Sizzling Summer Days; Mostly Dry Through Wednesday
HAZY SUMMER DAY: Temperatures are in the 88-93 degree range across Alabama at mid-afternoon… the average high for Birmingham on July 17 is 91. There are a few isolated showers across far South Alabama, but most of the state is dry. The sky is a bit “murky” to the usual summer particulates, and also smoke from Canadian wildfires in the higher levels of the atmosphere. The smoke will disperse by Wednesday as it moves southward.
TOMORROW THROUGH THURSDAY: We expect hot weather in July in Alabama, and the weather will be hot tomorrow through Thursday with highs in the 93-98 degree range most days. A storm is always possible on a hot summer afternoon here, but they should be few and far between for the next several days thanks to dry air and a strong upper ridge over the region. Expect mostly sunny, hazy days and fair nights; odds of any one spot getting wet are 10-15 percent.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The upper ridge weakens, and a surface front will bring scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms Friday afternoon. Then, on Saturday and Sunday the highest coverage of showers will shift into the southern third of the state as drier air drops southward. Heat levels drop; highs Friday through Sunday will be in the 88-92 degree range. Humidity levels will be a bit lower as well over the northern counties.
NEXT WEEK: For now it looks like fairly routine summer weather through the week with partly sunny days and “scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms”. Highs will be mostly in the low 90s… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
TROPICS: Subtropical Depression Don is hanging on this morning in the Central Atlantic with winds of 35 mph. It is far from land, and will stay far from land this week as it loops around. The rest of the Atlantic basin is very quiet, and no tropical storms will threaten the U.S. this week.
ON THIS DATE IN 1980: The high in Birmingham was 105 degrees as a brutal heat wave continued. There were 123 heat-related deaths in Alabama during the summer of 1980, with 115 of them associated with the 23-day heat wave of late June/July. 200,000 chickens also succumbed to the extreme heat. It became the modern benchmark for heat waves in Alabama.
Air conditioning repair companies were doing a land office business. Bank managers resorted to putting blocks of ice in front of electric fans in the drive-thrus. The local Coca-Cola bottler reported that soft drink sales were up 35 percent. The weather page in the Birmingham News wistfully noted that it was midwinter in Australia.
In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100° for 69 days between June 23 and September 6.
The June-September 1980 heat wave is the first billion dollar weather-related disaster in U.S. history. Damage to agriculture and related industries was estimated at $20 billion. The sweltering weather claimed the lives of over 10,000 Americans.
Look for the next video briefing here by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow…
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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