A Few Small Showers This Afternoon

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.

A LITTLE RAIN IN SPOTS: As expected, showers this afternoon are small and widely spaced. Some of the heavier ones are over Calhoun, Tuscaloosa, and Blount Counties at mid-afternoon. The showers are drifting to the south, and will fade fast once the sun goes down. Otherwise, the day is warm and hazy with temperatures in the 88-92 degree range.

REST OF THE WEEK: The weather won’t change much. Look for very warm, hazy days and fair nights through mid-week; highs will remain in the 88-92 degree range, and a few isolated showers could form during the peak of the daytime heating process. The chance of any one spot actually getting wet will be only in the 10 to 20 percent range due to the very scattered nature of the showers.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: A cold front will push through Alabama late Thursday night into Friday; it might kick off a few showers, but with limited moisture and the lack of good, dynamic forcing, widespread rain isn’t expected.

Then, Saturday looks mostly rain-free with lower humidity and slightly cooler temperatures; the high Saturday should be in the mid 80s with a northeast breeze. To the northeast of Alabama, the weekend will bring the coolest air of the season, with temperatures in the 30s possible as far south as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore early Sunday.

On Sunday, moisture will increase from the east, and a few scattered showers are possible with a mix of sun and clouds. Cooler air will also continue to slip into the state from the northeast; places like Fort Payne, Centre, and Heflin might have a hard time getting out of the 70s, with highs in the low to mid 80s elsewhere.

NEXT WEEK: An approaching cold front, and tropical moisture moving in from the west could well set up a good rain event toward the middle of the week…. in the September 17-19 time frame. See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and details.

TROPICAL WEATHER: Tropical Storm Humberto is expected to gain hurricane status by Wednesday in the far East Atlantic. It will be forced northward, followed by a turn back to the west in about 5 days due to a blocking high north of the system. Still don’t think this gets close to the U.S…. it will stay on the Europe side of the “big pond”. The GFS and the ECMWF both develop a tropical system in the far Southwest Gulf of Mexico this weekend, which could very well be Tropical Storm Ingrid. This should move into Northeast Mexico early next week; some of that moisture might ride up and along a cold front, perhaps enhancing our risk of rain toward the middle of next week.

We note it now been 2,878 days since a major hurricane (category three or higher) has made landfall on the U.S. coast.

AT THE BEACH: About 7 to 9 hours of sunshine each day through the weekend with just a few scattered showers and storms around. Highs on the coast from Panama City over to Gulf Shores will remain in the upper 80s, with low 90s just a few miles inland. Sea water temperatures are mostly in the mid to upper 80s.

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. Greg Carbin of the Storm Prediction Center, who is speaking to the Central Alabama chapter of the National Weather Association tonight, will be our guest. The show will be produced at the Homewood Suites in Riverchase right after the NWA meeting; it begins at 8:30p CT and can be seen on “James Spann 24/7” on cable systems around the state, and also on the web here.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram

I had a great time visiting with Alabama golf course superintendents today at the Silver Lakes course near Glencoe…. look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: showers

Category: Alabama's Weather