Another Chilly Day For Mid-May

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ONE MORE COOL DAY: The big omega block over North America, which has been responsible for the very cool weather across Alabama for the last 4-5 days, will keep us chilly again today. Most places will see a high in the mid to upper 60s after starting the day in the 40s. We will be optimistic and forecast a mix of sun and clouds, but with the deep upper low not too far to the east, don’t be surprised if clouds fill in as the day wears on, especially over the eastern half of the state. Where the clouds hang tough, like yesterday some places will have a hard time reaching the low 60s. Keep in mind we should be in the low 80s here in mid-May in Alabama. And, we should note that Birmingham has tied the record low maximum for the past two days in a row (yesterday’s official high was only 63).

REST OF THE WEEK: We start the warming process tomorrow as we reach the low 70s. The real warm-up kicks off Thursday afternoon when we reach the low 80s… then look for mid to upper 80s Friday. No rain as an upper ridge begins to build across the Gulf Coast states. We should note that severe storms could erupt across the Southern Plains Thursday and Friday as we enjoy warm, calm weather.

WARM WEEKEND AHEAD: We are looking at highs in the 85-90 degree range over the weekend as the ridge holds. While there will be an increase in low level moisture, organized is not expected due to the ridge. I guess you might see a few isolated afternoon showers popping up on radar Saturday or Sunday, especially over Northwest Alabama, but the chance of any one spot getting wet for now looks pretty slim.

NEXT WEEK: The first half of next week looks warm and muggy with only isolated afternoon showers. The GFS continues to suggest the next organized rain event comes toward the end of the week, around May 27, when a decent upper trough approaches. Could be a setup for strong storms; see the Weather Xtreme video for more details.

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I will be speaking to the kids at Pleasant Grove Elementary today… yet another school seriously impacted by the April 27 tornado outbreak. You can imagine I will have a captive audience… I am really looking forward to the visit. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day…

Tags: cool

Category: Alabama's Weather