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Dog Days

| July 30, 2010 @ 6:02 am | 1 Reply

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SUN, HEAT, A FEW STORMS: The general summer weather formula is well known by Alabamians. This is the dead middle of summer, the hottest time of the year, and a time when the overall weather doesn’t change very much from day to day. Unfortunately there won’t be any serious heat relief in the short term, as afternoon highs rise well into the 90s today and over the weekend. Cooling afternoon storms are certainly possible each afternoon, but they should be rather widely scattered today and tomorrow. The core of the heat remains a little west of Alabama, and with us being on the eastern flank of the heat bubble, storms should move from north to south on the “ring of fire” surrounding the upper high. The GFS prints 97 for Birmingham today, with the NAM showing 96.

Not much change over the weekend; moisture could be a little deeper Sunday with a slight increase in the coverage of afternoon showers and storms. The 00Z GFS suggests the most numerous ones could be over the eastern counties of the state.

NEXT WEEK: The heat ridge strengthens Monday and Tuesday, and these could be two of the hottest days of the summer, with highs in the 97 to 100 degree range. Afternoon storms should be pretty isolated due to the subsidence (sinking air associated with the upper high). Later in the week, however, the core of the heat shifts to the west, and we expect decreasing heat levels with a better chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially by Thursday and Friday.

TROPICS: A couple of tropical waves show up this morning; one in the western Caribbean, and another in the low latitudes about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and the coast of Africa. Both look rather unimpressive this morning, and winds aloft don’t seem to favor development in the short term. But again, look out for a big uptick in action toward mid-August.

AT THE BEACH: We expect mostly sunny days and fair nights on the Gulf Coast through Monday, with afternoon highs generally in the low 90s along the immediate coast, with mid to upper 90s inland. The sea water temperature at a buoy just south of Orange Beach last night was a warm 88 degrees.

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James Spann Jason Simpson Ashley Brand
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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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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