Scattered downpours and clouds keep it abnormally mild for summer's start on Wednesday

1 year ago 37

Downpours at times Wednesday keep it mild for the first day of summer

FIRST, THIS IS WVTM 13 WEATHER. IT HAS BEEN A VERY WET DAY ACROSS NORTHEAST ALABAMA, BUT IT ENDED WITH SOME BEAUTY HERE AT GADSDEN. THAT’S FROM THE GADSDEN MALL FROM KATIE BOTTESFORD. SHE SHARED THIS PHOTO WITH OUR STEPHANIE WALKER EARLIER THIS EVENING AND SHARED IT ON HER FACEBOOK PAGE. RAIN TODAY IN ETOWAH COUNTY HAS BEEN PRETTY IMPRESSIVE. HOKES BLUFF AND GLENCOE OVER AN INCH GADSDEN AIRPORT. NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THAT, THOUGH. RAINBOW CITY. 5/100 OF AN INCH OF RAIN. AND LEESBURG AND CHEROKEE COUNTY HAD A LITTLE OVER 7/10 OF AN INCH. AND THERE WERE A LOT OF PLACES IN CALHOUN AT CHEROKEE AND CLEBURNE COUNTIES, EVEN PARTS OF CLAY COUNTY WHERE WE EASILY WENT OVER ONE INCH OF RAIN. THIS AFTERNOON. IT’S STILL RAINING ON DOWNTOWN GADSDEN RIGHT ALONG RAINBOW DRIVE HIGHWAY 411 EAST, OUT TOWARD HIGHWAY 278, AND THEN DOWN THE CURVE HERE, OUT TOWARD THE GLENCOE AREA, LIGHT SHOWERS, BUT AROUND ALABAMA CITY IN ATTALLA, THE RAIN IS STILL NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE AS IT’S BEEN FOR MOST OF THE DAY. STILL SOME PRETTY GOOD SHOWERS IN MARSHALL COUNTY THAT ARE TRACKING DOWN TOWARD THE SOUTH. THOSE MOVING INTO ETOWAH COUNTY ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS STAY A LITTLE ON THE WET SIDE OVERNIGHT AND MORE OF THIS MOVE DOWN TOWARD JEFFERSON AND SHELBY AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES DURING THE DAY TOMORROW BECAUSE OF A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. THAT’S UP TO OUR NORTHEAST RIGHT NOW. AND ON THE FAR SOUTHERN FRINGE OF THIS, WE’VE HAD BIG STORMS DOWN AROUND MONTGOMERY AND AUBURN. SOME FLOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT DOWN THAT WAY. BUT FOR US, IT’S MORE OF THE SHOWER AS OPPOSED TO THE BIG HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. SEE ALL THE SHOWERS WE HAD OVER NORTH ALABAMA AND AS WE LOST DAYTIME HEATING, THIS UPPER LOW DOESN’T HAVE QUITE AS MUCH INFLUENCE WHEN THE AIR IS A LITTLE COOLER. BUT ONCE WE GET UP INTO THE UPPER 70S AND LOW 80S DURING THE DAY TOMORROW, I THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE ANOTHER SCATTERING OF LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. AND SOME OF THOSE COULD GET STARTED PRETTY EARLY IN THE MORNING. IT WILL NOT BE A PERFECTLY DRY DAY OVER NORTHEAST ALABAMA OR EVEN IN THE BIRMINGHAM METRO AREA. BUT FROM TUSCALOOSA TO ALICEVILLE TO EUTAW TO SUMTER COUNTY, MARENGO COUNTY, HALE COUNTY, WE MAY NOT SEE ALL THAT MUCH IN THE WAY OF RAIN ON WEDNESDAY. SOME SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE, YES, BUT MOST OF THE ACTION WILL BE EAST OF TUSCALOOSA AND FROM BIRMINGHAM AND SHELBY COUNTY UP TOWARD THE NORTHEAST. ANNISTON GADSDEN PELL CITY AND UP TOWARD DEKALB COUNTY. CHEROKEE COUNTY, MARSHALL COUNTY YET AGAIN, EVEN THROUGH TOMORROW EVENING. SO HERE’S HOW YOUR FIRST DAY OF SUMMER IS GOING TO WORK OUT. A LITTLE COOLER THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT. MUGGY IN THE MORNING, SCATTERED SHOWERS EARLY, GETTING TO AROUND 81 DEGREES TOMORROW AFTERNOON, STARTING OUT IN THE 60S HERE FAUNSDALE 68. ROCKFORD AT 68 AND THEN WARMING ONLY TO THE LOW 80S IN WEST ALABAMA. I THINK A LOT OF 70S AROUND ETOWAH COUNTY AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. HERE’S A SEVEN DAY FORECAST WEDNESDAY, A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS MOSTLY CLOUDY. ONE OF THE COOLEST FIRST DAYS OF SUMMER WE’VE HAD IN A LONG TIME. STORMS WILL THIN OUT SOME GOING INTO FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. HIGHS BACK UP AROUND 90 THIS WEEKEND. AND THEN A LOT HOTTER TOWARD MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK WITH WIDELY SCATTERED AND POTENTIALLY HEAVY STORMS MOVING BACK INTO THE STATE. WELL, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBAL

