Hot Steamy Summer Days

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HOTTEST PART OF THE YEAR: Climatological averages show that the last week of July and the first week of August bring the hottest days of the year to Alabama, and sure enough the weather will be pretty toasty as we go through the weekend. Afternoon highs will be pretty close to average values, with most places reaching the low to mid 90s.

And, as we also expect in late July, we will have an ocean of humidity in place which will bring the risk of scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly during the afternoon and evening hours when air parcels tend to be buoyant. The chance of any one spot getting wet today through Sunday will be about one in three.

NEXT WEEK: The GFS continues the idea of the weather trending a little hotter and drier Tuesday through Thursday with a stronger ridge, followed by an increase in the number of showers and storms at the end of the week.

DON APPROACHING THE TEXAS COAST: Tropical Storm Don will move into the South Padre Island region tonight; for now the storm is packing sustained winds of 50 mph. It is not expected to strengthen much before the time of landfall. With the adjustment of the track to the south, unfortunately the beneficial rain shield with the system will impact mainly the far southern part of Texas over the weekend.

EMILY IN THE MAKING: A tropical wave midway between the coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles has the potential to become Tropical Storm Emily in coming days as it moves to the west/northwest. The BAM set brings the system to the Leeward Islands in 96 hours, and most intensity models bring this one up to a significant hurricane by then. See the Weather Xtreme video for details… too early to determine if this will ultimately recurve into the Atlantic, or keep coming toward South Florida or the Gulf of Mexico. We will sure keep an eye on it.

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Category: Alabama's Weather