Alabama's brief dry spell ends with more soaking summer storms on the horizon

1 year ago 35

Mostly dry Wednesday but heavy storms are back in Alabama Thursday

FIRST, THIS IS WVTM 13 WEATHER. WELL, HERE AT 1019 IN THE EVENING, IT DOESN’T FEEL SO BAD. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES HAVE DROPPED OFF INTO THE UPPER 70S. THE SKY PARTLY CLOUDY, THOUGH, AND FOR SOME OF US, THAT SUPERMOON JUST NOT VISIBLE YET, BUT IT WILL BE OVERNIGHT, DOESN’T SET UNTIL 643 IN THE MORNING. SO YOU STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME. TAKE A NAP. GET UP. TAKE A LOOK AT IT A LITTLE BIT LATER ON. A NICE START TO THE MORNING WITH SOME SUNSHINE. AND THEN TOMORROW AFTERNOON, A VERY SMALL CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR STORM. THE MAJORITY OF US, NOT A DROP OF RAIN COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY, BUT IT WILL BE ON THE HOT SIDE. SO AS THIS SUPERMOON THING, IS IT REALLY BIGGER AND BRIGHTER? YEAH, TECHNICALLY, IT’S ABOUT 14% BIGGER AT ABOUT 30% BRIGHTER. SO THIS IS A REPRESENTATION OF WHAT TONIGHT’S MOON WILL LOOK LIKE ONCE THE CLOUDS MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE LIKE WHAT WE SAW IN JULY. NOW SIDE BY SIDE IN THE SKY, IF YOU COULD SEE THAT, YOU WOULD SEE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. BUT JUST LOOKING AT IT WITH THE NAKED EYE AND NO REAL COMPARISON THERE, IT’S KIND OF HARD TO TELL. JEFFERSON COUNTY AND SHELBY COUNTY TONIGHT, WE’RE RAIN FREE, EVEN THOUGH WE’VE HAD THE CLOUDS AND THEY ARE STILL THICKER OVER EAST ALABAMA, AROUND ANNISTON AND OXFORD, JACKSONVILLE AND GADSDEN. BUT FROM TUSCALOOSA, WEST AND ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE NORTHWEST, THE VIEW OF THAT MOON IS MUCH, MUCH BETTER. IT WON’T BE THAT WAY TOMORROW NIGHT, THOUGH, BECAUSE YOU SEE ALL THIS SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTION GOING ON IN MISSOURI SOMETIME AS WE JUST LAY DOWN THE TRAIN TRACKS HERE AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BECOME LIKELY HERE AND THEY DIRECTLY IMPACT ALABAMA IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE. SO TOMORROW WE’RE EXPECTING HEAVY, HEAVY RAIN OVER EASTERN MISSOURI AND SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS. PARTS OF KENTUCKY. THOSE STORMS WILL TRANSITION INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY ON THURSDAY. AND THE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER, WPC HAS OUTLOOK FOR PARTS OF EAST ALABAMA, INCLUDING BIRMINGHAM AND HOOVER. COLUMBIANA, HARPERSVILLE, LEEDS AND CENTER POINT WITH A RISK OF SOME THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE SOME FLASH FLOODING. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE JET STREAM. IT HAS BEEN UNUSUALLY ACTIVE THIS SUMMER AND EACH TIME WE GET ONE OF THESE DISTURBANCES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS STRONG EARLY THURSDAY COMING SOUTH, WELL, THAT’S LIKELY TO LAY DOWN A TRACK OF SOME PRETTY HEAVY RAINFALL. SO THERE YOU GO. THE STORMS UP TO THE NORTH MOVING DOWN HERE TOWARD THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY. HIT OR MISS STORMS THAT COULD GIVE US MORE THAN 2 OR 3IN OF RAIN IN A FEW COMMUNITIES, WHILE OTHERS HARDLY GET ANYTHING AT ALL. THAT’S JUST THE NAME OF THE GAME WHEN IT COMES TO THE SCATTERED STORMS THIS TIME OF YEAR, THEY’RE HIT OR MISS. SOME OF US GET POUNDED, OTHERS GET MISSED, AND THEN THE NEXT DAY IT MAY FLIP FLOP. AND THE ONE SPOT DIDN’T DIDN’T GET IT YESTERDAY GETS IT TODAY. SHOWERS AND STORMS LIKELY THROUGH FRIDAY. THEY THIN OUT SOME, BUT STILL A

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Mostly dry Wednesday but heavy storms are back in Alabama Thursday

