Unsettled Summer Weather
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
OCCASIONAL SHOWERS: Coverage of showers and storms will be rising across Alabama today thanks to a very moist airmass (the precipitable water on the Shelby County Airport sounding last night was 2.18″), and a general weakness in the upper ridge due to a shortwave passing through. As always in summer, the rain distribution will be very uneven, but some spots could easily see over one inch of rain today with the heavier showers and storms. It is likely that most places won’t reach 90 degrees today thanks to the clouds and showers.
TOMORROW: The models suggest tomorrow will be drier north of I-20, but scattered to numerous showers and storms will remain likely south of I-20. Temperatures creep up a bit with a high at or over 90 degrees.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: Last week, it looked like we were going to trend hotter and drier on these three days, but the trend lately has been for a weaker ridge aloft, meaning the continued risk of scattered showers and thunderstorms. In fact, it looks like the coverage of showers will be pretty good on Thursday and Friday as a weak disturbance along the Gulf Coast moves north. We could very well see some heavy rain in spots with slow moving tropical downpours.
WEEKEND PEEK: The unsettled weather continues into the weekend, with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms over the weekend. Of course, there will be some sunshine as well. Afternoon highs should be in the 87-91 degree range, below average values for late July in Alabama.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: Looks like the standard summer forecast will be the best option for now, as long time readers know our severe limitations with dealing with hot season convection here days in advance. Looks like we will have near average temperature and rain levels as we head into August. See the Weather Xtreme video for more long range ideas.
TROPICS: A weak wave moved over Hispaniola yesterday, and will move over Cuba today. Due to the interaction with these islands, and marginal environmental conditions, there is only a small chance of this one becoming a tropical cyclone. The rest of the Atlantic basin remains quiet this morning.
AT THE BEACH: Only about 2-4 hours of sunshine each day through Friday along the Gulf Coast with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s… had a number of waterspout reports down there yesterday; scroll down for a cool picture from Fort Morgan taken yesterday.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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. We will record this week’s show tonight at 8:30 CDT…
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 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
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
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
