James Spann: Fred moving away from Alabama; scattered storms through Friday
RADAR CHECK: We have a few small, spotty showers across central Alabama this afternoon; otherwise the sky is partly sunny with temperatures mostly in the 80s. The isolated showers will end after sunset; the main impactful weather with the remnant circulation of Fred is well to the northeast of Alabama.
REST OF THE WEEK: Wednesday will be a partly sunny, hot, humid day with a high around 90. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will form by afternoon, and a few strong storms are likely across the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama, where the Storm Prediction Center has defined a marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe weather. The main threat will come from strong, gusty winds.
On Thursday and Friday, look for a mix of sun and clouds both days with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms, mostly during the afternoon and evening hours. The chance of any one spot getting wet on these two days is 55-65%, and highs will be between 85 and 90 degrees.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A few scattered storms are possible Saturday afternoon, but showers become scarce Sunday as an upper ridge builds across the region. Heat levels creep up over the weekend; the high will be close to 90 Saturday, followed by low 90s Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: The weather will be hot and mostly dry for the first half of the week, with only isolated afternoon showers and highs between 91 and 94 for most places. Scattered storms will increase by Thursday and Friday as the ridge weakens.
TROPICS: Fred’s remnant circulation continues to produce heavy rain and isolated tornadoes northeast of Alabama this afternoon. Elsewhere in the tropics Grace will stay well to the south and Henri will stay well off the East Coast. There are no threats to the central Gulf Coast through next week.
ON THIS DATE IN 1969: Hurricane Camille made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Waveland. Camille is one of only four Category 5 hurricanes ever to make landfall in the continental United States (Atlantic basin) – the others being the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which hit the Florida Keys; Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which hit south Florida; and Hurricane Michael in 2018, which hit the Florida Panhandle. (It is worth mentioning that the 1928 San Felipe Hurricane made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Puerto Rico.)
Camille ranks as the second most intense hurricane to strike the continental U.S., with 900 millibars of pressure and landfall intensity of 150 knots. Camille ranks just below the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, with 892 millibars and 160 knots, while slightly stronger than Hurricane Andrew with 922 millibars and 145 knots and Hurricane Michael with 919 millibars and 140 knots. The actual maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Camille are not known as the hurricane destroyed all the wind-recording instruments in the landfall area. Re-analysis data found peak winds of 150 knots (roughly 175 mph) along the coast. A devastating storm surge of 24.6 feet occurred west of our area in Pass Christian, Mississippi.
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