Dangerously hot weather Saturday leads to heavy afternoon storms

1 year ago 34

WELL, IT’S STILL IN THE UPPER 80S AND FEELS LIKE IT’S AMID THE MID 90S HERE AT 1018 IN THE EVENING ON THIS FRIDAY TOMORROW SO VERY SIMILAR TO TODAY TEMPERATURE CLOSE TO 100 THE HEAT INDEX WELL OVER 105. TODAY’S PEAK HEAT INDEX IN BIRMINGHAM WAS 108. SCATTERED STRONG STORMS DEVELOP ON SATURDAY WITH GUSTY WINDS. POTENTIAL FOR HAIL AND LIGHTNING AND ON THE WVTM 13 APP, IF YOU GET THIS MESSAGE THAT LIGHTNING IS WITHIN TEN MILES OF WHERE YOU ARE AND THIS IS A LOCATION SPECIFIC, IT’S TIME TO MOVE INDOORS. SO POOL PARTY OUTDOORS, GRILLING IN THE PARK, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE. IF YOU GET THAT LIGHTNING ALERT, IT’S TIME TO MOVE INDOORS BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO CLOSE TO THE THUNDERSTORMS AND YOU COULD BE IN DANGER OF A STRIKE THAT’S EVEN OUTSIDE OF WHERE THE RAIN IS FALLING TOMORROW, 99, SUNDAY, 97. BOTH DAYS, THE HEAT INDEX AT OR ABOVE 105. AND BOTH DAYS WE’VE GOT A CHANCE OF SOME LOCALLY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. BUT IF YOU ARE SOUTHBOUND TO THE GULF COAST, THE RIP CURRENT RISK IS FAIRLY LOW. YOU’LL LIKELY SEE YELLOW FLAGS ON THE GULF COAST OF ALABAMA THIS WEEKEND, AS WELL AS GREEN FLAGS ON THE FLORIDA GULF COAST. BUT IF YOU’RE STAYING A WHILE, I THINK THE RIP CURRENT HAZARD WILL PROBABLY START COMING UP NEXT WEEK. AND IF YOU START SEEING RED FLAGS, REMEMBER TIME TO STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER. KNEE DEEP IS TOO DEEP IN THAT CASE. UP TO OUR NORTH TONIGHT, THERE ARE SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING DOWN TOWARD MADISON COUNTY AND JACKSON COUNTY. THESE ARE TRACKING DOWN TOWARD THE SOUTH AND A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 40MPH. SO PLACES LIKE CULLMAN, INDIANA, MAYBE EVEN GADSDEN AND PIEDMONT AND CENTER COULD GET A BRIEF SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN NOW AND 1:00 IN THE MORNING, ALTHOUGH I DON’T THINK TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF RAIN MAKES IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TOWARD I-20 WOULD BE NICE IF IT DID BECAUSE IT MIGHT HELP TO COOL THINGS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. 77 IN THE MORNING AND HOMEWOOD AND HOLT, 77 AND CENTERVILLE 75 AT SYLACAUGA BAILEYTON ADDISON ROSA RIGHT AROUND 75 IN ATTALLA ALSO IN THE MID 70S. AND I THINK WE’RE LOOKING AT MID TO UPPER 90S TOMORROW AFTERNOON. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE HUMIDITY TO THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE THE APPARENT TEMPERATURE, HOW MUCH THE STRESS ON YOUR BODY WILL BE AS IF THE TEMPERATURE WERE CLOSE TO 110 DEGREES. NOW IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE THE LUCKY ONE TO GET ONE OF THESE BRIEF SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS AS IT DEVELOPS, MAY HELP TO COOL YOU DOWN. THE GREATER CHANCE OF STORMS THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE. BUT FROM ABOUT FIVE UNTIL 8 P.M., I THINK WE WILL SEE A GREATER CONCENTRATION OF THOSE AROUND THE BIRMINGHAM METRO AREA. AND AGAIN, SOME OF THOSE COULD BE HEAVY, STRONG, GUSTY WINDS, POTENTIAL FOR SOME HAIL. WE’LL WATCH THOSE CAREFULLY ON SATURDAY AND ON SUNDAY. AND THEN AS WE WORK TOWARD THE FOURTH, THINGS ARE LOOKING HOT AND HUMID, BUT NOT QUITE AS HOT BECAUSE OF THE DAILY SCATTERED STORMS. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THE STORMS OUT OF HERE BY FIREWORKS TIME. YEAH

