Humidity Values Will Creep Upward

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…

This is May, so you know this very pleasant airmass won’t hang around for long. Scroll down and see J.B.’s list of lows around Alabama this morning; those are really delightful for this time of the year. In coming days dewpoints and humidity levels will be on the rise, making afternoons more muggy. But, we are desperate need of rain around here, so I guess we really should look at the positive side; those rising dewpoints mean a decent pool of low level moisture is returning. All we need is some kind of trigger for rain.

TO THE EAST: Our sub-tropical storm continues to look impressive on visible satellite images this afternoon; looks like the center is around 1000 mb at this time with winds gusting to 50 to 60 mph in some of the spiral bands around the center, based on satellite estimates. Tonight will be windy and showery from Charleston south to Daytona Beach, but the system should slowly weaken during the next 48 hours as it nears the coast (it continues to drift westward). We still believe all of the wind and rain will remain east of Alabama.

TO THE WEST: More storms are firing over West Texas, where severe storms are possible tonight and tomorrow.

AROUND HERE: Looks like we stay dry through Thursday with a warming trend. I guess we could mention a small risk of a shower Thursday afternoon, but most communities will remain dry.

We will bring in the chance of scattered, mainly afternoon showers and thunderstorms Friday, and those will remain in the forecast through the weekend and into early next week. You know the story; no wash-out, and the sun will be out at times, but we will have to dodge scattered showers and thunderstorms this weekend, especially during the afternoon and evening hours. This is not the widespread, soaking rain we need, but some neighborhoods might see up to one inch of rain Friday through Monday. Afternoon highs over the weekend will be in the muggy low to mid 80s.

If you have outdoor plans this weekend, the chance of any one spot getting wet at any time during the afternoon or evening is about one in three both Saturday and Sunday. I know the scattered showers are inconvenient on a weekend, but with a rain deficiency of over one foot, we will take all we can get.

LONG RANGE: Looks like humid, maritime tropical air will cover Alabama through mid-month, so scattered afternoon showers and storms will be mentioned almost daily. And, the GFS continues to hint at an upper trough enhancing the coverage of the showers and thunderstorms in the May 18-19 time frame.

WEATHER BRAINS: I listened to this week’s WeatherBrains show on the way to East Alabama this morning; David Black, Kevin Selle, and the rest of the gang really put together a great show. I really enjoyed the interviews with the Dodge City NWS radar operator who was on duty the night of the Greensburg, Kansas tornado, and a storm chaser who had the ride of his life. Don’t miss the show; you can listen on the web, or on iTunes.

WEATHER PARTY: Get all the latest weather news over on our sister site, WeatherParty.com. Be sure and register while you are there; you can submit stories and vote on them to determine what is published on the front page. Lots of news over there this afternoon… some very interesting reading.

I had a great ride over to Jacksonville today; I spoke to the 4th graders at Kitty Stone Elementary School, and they were a great audience. Be looking for them on the KIDCAM today on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!

Category: Uncategorized