James Spann: Humid days for Alabama with scattered storms
RADAR CHECK: Again this afternoon we have scattered showers and thunderstorms in progress across Alabama. Stronger storms at mid-afternoon were west of I-65 and were producing very heavy rain, gusty winds and lots of lightning. Away from the showers the sky is partly sunny with temperatures mostly in the mid 80s. Storms will fade away after sunset.
An upper ridge will try and build across the region in the short term; we believe showers and storms will be fewer in number Wednesday and Thursday. Look for a partly sunny sky both days with a high in the upper 80s. Afternoon thunderstorms should be more widely spaced; odds of any one spot getting wet both days will be 25-35%.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Another upper trough sets up a little west of Alabama, so coverage of scattered showers and storms will likely increase again by Friday and the weekend. Still, it won’t be a washout; the sun will be out at times with highs in the mid 80s. Just be ready for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms each day, especially between 1 and 11 p.m.
NEXT WEEK: The persistent summer pattern stays in place through the week, with partly sunny, warm, humid days and scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain below average with highs mostly in the mid to upper 80s.
TROPICS: Satellite-derived surface-wind data indicate that the non-tropical area of low pressure several hundred miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, is producing winds below gale force and limited showers and thunderstorms. Although environmental conditions are only marginally favorable during the next couple of days, some slight development is possible as it drifts generally southward over warmer waters. Toward the end of the week, the low is expected to accelerate north-northeastward and open up into a trough of low pressure in response to an approaching frontal system moving off the New England coast.
The bottom line is that the Atlantic basin remains quiet, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the weekend.
RAIN UPDATE: Here are rain totals so far this year, and the departure from average:
- Mobile — 47.41 inches (11.21 inches above normal)
- Tuscaloosa — 43.31 (13 above normal)
- Birmingham — 37.9 (5.35 above normal)
- Huntsville — 36.23 (5.2 above normal)
- Dothan — 36.17 (6.71 above normal)
- Muscle Shoals — 35.65 (4.58 above normal)
- Montgomery — 31.67 (2.95 above normal)
- Anniston — 30.62 (0.34 above normal)
ON THIS DATE IN 1951: Rivers across eastern Kansas crested well above flood stage, causing the most significant destruction from flooding in the Midwestern United States at that time. Five-hundred-thousand people were left homeless and 24 people died in the disaster.
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