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Downpours at times Wednesday keep it mild for the first day of summer

Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms continue through Tuesday evening and in greater numbers on Wednesday. Some rain gets heavy at times through Thursday, but we see some sunny, hotter weather ahead. Check the video forecast for the latest.ANOTHER STAND OF GRAY, OCCASIONALLY WET DAYSSpotty showers and storms blowing up over North and Central Alabama Tuesday evening leave some locally heavy rainfall in some communities and nothing in others; it is that same old hit-or-miss pattern that we just must learn to live with this time of year. A few rain gauges east of Birmingham in Calhoun and Etowah Counties tipped over a half-inch today while many others had zero rain.Some get it, some don’t, and that’s just the way it is. Here’s a look at how we think this pans out through Thursday: Tuesday evening’s downpours to fade into some isolated light showers between 9 pm and midnight. Temperatures drop to the upper 60s overnight with a mostly cloudy sky overhead and thick humidity here at the ground. Wednesday sets up Alabama’s best chance of rain this week with showers and storms coming in greater numbers: still uneven and patchy in nature. A few communities may get more than one inch of rain through Wednesday night. The best chance of rainfall that heavy is east of the Birmingham area through Talladega, St. Clair, Clay, Calhoun, Etowah, Cleburne, Randolph and Chambers Counties. Isolated heavier amounts between 0.5” and 1.5” are possible from Birmingham north and west.Expect daytime highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s with very little (if any) sun through the day. The clouds and showers keep the temperature well below average for the first day of Summer! Thursday stays mostly cloudy. Scattered showers are less numerous, but the rain may still get heavy in spots over the eastern half of the state in the afternoon and evening. Expect a high in the upper 70s to lower 80s again with a light northwest wind and limited sunshine.FRIDAY AND THE WEEKENDA strong ‘ridge’ over the Southern Plains begins to influence the weather around here on Friday and Saturday. Ridges do two primary things: Increase the temperature Suppress rain and thunderstorm activityThat is exactly how we see things setting up for the weekend ahead; however, since that ridge is not exactly on top of Alabama, we still have room for some showers and storms in the forecast.Fewer storms and more sun pump up the temperature for Friday and Saturday: lows in the upper 60s, highs hitting the upper 80s to lower 90s.The weather patter supports temperatures as hot as 91°F to 96°F Sunday and Monday, but we only realize that heat if the scattered storms miss North and Central Alabama.MORE INTENSE STORMS?A couple of disturbances (we call them ‘shortwaves’) sneak around the edge of that ridge Sunday into Monday, and they could bring some very powerful thunderstorms and prevent the mid-90s if they arrive at just the right time of day.A similar pattern was in place on June 11th when Birmingham had its hottest day of the year so far (94°F) and then got walloped with intense storms that night. Timing and placement of those disturbances will force some adjustments to the forecast, but these are the general expectations for Sunday into Monday: Hot, humid afternoons with temperatures that could go as high as the low to middle 90s if storms are not present. Storms are expected in the region, but the exact placement and timing is not knowable 5-6 days into the future.TROPICAL ATLANTICTropical Storm Bret continues westward to the Caribbean late this week into the weekend. It could strengthen into a hurricane, but that kind of intensity may not last very long once it is south of Puerto Rico. It likely encounters significant wind shear that either tears it apart or carries it northward into the Atlantic next week. At this point, there is no concern for the Gulf of Mexico or East Coast of the United States through at least next Monday.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.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.

