Warm Days, Pleasant Nights, No Rain

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DRY DAYS FOR A CHANGE: It is very unusual for us to go just one day with no showers or storms around here during the summer months; usually we have a blanket of mT (maritime tropical) air over the state, and the daytime heating process makes the air buoyant, and you wind up with a random pattern of scattered showers and storms during the afternoon and evening hours.

But, we have dropped all mention of showers through Wednesday, and the dry spell could last even longer. In the upper levels, a large high is over the nation’s heartland, centered over Missouri. This represents sinking air motion, and that subsiding air tends to pretty much offset the rising air from the surface, and showers tend to be very hard to find. And, in addition to the upper high, a low level flow from the northeast has helped to bring in dry, continental air into Alabama. Check out these temperatures around the state at daybreak…

Black Creek (just northeast of Gadsden) 57
Fort Payne 59
Valley Head 59
Gadsden 61
Auburn 63

The high today will be in the 85-88 degree range with ample sunshine and low humidity. Very refreshing for August. And, no afternoon storms to deal with over the northern half of the state.

REST OF THE WEEK: No real change through mid-week. Dry with a slow warming trend; we should see highs at or just over 90 degrees by Thursday and Friday as the upper high drifts southward. A few isolated afternoon showers could show up by Thursday/Friday, but the chance of any one spot getting wet will remain small. Days will be partly to mostly sunny.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We are projecting highs in the low 90s Saturday and Sunday, and a few spots could see a brief afternoon shower or thunderstorm, especially Sunday. Still, no widespread rain. The sky will be partially sunny both days.

NEXT WEEK: We welcome September and meteorological fall with pretty routine weather; partly sunny days with the risk of “scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms” for the first half of the week. Highs in the 88-91 degree range.

AT THE BEACH: Sunshine in full supply for the Central Gulf Coast through Friday; highs between 87 and 90 on the immediate coast, with low 90s inland. The sea water temperature this morning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is 79 degrees. A few widely scattered showers could show up this weekend, but there will be a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday.

TROPICS: Tropical Storm Fernand, which formed last night in the Bay of Campeche, is already inland over Mexico this morning well to the south of Texas. This short lived tropical system will dissipate over the next 36 hours while it drops heavy amounts of rain. The rest of the Atlantic basin is remarkably quiet for late August.

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Tags: dry

Category: Alabama's Weather