North Alabama Stays Dry Today; Moisture Levels Rise Tomorrow
DRY AIR HOLDS IN PLACE FOR NORTH ALABAMA: Alabama’s weather will remain dry for the northern 2/3 of the state today as a relatively dry airmass remains in place. Scattered showers and storms remain possible for South Alabama, mainly south of U.S. 84, and along the Gulf Coast, but the day won’t be a washout. Highs will be in the 87-90 degree range for most communities.
REST OF THE WEEK: Moisture levels rise statewide tomorrow, and scattered showers and storms are possible, especially during the afternoon and evening hours. With a mix of sun and clouds the high will be in the mid to upper 80s. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, the sky will be occasionally cloudy both days with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms thanks to an upper trough just to the west. Highs drop into the low 80s on these two days with only a limited amount of sun.
Friday promises to be another warm, humid day with scattered showers and storms possible…. the high will be in the 84-88 degree range. Below average for July in Alabama.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We are seeing evidence precipitable water values will be a bit lower over the weekend, but we will still mention the chance of at least widely scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday with highs in the upper 80s. For now it looks like the chance of any one spot getting wet both days will be in the 20-30 percent range.
NEXT WEEK: For now it looks like a fairly typical mid-summer week in Alabama, but with temperatures a bit below average with highs in the mid to upper 80s most days. Partly sunny days, and as usual the chance of a few pop-up scattered storms each afternoon. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
TROPICS: Tropical Storm Elsa has sustained winds of 65 mph early this morning, and the center is about 220 miles southeast of Havana, Cuba. The system is moving northwest at 14 mph, and the center will cross Cuba today, meaning weakening is likely. Then, it will move into the extreme eastern Gulf of Mexico, moving into Florida north of Tampa Bay late tomorrow night.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the Florida Keys and southwestern Florida tonight and tomorrow, where a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect. A Tropical Storm Watch and a Storm Surge Watch are in effect for much of the west coast of Florida as far north as the Suwannee River. The direct impact from Elsa will stay east of Alabama and the Central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores, Pensacola, Destin, Panama City Beach)… however we note there is a high danger of rip currents through the week.
The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.
ON THIS DATE IN 1937: The temperature at Medicine Lake, Montana soared to 117 degrees to tie the state record. Glendive, Montana reached 117 degrees on July 20th, 1893.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
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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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