to Alabama. Compressional heating has pushed temperatures into the mid 90s in a few spots; the average high at Birmingham on September 14 is 86 degrees.
DRY DAYS: Alabama will settle into a hot, dry pattern for the next five to seven days with few, if any afternoon showers or thunderstorms. We are forecasting mostly sunny days and fair nights through the weekend with highs in the low 90s, and lows in the low 70s. The chance of any one community seeing a shower is so small we won’t mention it in the forecast.
RADAR CHECK: We have random, scattered showers and thunderstorms across Alabama this afternoon… they are small, and drifting to the west. Otherwise, the sky features a mix of sun and clouds across Alabama with temperatures mostly in the mid to upper 80s. Showers and storms will end tonight after sunset.
DRIER AFTER TODAY: We will maintain the chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms across Alabama today as a moist, unstable airmass stays in place. Chance of any one location getting rain this afternoon will be in th 40 percent category… otherwise we expect a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the upper 80s.
TOMORROW THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Not much change tomorrow; a partly sunny sky with a few scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers or storms; the high will be in the upper 80s. Then, the weather looks hot and mostly dry Friday through Sunday with a good supply of sunshine each day with a high close to 90 degrees. Afternoon showers can’t be ruled out, but they should be few and far between as Alabama get in the zone of sinking air on the far periphery of Hurricane Florence.
A FEW SHOWERS: We will maintain the chance of a few widely scattered showers and thunderstorms across Alabama this afternoon and this evening, otherwise today will feature a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the mid to upper 80s.
