Hot Fun In The Summertime

| June 22, 2010 @ 3:23 pm | 1 Reply

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You know, I usually don’t break out the summer song lyrics until August, so it looks like a long, hot summer. Remember this one by Sly and the Family Stone?

“End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi Hi Hi Hi there
Them summer days, those summer days
That’s when I had most of my fun, back
high high high high there
Them summer days, those summer days”

THIS AFTERNOON: Temperatures actually aren’t hot as forecast this afternoon. For example, Birmingham is reporting only 88 degrees at 2:00, with a dewpoint of 69 and a heat index of 92. Morning soundings show that the moisture has increased during the past 24 hours, and moist air doesn’t heat as effectively as drier air. And, we do have showers and storms on radar. Most of them are from Clanton to Marion and Greensboro in West Alabama, but some strong ones have fired up over Calhoun County in Northeast Alabama, east of Piedmont. All of the showers and storms today are moving northwest at about 15 to 20 mph. You know the deal with these summer storms; they are capable of producing lots of lightning, heavy rain, and wet microbursts, like the one last night that caused extensive damage in Talladega. All of the storms will fade away late tonight.

TOMORROW THROUGH FRIDAY: Not much overall change with the heat ridge overhead. Hot days with the risk of widely scattered afternoon storms and highs mostly in the 92 to 95 degree range… model MOS products continue to look too warm.

THE WEEKEND: Persistence is the best forecast in this pattern. Tiny changes in temperatures aloft, the atmospheric moisture profile, or small scale boundaries really determine the coverage and placement of afternoon showers and storms this time of the year, and there is no skill in trying to forecast that days in advance. Highs over the weekend will stay in the low to mid 90s with some risk of an afternoon shower or storm in scattered spots.

TROPICS: The tropical wave continues moving through the Caribbean with no change in organization; still some chance this thing becomes a tropical storm as it heads toward the Yucatan Channel and the Gulf of Mexico. Models have shifted a little to the left this morning… see the Weather Xtreme video for more details. Way too early to call this since the system is not even on the board yet, but it surely bears watching.

THE LOSS OF DAYLIGHT: Sunrise this morning was at 5:37 and sunset this afternoon will be 8:00 p.m. Actually, the longest day was today and tomorrow and even on Thursday. It changes very little. By the end of June, we will lose 2 minutes of morning daylight and no loss in the evening. However, by the end of July, we will lose 21 minutes of morning light and 12 minutes in the evening. This story goes on and on and by Christmas the sun will not rise until 7:49 and set at 5:45 if it were still Daylight Saving Time, but we will be on CST, so it will be at 6:49 and 4:45.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left. We will record tonight’s show beginning around 9:00 p.m. CDT. You can listen and watch live here, and the show will be on iTunes and the web by around midnight.

FOLLOW ALONG: Here are our weather team Twitter accounts….

James Spann Jason Simpson Ashley Brand
J. B. Elliott Bill Murray Brian Peters
Dr. Tim Coleman WeatherBrains Podcast E-Warn (AL wx watches/warnings)

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

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About the Author ()

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.

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