Wednesday Midday Nowcast for Central Alabama

SATELLITE & RADAR CHECK: Welcome to the first day of June, and the first day of “Meteorological Summer!” At this time, the radar is clear for Central Alabama with mostly sunny skies. Most of the action in the Southeastern United States is located back to our west, where showers and thunderstorms are providing even more rain to areas that do not need anymore at this time. Also, the remnants of Bonnie are still hanging tough on the North Carolina coast.

QUICK LOOK AT TEMPERATURES: Temperatures at this time are already well up in the upper 80s. The warm spots in the state are Birmingham and Alexander City, both at 88. Here is a list of temperature readings from across the state at this time:

Birmingham 88
Tuscaloosa 86
Muscle Shoals 86
Huntsville 83
Anniston 86
Alexander City 88
Montgomery 87
Dothan 85
Mobile 84

REST OF TODAY: Hot and humid with partly to mostly sunny skies throughout the rest of the day. We will have widely scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening hours, just like yesterday. Most places will remain dry, as the chances of any one place receiving rainfall will be one in five. Afternoon highs will be in the low 90s.

AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR BIRMINGHAM AREA: Today’s Air Quality Index will be in the CODE YELLOW (moderate) for ozone and particulate matter. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

CLIMATOLOGY FOR BIRMINGHAM: The normal high temperature for June 1st in Birmingham is 85, while the normal low is 62. The record high of 95 was reached in 1953. The record low of 42 was set back in 1966. To learn more about the climatology for the month of June, and the definition of meteorological summer, please visit my earlier post “Welcome To June!”.

TOMORROW: The upper ridge that has been providing the area with hot and humid conditions will start to weaken , and a surface front will slowly approach from the north. The overall coverage of showers and storms will be on the increase, but it still won’t rain everywhere. Afternoon highs will be at or near 90.

HEADED TO THE BEACH: Just a few isolated showers and storms, otherwise mostly sunny days and fair nights on the coast from Panama City Beach over to Gulf Shores through Friday. Scattered showers and storms are possible over the weekend, but you should still see a decent amount of sun both days. Highs on the immediate coast will be in the 80s, with low 90s inland. The sea water temperature early this morning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is a warm 84 degrees. See a very detailed beach forecast here.

SUMMER SEASON: As we get into the summer season, I think it would be a great idea to read James’ post about understanding summer weather forecasts in Alabama. Click here to visit the post.

WEATHERBRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists at ABC 33/40. You can find it here.

Category: Alabama's Weather