An Oppressively Hot July Sunday

The heat is oppressive when you walk outside on this July Sunday.

Temperatures across the state at this hour range from 88 in Mobile, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, and Tuscaloosa, to 90s elsewhere. It is 94F at Bessemer, Decatur, Maxwell, Eufaula, and Andalusia. It is 95F at Jasper, Selma, and Dannelly Field in Montgomery.

A few spots will hit 100F today. One of my best candidates was Tuscaloosa but it got off to a late start with some clouds in the area. Those clouds still cover parts of Marion, Fayette, Lamar, Pickens, and Tuscaloosa Counties, but they are lifting to the northeast. A few showers are forming on radar in this area of lift. These clouds and enhanced lift are ahead of an upper and mid level trough to our west.

That trough will edge our way, but will not impact us substantially through Tuesday. A few additional isolated showers and storms will form this afternoon, peaking around 4 p.m. and dying out after 6 p.m. A few showers and storms could persist over South Alabama well into the evening and overnight. Just another factor of July in South Alabama.

A few clouds are in the process of dissipating over the Tennessee Valley.

A nice cumulus field is starting to develop over South Alabama.

Heat index values are approaching 105 in spots, but should drop a little as dewpoints mix out in the afternoon heating. Heat advisories are in effect for Choctaw, Washington, Clarke, Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Covington, and Geneva Counties in South Alabama.

There are a few showers over Mobile County, with fairly widespread showers and storms in the Gulf south of the Alabama and Northwest Florida coasts. Conditions are favorable for waterspouts along the Gulf with all the moisture and instability, despite high pressure.

Things should start to change by late Wednesday into Thursday as a weakness in the ridge allows a frontal system to drop into Alabama for the latter part of the week. Rain chances will be high on Thursday but may be focused over South Alabama on Friday as late model runs have indicated the precipitation might be more focused over South Alabama. I will lower rainfall coverage and amounts for Friday.

Have a great day out there and take it easy in the heat.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Severe Weather