Excessive heat and humidity make it dangerously hot across Alabama this week

Alabama feels the impact of excessive heat for the rest of this week and the weekend, but some scattered storms chip away at the high temperatures soon. Check the video forecast for the latest.PUSHING 100 DEGREES THROUGH THE WEEKENDAn Excessive Heat Warning is in effect on Wednesday and Thursday for the Birmingham area. A Heat Advisory remains in effect over North and East Alabama.The heat wave rolls on, and the temperatures keep rising. Birmingham’s last 100-degree day happened on July 9, 2022: 409 days ago. We have not experienced multiple days of 100-degree weather since 2019, and it was the hot summer of 2012, the last time we had more than two-straight days of it.Tuscaloosa reached 100°F for the second day in a row. Birmingham peaked around 97°F due to an easterly breeze. A little less moisture in the air and the temperature would likely climb a few degrees higher. Remember, drier air heats and cools more efficiently. Most of Central and West Alabama top out near or above 100 degrees for the next three days.High humidity means the "feels like" temperature could be higher than 110 in the hottest part of the afternoon; the wet bulb globe temperature used for outdoor work and athletic practices tops out near 90 degrees each afternoon through the end of the week. Once it is above 90, practice must be suspended to prevent heat-related illness. Alabama’s weather does not change much day to day this week, but by the time we get to the weekend, some scattered showers and storms finally reappear around here.WHEN DOES IT RAIN? Some isolated thunderstorms are possible as early as Thursday. No, you should not ‘expect’ rain; this is no guarantee that any one spot will see a downpour, but a few of us get lucky enough to catch a quick shower through the weekend and early next week. Any storms that develop may be fierce with the typical heavy rain and intense lightning. To reiterate, most places stay dry. Interestingly, some of that scattered thunderstorm activity comes from Tropical Storm Harold’s remnants: the storm that made landfall south of Corpus Christi, Texas, early Tuesday. The leftover moisture from the tropical cyclone moves northwest to Arizona, and then it gets caught in the flow around the big "ridge" in the middle of the country over the weekend. Some of that moisture (and the energy remaining from the storm getting snatched up into the jet stream) enhances afternoon storms across Tennessee and Alabama on Sunday and Monday.Those of us getting rain could get a pounding while everyone else stays hot and dry.HEAT BREAKING IN SEPTEMBERAlabama is past the climatological peak of summer heat, and once this heat wave breaks next week, there is less chance of this happening again in September. The Climate Prediction Center's latest six-10 day outlook aligns with that idea: expecting the heat to back down to near normal in Central Alabama and a bit below normal in the Tennessee Valley through Sept. 1.Birmingham’s typical final 90-degree day of the season comes around Sept. 19. Whether we hit that target or not, the excessive heat and humidity trend downward significantly over the next three to four weeks. Some of the "break" could come from tropical influences as the Atlantic remains in a very active phase for the next few weeks.TROPICAL UPDATETropical Storm Harold made landfall Tuesday morning in Texas, and Tropical Storm Gert is no more. Tropical Storm Franklin is the only one left with any chance of future growth, and it will pound Haiti and The Dominican Republic with strong winds and heavy rain this week before moving north of the Bahamas this weekend. That’s when it strengthens into Hurricane Franklin. Franklin has an outside chance of impacting the U.S. East Coast; however, we do not expect any obvious, immediate threats for the next five to seven days.CLICK TO SEE THE 7-DAY FORECASTSTAY WEATHER AWARE 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.