Wet Tomorrow; Beautiful Weekend Ahead
RADAR CHECK: In the warm, humid airmass across Alabama we have developing showers and thunderstorms in scattered spots this afternoon. Some of the heaviest rain at mid-afternoon was over the northwest part of the state… showers will continue to develop tonight as a cold front approaches from the north. Temperatures remain below average today… mostly in the mid 80s.
Tomorrow will be a relatively wet day for the state as a rare July cold front approaches from the north. Expect a mostly cloudy sky with occasional showers and thunderstorms; temperatures most likely won’t get out of the 70s with only a very limited amount of sunshine. Rain amounts will be around one inch between now and tomorrow night.
FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND: Dry air begins to roll into North/Central Alabama late tomorrow night, and that will set the stage for a very pleasant holiday weekend. For the northern 2/3 of the state, we expect mostly sunny days, cooler nights, and lower humidity levels Saturday through Monday. Highs will be in the 80s, cooler spots could reach the 50s early Sunday morning. Amazingly comfortable for early July in Alabama.
We should mention that a few scattered showers and storms are possible over the three day weekend across extreme South Alabama and along the Gulf Coast, but even there it won’t be a washout, and the sun will be out at times.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: Moisture begins to return during the mid-week period, and we will mention a chance of scattered showers and storms statewide Tuesday through Friday with a mix of sun and clouds along with rising humidity levels. We will keep an eye on Tropical Storm Elsa; for the moment it looks like the main impact from that system will stay east of Alabama, but there is still considerable uncertainty. Highs during the week will be mostly in the 86-90 degree range… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
TROPICAL STORM ELSA: Elsa this afternoon is about 600 miles east/southeast of the Windward Islands in the Atlantic with estimated winds of 45 mph. No major change in the track forecast from NHC… Elsa moves through the Caribbean tomorrow and Saturday, and reaches the far Southeast Gulf of Mexico Monday. The position Monday night is forecast to be just west of Fort Myers, Florida.
It is important to note that this forecast can, and probably will change over the next few days. It remains to be seen what impact Elsa will have on Florida or the Southeast U.S… but it needs to be watched closely.
NHC keeps Elsa under hurricane strength over the next five days because of the fast forward motion of the system, and potential interaction with land and unfavorable upper air winds.
The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.
ON THIS DATE IN 2002: San Antonio, Texas recorded 9.52 inches of rain on this day to set a new record for its greatest rainfall for the entire month of July.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
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James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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