Impact Day: excessive heat, scattered strong storms Saturday

Searing heat, summer storms, high humidity: more of the same ahead for Alabama this weekend, but the weather pattern shifts toward the wetter next week. Check the video forecast for the latest.IMPACT WEATHER: A HOT, HUMID, OCCASIONALLY STORMY WEEKENDThis weekend brings some Impact Weather to Central Alabama; that means weather conditions including storms and heat that may force you to change outdoor plans.First, it’s the heat, and then it’s heavy storms. Temperatures soar to the upper 90s to around 100°F on Saturday and Sunday, and the heat index both days gets up in dangerously hot territory: around 105°F to 110°F between noon and 6 PM. Your only hope for some natural air conditioning comes from scattered, heavy, potentially strong thunderstorms that develop in the afternoon and evening hours. Saturday: the day starts very warm and muggy; temperatures warm from the mid-70s to near 100°F by early afternoon with a light northwest breeze. Scattered heavy thunderstorms develop around the state through midday and grow bigger and stronger through the afternoon: covering more territory than Friday’s scattered downpours did. The Storm Prediction Center outlines a risk of severe storms for the northern two-thirds of Alabama: from around Montgomery and Demopolis north through Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Gadsden, Cullman, Huntsville, Decatur and The Shoals. Individual severe storms could produce wind gusts over 60 MPH, large hail the diameter of a quarter, intense lightning, and torrential rainfall. The area where storms are most likely Saturday? Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall, Morgan, Madison, Jackson, Limestone, Lauderdale, and Lawrence Counties including Smith Lake, Lake Guntersville (the entire Tennessee River basin/lake system in Alabama and southern Tennessee), Weiss Lake, and Lookout Mountain. Sunday: it still gets hot, and it still gets stormy for some of us. Expect highs in the upper 90s with a heat index around 105°F under a partly sunny sky. Some scattered storms develop here and there around the state, but the greatest chance is again over the northern half of Alabama. A few storms could be severe, so be sure you are plugged in to some weather knowledge through the entire weekend.MONDAY AND INDEPENDENCE DAYForecasts often have knowns and unknowns: things that you can be confident in, and things that realistically cannot be understood until we see them in real time. We know it will be hot and humid, and it’s easy to know that temperatures will be around normal for early July (70s at night, 90s in the afternoons). The impossible part is precise information about when and where these spotty thunderstorms blow up (and how they may impact a single spot on the map).Monday and Tuesday do look hot and humid, and they do look stormy at times. Storms will not come in an organized way that we can track for hours or days in advance; instead, they blow up here and there, drop tremendous rainfall, kick up the wind, and fire off a lot of lightning in some spots while others stay totally dry.Build some flexibility into outdoor plans for Monday and The Fourth. Some of the storms that develop will be heavy at times, and a few may even briefly become severe with strong wind gusts powerful enough to shred pop-up tents, knock over grills, and cause some havoc for outdoor gatherings.Make sure you have the WVTM 13 app on your mobile device so you can get any Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued for your location, and it also tells you if lightning is within 10 miles of you so that you can make the wise decision to move indoors until the threat passes.DAILY DOWNPOURS AHEADThe excessively hot weather eases, but we only ‘cool’ back down to typical summer heat next week. In other words, you may not notice much difference in how it feels now versus a sunny afternoon through next week. The biggest difference comes with the scattered thunderstorms developing each day that give us some cooler periods in the hottest part of the day.Greater coverage of storms over North and Central Alabama leaves us a few degrees cooler and a whole lot wetter with some spots getting well over two inches of rain through the middle of next week. That rain varies, so some get soaked while others get very little on any given day.CLICK TO SEE THE 7-DAY FORECAST STAY 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.

