Increasing Showers/Storms…

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.

THIS AFTERNOON: Showers and storms are fairly widely spaced across Alabama this afternoon, and mainly over Northwest Alabama, north of a line from Tuscaloosa to Cullman to Huntsville. Temperatures are in the low to mid 90s in most places. To the north, a line of strong storms is moving across southern Tennessee just north of the Alabama border.

OUR WEEKEND: We still expect an increase in the number of showers and storms tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night ahead of a surface cold front. Any one spot will have about a 50/50 chance of getting wet, and a few strong storms will be possible. Most of the showers will come from about 2:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight, and while rain distribution will be uneven, some neighborhoods could easily see over 1/2 inch of rain with the stronger storms. Drier air then moves into North Alabama Sunday, with the sky becoming partly sunny as the humidity levels fall.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For tonight’s high school games, there is just a slight risk of any one high school football stadium seeing a shower since they will be isolated in nature. Otherwise, warm and muggy weather is the story again with temperatures falling from the mid 80s at kickoff to near 80 by the final whistle.

Tomorrow night Penn State visits Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. There is a pretty decent chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm during the game, and the temperature will fall from near 83 at kickoff to 75 by the final whistle. The chance of rain during the game is about one in two, if you like the numbers game (most football fans do). UAB will be in Dallas to play SMU tomorrow night (an F2 tornado passed very close to their campus Wednesday night)… another warm and humid setting with a small risk of a shower or thunderstorm during the game. Temperatures will hover in the 80s. And, let’s not forget Jacksonville State (how can we forget after last week’s big win over Ole Miss)… they host Chattanooga tomorrow evening at 6:00. A shower or thunderstorm is possible during the game, with temperatures falling from the mid 80s at kickoff into the upper 70s by the fourth quarter.

NEXT WEEK: Dry weather is the word next week; mostly sunny days and fair pleasant nights. Highs will be around 90, with lows down in the low to mid 60s. The cooler pockets should see 50s at daybreak Monday and Tuesday morning.

JULIA? The tropical wave over the Windward Islands has the potential to become Tropical Storm Julia in coming days as it moves to the west/northwest. Using a model blend, it looks like it will head in the direction of Cuba early next week, opening the door for an entry into the Gulf of Mexico. Way too early to determine if there will be a threat to the Central Gulf Coast, but this one sure bears close watching.

IGOR: The system in the eastern Atlantic has regained tropical storm status, and should become a major hurricane in a few days. Most of the models continue to recurve this one into the North Atlantic before reaching the East Coast of the U.S. next week.

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.

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

I had a great time today seeing the 7th graders at Helena Middle School… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00. My next Weather Xtreme video will be posted Monday morning at 7:00… Brian Peters, the internationally beloved meteorologist, will have the video updates tomorrow and Sunday. Enjoy the weekend!

Category: Uncategorized