Andrea Nearing Landfall

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RADAR CHECK: As expected, showers and storms are not as active across Alabama today; there are scattered showers over the northwest counties, but the stronger storms and heavier downpours are west of here, over Mississippi, where a few severe thunderstorm warnings have been required today. And, down in Southeast Alabama, showers continue on the outer edge of the circulation of Tropical Storm Andrea in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico.

ANDREA NEAR LANDFALL: Tropical Storm Andrea is packing sustained winds of 60 mph, and will make landfall over Dixie County Florida shortly. A tornado watch remains in effect for much of the Florida Peninsula; a few tornadoes were reported earlier today over the Central and Southern part of the Sunshine State. A dry slot has worked inland reducing the amount of rain over Florida, but a few heavy downpours will remain possible tonight.

Andrea will move northeast in coming days, bringing the threat of heavy rain to the U.S. East Coast all the way up to New England in coming days.

TOMORROW IN ALABAMA: A well defined MCV (mesoscale convective vortex) around the Ark-La-Tex will bring an increase in the number of showers and storms to Alabama tomorrow, and a few heavy downpours will be likely. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and we will struggle to reach the low 80s due to clouds and rain. The showers will end tomorrow evening, and the sky will become clear.

OUR WEEKEND: Drier air should mean a partly to mostly sunny sky Saturday and Sunday. I sure can’t rule out a shower in a few spots, but they should be widely spaced, and most of the weekend should be dry. The high Saturday will be in the mid 80s, followed by upper 80s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: A surface front will bring a chance of showers and storms to the state Monday, followed by mostly dry weather Tuesday and Wednesday. Another system will bring a risk of showers and storms by Thursday. A pretty decent chance we see a high at or just over 90 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday… keep in mind Birmingham has failed to reach 90 degrees so far in 2013.

GULF COAST WEATHER: The surf will begin to calm down along the coast tomorrow as Andrea moves away from the region, and the red flags should be down by the weekend. We project about 6 to 8 hours of sunshine each day tomorrow through Sunday from Panama City west to Gulf Shores, with the usual risk of scattered showers and storms. Chance of any one spot getting wet each day is in the 30 percent category. Highs will be in the 80s, and the sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this afternoon is a warm 84 degrees.

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I will be out at the Regions Tradition golf tournament this evening at 4, 5, and 6:00… back in the ABC 33/40 studio at 10:00. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: showers

Category: Alabama's Weather