Searing heat, summer storms, high humidity: more of the same ahead for Alabama this weekend, but the weather pattern shifts toward the wetter next week. Check the video forecast for the latest.

IMPACT WEATHER: A HOT, HUMID, OCCASIONALLY STORMY WEEKEND

This weekend brings some Impact Weather to Central Alabama; that means weather conditions including storms and heat that may force you to change outdoor plans.

First, it’s the heat, and then it’s heavy storms.

Temperatures soar to the upper 90s to around 100°F on Saturday and Sunday, and the heat index both days gets up in dangerously hot territory: around 105°F to 110°F between noon and 6 PM. Your only hope for some natural air conditioning comes from scattered, heavy, potentially strong thunderstorms that develop in the afternoon and evening hours.

Saturday: the day starts very warm and muggy; temperatures warm from the mid-70s to near 100°F by early afternoon with a light northwest breeze.

Scattered heavy thunderstorms develop around the state through midday and grow bigger and stronger through the afternoon: covering more territory than Friday’s scattered downpours did.
The Storm Prediction Center outlines a risk of severe storms for the northern two-thirds of Alabama: from around Montgomery and Demopolis north through Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Gadsden, Cullman, Huntsville, Decatur and The Shoals. Individual severe storms could produce wind gusts over 60 MPH, large hail the diameter of a quarter, intense lightning, and torrential rainfall.

The area where storms are most likely Saturday? Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall, Morgan, Madison, Jackson, Limestone, Lauderdale, and Lawrence Counties including Smith Lake, Lake Guntersville (the entire Tennessee River basin/lake system in Alabama and southern Tennessee), Weiss Lake, and Lookout Mountain.
Sunday: it still gets hot, and it still gets stormy for some of us. Expect highs in the upper 90s with a heat index around 105°F under a partly sunny sky. Some scattered storms develop here and there around the state, but the greatest chance is again over the northern half of Alabama. A few storms could be severe, so be sure you are plugged in to some weather knowledge through the entire weekend.

MONDAY AND INDEPENDENCE DAY

Forecasts often have knowns and unknowns: things that you can be confident in, and things that realistically cannot be understood until we see them in real time. We know it will be hot and humid, and it’s easy to know that temperatures will be around normal for early July (70s at night, 90s in the afternoons). The impossible part is precise information about when and where these spotty thunderstorms blow up (and how they may impact a single spot on the map).

Monday and Tuesday do look hot and humid, and they do look stormy at times.

Storms will not come in an organized way that we can track for hours or days in advance; instead, they blow up here and there, drop tremendous rainfall, kick up the wind, and fire off a lot of lightning in some spots while others stay totally dry.

Build some flexibility into outdoor plans for Monday and The Fourth. Some of the storms that develop will be heavy at times, and a few may even briefly become severe with strong wind gusts powerful enough to shred pop-up tents, knock over grills, and cause some havoc for outdoor gatherings.

Make sure you have the WVTM 13 app on your mobile device so you can get any Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued for your location, and it also tells you if lightning is within 10 miles of you so that you can make the wise decision to move indoors until the threat passes.

DAILY DOWNPOURS AHEAD

The excessively hot weather eases, but we only ‘cool’ back down to typical summer heat next week. In other words, you may not notice much difference in how it feels now versus a sunny afternoon through next week. The biggest difference comes with the scattered thunderstorms developing each day that give us some cooler periods in the hottest part of the day.

alabama weather forecast

Greater coverage of storms over North and Central Alabama leaves us a few degrees cooler and a whole lot wetter with some spots getting well over two inches of rain through the middle of next week. That rain varies, so some get soaked while others get very little on any given day.