A few brief showers move into North Alabama Wednesday. Several waves of heavy summer storms blasts into the state Thursday. Check the video forecast for the latest.SUPERMOON-ING ON A QUIET NIGHTA dry north wind keeps North and Central Alabama dry tonight, and it gets comfortable again: usual cool spots in the mid-60s, in-town temperatures around Birmingham and Tuscaloosa in the lower 70s.High, thin cirrus clouds passing across the state tonight may obscure the Sturgeon Supermoon for many of us now and then, but visibility improves through early Wednesday morning. The Moon sets at 6:43 AM in Birmingham.More on August's Supermoons and the Blue MoonHOT, STORMY WEATHER AHEADHotter, more humid air surging back into Alabama Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leads to more storms: some of them dropping heavy rain, sparking intense lightning, and kicking up strong wind gusts over 35 miles per hour.Wednesday's showers remain tame: quick shots of light to moderate rain with little risk of lightning if you get anything at all. The best chance of a shower comes over Northwest Alabama leaving Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Alabaster, and Anniston to bake in the heat: highs in the lower and middle 90s and a heat index up near 100°F by mid-afternoon.IMPACT DAY THURSDAYA strong disturbance northwest of us Wednesday moves in Thursday stirring up heavy thunderstorms along the way. The "high" rain chance Thursday and Friday refers to high confidence in scattered storms; it is not a guarantee of heavy rain in a single spot.Individual storms grow strong Thursday, and that is why it is now an Impact Day:When? Thursday afternoon and evening.What? Heavy storms capable of torrential rainfall (flash flooding), dangerous lightning, and wind gusts over 35 MPH.What are my odds of rain? This is no slam-dunk for all of North and Central Alabama, but the majority of us will see at least 0.10" to 0.25" with many spots from Jefferson and Shelby Counties eastward adding up rainfall in whole inches through the evening. WPC (NOAA's Weather Prediction Center) outlines a Marginal Risk of flash flooding from these unevenly spread downpours.WEEKEND HEAT, WEEKEND STORMSThe daily downpours decrease somewhat over the weekend: fewer in number but not less impactful. Less rain means more heat: muggy mornings in the 70s, hot afternoons in the mid-90s with a heat index around 100°F.WETTER THAN USUALBirmingham rarely has more than four inches of rain in the first two weeks of August. The stormy pattern and high-end potential for torrential rainfall within individual storms could put some communities in rare territory through the middle of the month.Twelve times since 1930: that's how often Birmingham has gone over four inches of rain from August 1st to August 17th.Several sets of longer-range guidance available over the past 24 hours suggest at least 2-3 inches of rain and possibly as much as 5-7" of rain through mid-month.It is not coming from the tropics. This is more of the same unusually active summer jet stream spurred on in part by an intensifying El Nino in the Pacific. The forecast for the next two weeks looks rather wet; however, thunderstorm placement changes virtually every day leaving a very uneven distribution behind with some getting a little and others getting soaked on an almost daily basis.CLICK TO SEE THE 7-DAY FORECASTSTAY WEATHER AWAREGet the free WVTM 13 app and turn on the alerts for the latest weather updates in your neighborhood.For the latest Birmingham weather information and central Alabama's certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.Current Weather ConditionsHourly Forecast | 10-Day ForecastInteractive RadarBirmingham SkycamsLive Doppler RadarSign Up For Email Weather AlertsDownload the WVTM 13 AppDon't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

A few brief showers move into North Alabama Wednesday. Several waves of heavy summer storms blasts into the state Thursday. Check the video forecast for the latest.

SUPERMOON-ING ON A QUIET NIGHT

A dry north wind keeps North and Central Alabama dry tonight, and it gets comfortable again: usual cool spots in the mid-60s, in-town temperatures around Birmingham and Tuscaloosa in the lower 70s.

High, thin cirrus clouds passing across the state tonight may obscure the Sturgeon Supermoon for many of us now and then, but visibility improves through early Wednesday morning. The Moon sets at 6:43 AM in Birmingham.

More on August's Supermoons and the Blue Moon

Alabama supermoon August

HOT, STORMY WEATHER AHEAD

Hotter, more humid air surging back into Alabama Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leads to more storms: some of them dropping heavy rain, sparking intense lightning, and kicking up strong wind gusts over 35 miles per hour.

Wednesday's showers remain tame: quick shots of light to moderate rain with little risk of lightning if you get anything at all.

The best chance of a shower comes over Northwest Alabama leaving Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Alabaster, and Anniston to bake in the heat: highs in the lower and middle 90s and a heat index up near 100°F by mid-afternoon.

Alabama weather forecast

IMPACT DAY THURSDAY

A strong disturbance northwest of us Wednesday moves in Thursday stirring up heavy thunderstorms along the way. The "high" rain chance Thursday and Friday refers to high confidence in scattered storms; it is not a guarantee of heavy rain in a single spot.

Individual storms grow strong Thursday, and that is why it is now an Impact Day:

When? Thursday afternoon and evening.
What? Heavy storms capable of torrential rainfall (flash flooding), dangerous lightning, and wind gusts over 35 MPH.
What are my odds of rain? This is no slam-dunk for all of North and Central Alabama, but the majority of us will see at least 0.10" to 0.25" with many spots from Jefferson and Shelby Counties eastward adding up rainfall in whole inches through the evening.

WPC (NOAA's Weather Prediction Center) outlines a Marginal Risk of flash flooding from these unevenly spread downpours.

alabama weather forecast

WEEKEND HEAT, WEEKEND STORMS

The daily downpours decrease somewhat over the weekend: fewer in number but not less impactful.

alabama weather forecast

Less rain means more heat: muggy mornings in the 70s, hot afternoons in the mid-90s with a heat index around 100°F.

WETTER THAN USUAL

Birmingham rarely has more than four inches of rain in the first two weeks of August. The stormy pattern and high-end potential for torrential rainfall within individual storms could put some communities in rare territory through the middle of the month.

Twelve times since 1930: that's how often Birmingham has gone over four inches of rain from August 1st to August 17th.

Several sets of longer-range guidance available over the past 24 hours suggest at least 2-3 inches of rain and possibly as much as 5-7" of rain through mid-month.

It is not coming from the tropics. This is more of the same unusually active summer jet stream spurred on in part by an intensifying El Nino in the Pacific.

The forecast for the next two weeks looks rather wet; however, thunderstorm placement changes virtually every day leaving a very uneven distribution behind with some getting a little and others getting soaked on an almost daily basis.