Sizzling Summer Days

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

A FEW STORMS THIS AFTERNOON: We have a few healthy thunderstorms in progress over Alabama this afternoon, but they are very widely spaced. At 3:00 most of them are over St. Clair, Calhoun, and Cleburne counties of East Alabama. In fact, you can just about count the number of storms out there on one hand, and they will fade quickly once the sun goes down.

REST OF THE WEEK: Heat levels will rise thanks to an upper ridge building across the state. The 12Z GFS is not quite as strong with the ridge, and keeps highs generally in the mid 90s each day through Friday. We will keep the high in the upper 90s Thursday and Friday for now, but will back it down a few degrees if model trends continue. There is always some risk of an afternoon storm on hot days like these, but like today, the storms will be few and far between due to the warm air aloft associated with the ridge.

WEEKEND PEEK: The 12Z GFS weakens the ridge a little earlier, and now suggests highs back in the low to mid 90s Saturday and Sunday along with a better chance of scattered showers and storms. Again, if the trends continue we will lean the forecast in this direction. With a weakness in the ridge developing, that also opens the door for a potential tropical system to move up this way from the southeast…

BONNIE? A strong tropical wave northeast of Hispaniola is getting better organized, and is expected to develop into a tropical depression during the next 48 hours. Watch the Weather Xtreme video and you will see that most dynamic models bring the system into the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area later this week, potentially as a strong tropical storm or hurricane. Needless to say, interests in the Bahamas and South Florida will need to watch this one very closely in coming days. There is very little skill in intensity forecasts of a tropical cyclone several days in advance. And, once the system clears the Florida peninsula and moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico (assuming this happens), there is some chance it might curve north toward the Florida Panhandle.

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. Scroll down for the snow notes on this week’s new episode.

FOLLOW ALONG: Here are our weather team Twitter accounts….

SEVEN DAY FORECAST: You can see our regular seven day forecast here. J.B. Elliott is taking the afternoon off, so no Miss Molly story today. Sorry!

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Category: Uncategorized