89 At 4:00

James Spann | July 27, 2008 @ 4:16 pm | Reply

Temperatures are generally running about three to five degrees below forecast values today. Whats up with that?

With the good rain we received yesterday, the soil moisture values are high across Alabama, and a decent amount of solar energy is being diverted to evaporating that soil moisture. That lessens the ability of the sun to heat the ground, which in turn, heats the air.

I think the forecasts we saw from some sources late last week of a serious heat wave across Alabama this week will be a little extreme. Sure, it will be hot and muggy, but this is late July, when our weather is supposed to be hot and muggy. We should reach the low to mid 90s tomorrow and Tuesday, but I think triple digit heat is a far fetched idea.

I sometimes think there is too much hyperbole in summer heat forecasts. Folks down here expect hot weather in July and August, and we are pretty good in dealing with it.

And, with an increase in showers and storms on Wednesday and Thursday, heat levels will drop even more!

Just some thoughts as I am putting the Monday morning radio forecasts together. I will have the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!

Category: Uncategorized

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.