ANOTHER STAND OF GRAY, OCCASIONALLY WET DAYS

Spotty showers and storms blowing up over North and Central Alabama Tuesday evening leave some locally heavy rainfall in some communities and nothing in others; it is that same old hit-or-miss pattern that we just must learn to live with this time of year. A few rain gauges east of Birmingham in Calhoun and Etowah Counties tipped over a half-inch today while many others had zero rain.

Some get it, some don’t, and that’s just the way it is. Here’s a look at how we think this pans out through Thursday:

Tuesday evening’s downpours to fade into some isolated light showers between 9 pm and midnight. Temperatures drop to the upper 60s overnight with a mostly cloudy sky overhead and thick humidity here at the ground.
Wednesday sets up Alabama’s best chance of rain this week with showers and storms coming in greater numbers: still uneven and patchy in nature. A few communities may get more than one inch of rain through Wednesday night. The best chance of rainfall that heavy is east of the Birmingham area through Talladega, St. Clair, Clay, Calhoun, Etowah, Cleburne, Randolph and Chambers Counties.

Isolated heavier amounts between 0.5” and 1.5” are possible from Birmingham north and west.
Expect daytime highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s with very little (if any) sun through the day. The clouds and showers keep the temperature well below average for the first day of Summer!
Thursday stays mostly cloudy. Scattered showers are less numerous, but the rain may still get heavy in spots over the eastern half of the state in the afternoon and evening. Expect a high in the upper 70s to lower 80s again with a light northwest wind and limited sunshine.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND

A strong ‘ridge’ over the Southern Plains begins to influence the weather around here on Friday and Saturday.

alabama weather forecast

WVTM 13

Ridge developing over the South Central US this weekend

Ridges do two primary things:

Increase the temperature
Suppress rain and thunderstorm activity

That is exactly how we see things setting up for the weekend ahead; however, since that ridge is not exactly on top of Alabama, we still have room for some showers and storms in the forecast.

Fewer storms and more sun pump up the temperature for Friday and Saturday: lows in the upper 60s, highs hitting the upper 80s to lower 90s.

The weather patter supports temperatures as hot as 91°F to 96°F Sunday and Monday, but we only realize that heat if the scattered storms miss North and Central Alabama.

MORE INTENSE STORMS?

A couple of disturbances (we call them ‘shortwaves’) sneak around the edge of that ridge Sunday into Monday, and they could bring some very powerful thunderstorms and prevent the mid-90s if they arrive at just the right time of day.

A similar pattern was in place on June 11^th when Birmingham had its hottest day of the year so far (94°F) and then got walloped with intense storms that night. Timing and placement of those disturbances will force some adjustments to the forecast, but these are the general expectations for Sunday into Monday:

Hot, humid afternoons with temperatures that could go as high as the low to middle 90s if storms are not present.
Storms are expected in the region, but the exact placement and timing is not knowable 5-6 days into the future.

TROPICAL ATLANTIC

Tropical Storm Bret continues westward to the Caribbean late this week into the weekend. It could strengthen into a hurricane, but that kind of intensity may not last very long once it is south of Puerto Rico. It likely encounters significant wind shear that either tears it apart or carries it northward into the Atlantic next week. At this point, there is no concern for the Gulf of Mexico or East Coast of the United States through at least next Monday.