James Spann: Scattered showers, storms develop in Alabama Friday
James Spann forecasts an uptick in scattered showers, storms for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
SUN AND STORMS: An upper trough will bring an increase in the number of scattered showers and thunderstorms to Alabama Friday and Saturday, but it still won’t rain everywhere. The chance of any one spot getting wet is 30-40%, and most of the showers will come from about 1 until 10 p.m. Otherwise, look for a mix of sun and clouds with a high between 86 and 90 degrees. On Sunday, showers become fewer as an upper ridge begins to build over the region. Sunday’s high will be at or just over 90 degrees with a partly sunny sky.
NEXT WEEK: The weather won’t change much, with very typical conditions for August — partly sunny days with a few widely scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms each day. Afternoon highs will be in the low 90s, right at seasonal levels.
TROPICS: A disturbance over the central tropical Atlantic continues to produce some disorganized showers and thunderstorms. This system is expected to move west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph, and some slow development is possible early next week, when it is expected to be near the Lesser Antilles. For now the chance of development with this feature is only 20% over the next five days.
Out in the far eastern Atlantic, a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms a few hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands is associated with a tropical wave interacting with a broader surface trough. Environmental conditions appear somewhat conducive for gradual development, and a tropical depression is likely to form this weekend or early next week while the system moves generally west-northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic. The name will be Fred if this reaches tropical storm strength; it’s way too early to know whether it will affect any land areas.
The Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic basin remain quiet this morning.
ON THIS DATE IN 1993: Virginia experienced its worst tornado outbreak ever as 18 tornadoes ripped through the state in five hours. The most devastating tornado caused severe damage in the historic part of Petersburg. The storm then moved on to Pocahontas Island and into Colonial Heights. There, it ripped apart a Walmart, killing three people and injuring nearly 200. The F4 twister was the first known violent tornado in Virginia history. It killed four people and injured 246 along its 12-mile path.
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