Hot Summer Days; Isolated Afternoon Storms

HIGHS STAY IN THE 90s: Look for highs in the 95-99 degree range today and over the weekend as the upper ridge remains in place across the southern U.S. Each day we will see a few isolated, “pop up” thunderstorms around, mostly between 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. While most places won’t see a drop of rain, where the storms do form (they will be in random locations), they could be heavy with potential for strong winds and small hail. One of those formed right on top of downtown Birmingham yesterday around 4:00 p.m.

The chance of any one spot getting wet is 20 percent today, 30 percent tomorrow, and 20 percent Sunday. We do note SPC has put North Alabama in a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms Sunday.

This is for potential for strong storms over western Tennessee to enter Alabama in a northwest flow aloft Sunday afternoon.

NEXT WEEK: The weather won’t change much Monday and Tuesday, but we continue to see evidence that the ridge will weaken over the latter half of the week with lower heat levels and a high coverage of scattered showers and thunderstorms. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: Shower activity has increased since yesterday in association with a tropical wave located about midway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles. Environmental conditions are expected to be favorable for gradual development of this system in a few days, and a tropical depression could form early next week while the system moves generally west-northwestward over the tropical Atlantic. NHC gives the system a 50 percent chance of development over the next five days. If anything does develop, it will most likely recurve into the open Atlantic well east of the U.S.

Still no sign of any tropical systems near the U.S. or the Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1976: At 3:42 AM, an earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitudes on the Richter scale flattens Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people. An estimated 242,000 people in Tangshan and surrounding areas were killed, making the earthquake one of the deadliest in recorded history, surpassed only by the 300,000 who died in the Calcutta earthquake in 1737, and the 830,000 thought to have perished in China’s Shaanxi province in 1556.

Look for the next video briefing here by 3:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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