James Spann: Blanket of moist air remains in place over Alabama
James Spann forecasts showers, storms for many in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
MORE SHOWERS, STORMS LATER TODAY: The weather is fairly quiet across Alabama early this morning, but we expect numerous showers and storms to form later today in the moist, tropical air in place, aided by an upper trough just to the west. The chance of any one spot getting wet today is 65-70%, and like recent days the stronger storms that form will produce heavy rain, gusty winds and lots of lightning. With only a limited amount of sun, we expect a high today in the low 80s; the average high for Birmingham on July 12 is 91.
REST OF THE WEEK: We aren’t expecting much change Tuesday; the sky will be occasionally cloudy with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will remain well below average with a high in the low to mid 80s. Humidity levels stay high Wednesday through Friday, and showers and storms will continue to develop on these three days, but they should be a bit more scattered in nature as the air will be a bit more stable. Highs over the latter half of the week will be in the mid to upper 80s; the chance of any one spot getting wet Wednesday through Friday will be 30-40%.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Warm, humid weather will continue. We expect a mix of sun and clouds Saturday and Sunday with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly during the afternoon and evening hours. Highs will be between 84 and 89 degrees, and the probability of any one location seeing rain both days will be 50-60%.
NEXT WEEK: The upper-air pattern won’t change much, and accordingly our weather won’t change much. Look for partly sunny, warm, humid days with the typical summer rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms daily. Highs will remain below 90 degrees through the week for most communities.
LOWER HEAT LEVELS THIS SUMMER: Temperatures have reached 90 degrees on only 10 days in Birmingham since June 1. The average high for June was 86 degrees, 2 degrees below average, and so far the average high for July is 87 degrees, which is 3 degrees below average. Our hottest temperature so far is 94, recorded on June 14. On the morning of June 23, the official low was 60, but many places across north and central Alabama dropped into the 50- to 55-degree range.
The Climate Prediction Center continues to forecast below-average temperatures for the southern U.S. in its outlook for July 19-25.
TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin thanks to dry air and subsidence (sinking air), and tropical storm formation is not expected at least for the next five days.
ON THIS DATE IN 1995: An intense heat wave affected much of the Midwest for four days beginning on this day. The worst effects were noted in the Chicago metropolitan area, where 583 people died from the heat. Temperatures across the region reached as high as 104 degrees, with overnight lows falling only to the upper 70s to low 80s. Dew point temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s created heat indexes peaking at 125 degrees. Electricity and water usage reached record levels, causing periodic outages.
ON THIS DATE IN 1996: Hurricane Bertha made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, with maximum winds of 105 mph, but the storm surge dealt the most devastation. The U.S. Virgin Islands, along with North Carolina, were declared federal disaster areas. Surveys indicate that Bertha damaged almost 2,500 homes on St. Thomas and St. John. For many, it was the second hit in the 10 months since Hurricane Marilyn devastated the same area. The primary effects in North Carolina were to the coastal counties and included storm surge flooding and beach erosion, roof damage, piers washed away, fallen trees and damage to crops.
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