More Summer-Like Warmth Today

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TOO WARM: How about that high of 88 degrees in Birmingham yesterday… that tied the record for the date, set in 1967. We will be well up in the 80s again today; we will forecast a high of 86, but some East Alabama communities closer to the center of the upper ridge could see upper 80s again. FYI… Birmingham’s record high today is also 88, also set in 1967. The sky will stay sunny under the ridge.

TOMORROW THROUGH FRIDAY: We stay dry tomorrow, although the ridge will be suppressed and the weather won’t be quite as warm. We will forecast a partly sunny sky with a high in the 78 to 81 degree range. Clouds will thicken tomorrow night ahead of the big upper trough to the west, and wet weather follows for Thursday.

The latest guidance is a little slower, and it now looks like our main window for showers and storms in Alabama will come from 3:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Thursday. For West Alabama, the storms will come through during the morning hours when the air is rather stable, but the slower arrival time could mean some risk of strong storms for the eastern side of the state Thursday afternoon. SPC has low end, 5 percent probabilities of severe weather in place for East Alabama for now. Rain amounts of 1/2 to 3/4 inch are likely, and the weather will be noticeably cooler with a high only in the mid to upper 60s.

Sunshine returns in full force Friday, but the weather will stay cool with a high in the mid 60s. We will continue to forecast a low of 39 degrees Friday morning, but the colder valleys will see low to mid 30s with a good chance of some frost. Growers will need to keep that in mind, but we don’t expect a widespread, damaging freeze. Saturday morning should be just as cold, based on the latest model output.

OUR WEEKEND: Looks delightful, with sunshine in full supply Saturday and Sunday along with highs in the mid 70s. Low humidity, and those temperatures are right at seasonal averages.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: We will be dry and mild on Monday and Tuesday, and the latest GFS runs shunt the next weather system north of Alabama at mid-week with little chance rain. Temperatures will be at or a little above average values for mid-April in Alabama. And, really no sign of any serious severe weather setup for the next 15 days as our very quiet severe weather season rolls along. No complaints here, for sure.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left. We will record a new episode tonight; it will be online by midnight.

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I have a weather program today at Hayden Elementary School up in Blount County… the next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 3:30 or so. Enjoy the day!

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