Midday Nowcast: Cloudy and Muggy with Scattered Showers

Mostly clouds skies and spotty light to moderate showers out there at this hour in Central Alabama are really holding the temperatures back as most communities in the area are in the upper 70s to low 80s. Most of the heavy rain and thunderstorm activity associated with the low is been primarily along the Gulf Coast Beaches of the panhandle of Florida back to the west to Louisiana and the extreme eastern shore of Texas.

Radar check for the Central Alabama area has spotty showers mostly concentrated west of I-65 at this hour. These are moving to the east around the top-side of the low which is now centered around the AL/MS state line close to the gulf. The low will drift slowly into Mississippi, shaking the main focus of the rainfall with it, but we will still have occasional showers pretty much through the remainder of the week, mainly during the afternoon and 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 81
Tuscaloosa 82
Gadsden 81
Anniston 83
Cullman 79
Hamilton 83
Clanton 79
Alexander City 79
Montgomery 85

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR TODAY: Skies will be generally cloudy with occasional showers and storms throughout the remainder of the afternoon and early evening hours, with afternoon highs being held back in the mid 80s for most in Central Alabama. Heavier rain amounts will stay south and west of the area.

CODE GREEN AIR QUALITY: The Air Quality Index for the Birmingham Metropolitan Area will be in the “Code Green” for particulate matter 2.5 for today. No actions needed.

TODAY’S CLIMATOLOGY FOR BIRMINGHAM: The normal high for August 10th is 91, while the normal low is 70. The record high for today was set back in 2007 at 102. The record low was set back in 1953 at 60.

THURSDAY: Once again, skies will be generally cloudy with occasional showers and storms mainly during the afternoon and evening hours, even though rain could fall at anytime throughout the day. Afternoon highs will be in the mid to upper 90s. Heavier rain amounts will stay south and west of the area.

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 Sunday; 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 1989: Thirty-eight cities in the south central and southeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Asheville NC with a reading of 48 degrees, and Victoria TX with a low of 63 degrees. Oklahoma City OK reported a record cool afternoon high of 71 degrees, and the daily high of 64 degrees at Raleigh NC established a record for August. In Arizona, a record sixty-four day streak of 100 degree days at Phoenix came to an end.(The National Weather Summary)

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Category: Alabama's Weather