Only Isolated Showers Today

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.

COOL AIR GETTING CLOSER: We still expect a high around 80 degrees today across Alabama, and we will mention the risk of isolated showers this afternoon or this evening, and the remnant upper trough axis passes through. The best chance of a shower will be over the northeast part of the state, and even there they will very widely spaced.

YESTERDAY’S STORMS: Clearly the best rain amounts were over the western half of the state, where Pickens, Lamar, Marion and Fayette counties all had widespread amounts of at least one inch. To the east, amounts were very light over East Alabama. One isolated storm over northern Shelby County brought 1.69 inches of rain to Helena, as measured by the internationally beloved meteorologist Brian Peters. That was the same storm that brought dime to quarter sized hail to places like Hoover, Cahaba Heights, and Mountain Brook.

COOL CHANGE TOMORROW: Much cooler air invades Alabama tomorrow with a brisk northwest wind. The high will drop into the low 70s despite a sunny sky, and we drop well down in the 40s by daybreak Friday. The colder spots could reach the upper 30s early Friday morning. Expect a picture perfect fall weekend ahead, with sunny days, highs in the 70s, and lows in the 40s. Doesn’t get much better. While our fall colors will probably be a little muted this year due to the recent dry spell, I fully expect a good increase in foliage color on the Alabama hillsides this weekend.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: The first half of next week will be dry, but we will bring in a chance of rain as early as Wednesday afternoon as an upper trough sets up west of Alabama, and a disturbed southwest flow aloft becomes established. Rain will be more likely Wednesday night and Thursday. Watch the Weather Xtreme video and you will see the 00Z run of the GFS holds the cold air off until October 26-28, but many other runs have looked pretty cold all the way from about October 23 through the end of the month. One way or another I would not be shocked if we see the first freeze of the season before Halloween this year.

HEY HEY PAULA: Hurricane Paula is over the Yucatan Channel this morning packing sustained winds of 100 mph. The system will weaken, and turn east, moving over Cuba in coming days. This could set the stage for life threatening flooding on that island since there will be only very slow forward progress. Paula is no threat to the Gulf of Mexico, and the rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.

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 will be doing a weather program this morning for the 6th graders at Berry Middle School… then I will be swinging by the Jimmie Hale Mission to speak during the morning chapel service there. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Category: Uncategorized