James Spann: Hot, humid day for Alabama with only isolated storms

Published On: 08.06.18 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Hot, humid day for Alabama with only isolated storms

James Spann has the forecast for back-to-school week in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

TYPICAL AUGUST WEATHER THROUGH TOMORROW: Despite that school begins this week for most systems, we are still in the hottest part of summer. At Birmingham, the average high is 91 degrees from July 13 through Aug. 15. It slips back to 90 on Aug. 16, and by Aug. 24 the average high drops to 89.

We project a high in the 91- to 95-degree range for most places today and tomorrow, with sunshine through scattered cumulus clouds. A few showers and storms will pop up during the afternoon and evening, but they should be few and far between. The chance of any one spot getting wet is around 10 percent today and 25 percent tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: The ridge weakens, and the air becomes more unstable as a surface front slowly approaches from the north. Accordingly, showers and storms become more numerous on these three days across Alabama with heat levels backing down. Highs will be in the 85- to 90-degree range with scattered to numerous showers and storms, generally from 1 until 11 p.m. But, we can’t totally rule out a late night or morning shower. The sky will be occasionally cloudy.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Not much change. We are forecasting a mix of sun and clouds Saturday and Sunday, with a few showers and storms likely, generally during the afternoon and evening hours. Afternoon highs will be in the 86- to 89-degree range.

NEXT WEEK: The air will remain rather moist and unstable, so we will need to maintain the chance of random, mostly afternoon and evening showers and storms each day; otherwise, look for partly sunny days with afternoon highs pretty close to 90 degrees. There is no sign of any excessively hot weather (upper 90s or higher) for Alabama for the next 10 to 15 days.

TROPICS: There is a swirl in the middle of the Atlantic this morning, but only a low chance of development as it heads toward the North Atlantic. One way or another, it’s no threat to land. The rest of the Atlantic basin is very quiet.

HECTOR TO PASS SOUTH OF HAWAII: Over in the Pacific, Hector is a major hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph. It is forecast to pass south of the Hawaiian Islands later this week, but only a slight deviation to the north of the forecast track would significantly increase potential impacts to the state of Hawaii.