Storms Stay North
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
WARM AFTERNOON: Birmingham soared to 85 degrees at 2:00, and was one of the warmest spots in the state. The sky is mostly sunny over the central counties, although some clouds are seen up north over the Tennessee Valley. There is no rain on radar statewide.
TO THE NORTH: A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, with strong storms firing up near a surface front over Kentucky at mid-afternoon. Some of these storms could drift down toward extreme North Alabama tonight, but they are not expected to really make it south of the Tennessee River in any serious number. SPC does maintain their standard “slight risk” of severe weather for far North Alabama just in case a strong storm crosses the border. If any showers do drift down this way (I-20/59 corridor), they should be few and far between tonight.
TOMORROW THROUGH SUNDAY: The front to the north will lift north, and an upper ridge will build across the Deep South. This should bring warm and dry weather on these three days with highs in the 80s. We note the 12Z GFS is stronger with the upper ridge, and is now printing a high of 91 for Birmingham on Sunday. Not totally out of the question, but we will stick with mid 80s for now. The weekend should feature a good supply of sunshine both days.
NEXT WEEK: The upper ridge is the main feature, so generally warm and dry weather should continue through mid-week with highs in the 80s. The GFS does show a nice upper trough forming over the eastern half of the nation around May 6 with a pretty good shot of cooler air moving down into Alabama; see the Weather Xtreme video for details.
AT THE BEACH: It is a dry forecast for the region between Panama City and Gulf Shores through the middle of next week. Mostly sunny days, fair nights. Highs between 74 and 80; the sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this afternoon is 70 degrees.
ABC 33/40 SPECIAL: Be sure and tune in for our one hour special tomorrow from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m. as we look back at the April 27, 2011 tornado disaster in Alabama.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I enjoyed speaking to the kids at Donehoo School in Gadsden today… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
