RADAR CHECK: An upper low will form over Tennessee during the next 24 hours and will keep Alabama’s weather cooler than average for mid-May, and a bit unsettled. We have scattered showers and thunderstorms on radar this afternoon; they are very random and moving north. There isn’t much lightning, and some spots are seeing some sunshine. Temperatures are in the 75- to 82-degree range, but a few spots are only in the 60s because of clouds and rain.
The Storm Prediction Center has defined a low-end marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe storms for Alabama communities near the Georgia border.
A few storms there could produce small hail and gusty winds through the evening. Scattered showers and storms will diminish late tonight.
REST OF THE WEEK: We will have some risk of scattered showers and storms daily through Friday. The key word here is “scattered,” meaning some places will get wet while others won’t see a drop. While most of the showers will come during the afternoon and evening hours, we can’t rule out a few that linger into the late night. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s Tuesday and Wednesday, then back into the low to mid 80s Thursday and Friday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Don’t look for much change — partly sunny, warm days and mostly fair nights Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid to upper 80s. A few spots will see a passing shower or storm both days, but they will be rather random and mostly during the afternoon and evening.
NEXT WEEK: The primary jet stream across north America will shift to the north, which you expect this time of the year, and we will have very warm, humid weather daily with highs well up in the 80s and some risk of widely scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms each day.
EYES ON ARTHUR: Tropical Storm Arthur is packing sustained winds of 50 mph near the Outer Banks of North Carolina this afternoon. It will be moving out into the open Atlantic, away from land, tonight. The system is expected to become post-tropical by Wednesday and loop around in the Atlantic well offshore later this week.
The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet; the official start to the hurricane season comes June 1.
ON THIS DAY IN 1980: Mount Saint Helens erupted, spewing ash and smoke 63,000 feet into the air. Heavy ash covered the ground to the immediate northwest and small particles were carried to the Atlantic coast.
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