James Spann: Alabama heat levels back off over the weekend

Published On: 07.21.17 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Alabama heat levels back off over the weekend

James Spann: Another day in the oven for Alabama before temperatures ease off a bit from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: We have a few scattered showers and storms on radar at daybreak across parts of central and south Alabama; they are moving southwest, rotating around the “ring of fire” on the periphery of the heat bubble over the central U.S.

The heat will headline the forecast again today across our state; for north and central Alabama, highs will be mostly in the mid 90s, with upper 90s to the north over the Tennessee Valley, where a heat advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service in Huntsville. The best chance of scattered showers and storms this afternoon and early tonight will be along and south of I-20.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The air aloft will be a bit cooler, making conditions more unstable, and that will open the door for a slow increase in the number of scattered showers and thunderstorms. The chance of any one spot seeing a shower or storm will rise from about 35 percent tomorrow to 50 or 60 percent Sunday. Most of the thunderstorms will come from 1 until 8 p.m., although we can’t totally rule out a late-night or morning shower. Storms over the weekend will be random and scattered, with no way to know exactly when and where they pop up in advance.

Heat levels will slowly back off; we project low 90s tomorrow and a high Sunday between 88 and 91 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: Looks like the highest coverage of showers and storms will come Monday and Tuesday, with thunderstorms becoming more scattered in nature Wednesday through Friday. Highs for the week will stay between 88 and 92 degrees for most communities.