Scott Martin: Scattered storms likely for Alabama to kick off summer
STORMS LATER TODAY: With moisture content still rather high across the state from Claudette, today will feature a good chance of scattered to numerous showers and storms ahead of an approaching cold front. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy with highs reaching the mid to upper 80s. It will be breezy at times as well, with winds of 10-15 mph and occasional higher gusts.
The Storm Prediction Center outlook shows a marginal risk (1 out of 5) for areas along and northwest of I-59. A few storms during the evening and overnight may become strong or even severe over those areas. Damaging wind gusts will be possible, along with heavy rain. Make sure your method for receiving warnings is turned on overnight and can wake you, just in case.
The storms will be weakening as we approach midnight, and the severe threat will diminish during the early morning.
REST OF THE WEEK: Summer is now officially here, but the good news is that temperatures look to stay a little cooler than average this week as highs range throughout the 80s, with the exception of Tuesday. A cold front moves through and will bring those highs down into the mid-70s to the lower 80s.
The cold front works its way through the state on Tuesday. We’ll start off with rain and storms during the morning, but drier air quickly moves in behind the front, with nearly all of the northern half of Alabama dry by midday. The front will continue to move southeastward, taking the activity with it. By midnight, the activity will be out of the southern half with the exception of a few lingering showers. Highs will be in the mid-70s to the lower 80s.
The front will stall out, keeping scattered shower and thunderstorm chances in the forecast Wednesday and Thursday for the southern third of Alabama. The rest will be dry with the exception of a few isolated showers each afternoon. Wednesday’s highs will be in the lower to mid-80s while Thursday’s will be in the mid to upper 80s.
The front will work back northward and will reintroduce a chance of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms to all of central Alabama on Friday. We may see an increased risk of showers and storms late over the far northern parts of the state. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We’ll continue to have unsettled weather to our north, but the energy will be close enough that scattered showers and storms will be possible north of the I-20 corridor on both Saturday and Sunday, while only a few isolated showers will be possible south of that. Highs will be in the 80s both days.
TROPICS: As of 10 p.m. Sunday night, Claudette looked like it was beginning to reorganize and strengthen as it moved closer to the North Carolina coastline. Winds were at 35 mph, but she is expected to become a tropical storm again before emerging over the Atlantic Ocean. The movement was to the east-northeast at 20 mph. An east-northeastward to northeastward motion with some increase in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the system should move over the coast of North Carolina into the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday, and pass near or just south of Nova Scotia on Tuesday. Some additional strengthening is possible over the western Atlantic Ocean through early Tuesday. Claudette is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday night.
ON THIS DATE IN 1886: A destructive hurricane hit the Apalachicola-Tallahassee area of Florida on the summer solstice. Extensive damage was done in Florida and throughout the Southeast by this storm, due mainly to extremely high tides.
ON THIS DATE IN 1987: A tornado destroyed 57 mobile homes at the Chateau Estates trailer park northwest of Detroit, killing one person and injuring six others. Total damage was estimated at $1.7 million. Thunderstorms over lower Michigan also drenched the Saginaw Valley with up to 4.5 inches of rain in less than six hours.
BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Dauphin Island to Panama City Beach, Florida, on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region you are interested in.
For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.
