Midday Nowcast: More Rain, Less Heat… I’ll Take That

Skies are mostly cloudy across the Central Alabama area at this hour, and a good bit of the area has active shower activity, especially north of I-85 and US-80, and west of I-65. Most of the shower activity is moving to the west, with a few in the southwestern counties moving to the southwest. This trend should continue throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening hours.

TEMPERATURES AT THIS HOUR: With the clouds and rainfall, temperatures are being held back in some spots. Here is a list of temperature observations from across the area:

Birmingham 84
Tuscaloosa 86
Gadsden 84
Anniston 84
Cullman 82
Hamilton 88
Clanton 84
Alexander City 78
Montgomery 87

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR TODAY: Skies will be cloudy at times throughout the rest of the afternoon and early evening hours, with scattered to numerous showers and storms. Even though all parts of the area have a decent chance at getting rain, it looks like the heavier rainfall totals will be in the western half of the state, where precipitable water values will be approaching three inches later today. Heavier storms could produce some localized flooding. Afternoon highs will be in the mid to upper 80s. Shower activity should diminish greatly by 10PM, but a few showers are possible throughout the overnight hours.

CODE YELLOW AIR QUALITY: The Air Quality Index for the Birmingham Metropolitan Area will be in the “Code Yellow” for particulate matter 2.5 for today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

TODAY’S CLIMATOLOGY FOR BIRMINGHAM: The normal high for August 9th is 91, while the normal low is 70. The record high for today was set back in 2007 at 103. The record low was set back in 1976 at 54.

WEDNESDAY: Pretty much the same setup for tomorrow… Some sun at times, but expect occasional showers and storms throughout the day. Highest coverage will come during the afternoon and early evening hours. Afternoon highs should be held back into the upper 80s for the most part. Hopefully with the rainfall we receive this week that we can clear some areas out of drought conditions.

HEADED TO THE BEACH: Only about 1 to 3 hours of sunshine each day through Friday from Panama City Beach over to Gulf Shores, with occasional showers and thunderstorms. Showers and storms will thin out a bit by the weekend; highs will be mostly in the upper 80s. See a very detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

THE TROPICS: All remains quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the week.

ON THIS DAY IN 1988: Tropical Storm Beryl deluged Biloxi with 6.32 inches of rain in 24 hours, and in three days drenched Pascagoula MS with 15.85 inches of rain. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern Plains Region and over the Central High Plains Region. Thunderstorms in Oklahoma produced wind gusts to 92 mph at Harrah. (The National Weather Summary)

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Category: Alabama's Weather