Strong storms return Monday after days of oppressive heat

A LOT OF THE HEAVY THUNDERSTOR STORMS THAT WERE OVER DOWNTOWN AND HOMEWOOD AND MOUNTAIN BROOK EARLIER HAVE STARTED TO FIZZLE OUT SOMEWHAT. IT’S STILL RAINING JUST SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN FROM RED MOUNTAIN DOWN HIGHWAY 280, THE RED MOUNTAIN EXPRESSWAY DOWN HIGHWAY 31, AS WELL AS I-65. IT IS RAINING A BIT HARDER OUT HERE TOWARD ADAMSVILLE AND FAUNSDALE, NORTH SIDE OF GARDENDALE, UP TOWARD MORRIS AND JUST EAST OF KIMBERLY, HEADED UP TOWARD TRAFFORD INTO THE PINSON VALLEY, AND THEN UP INTO SOUTHERN BLOUNT COUNTY. SOME HEAVY RAIN FALLING HERE IN SPOTS. IT’S JUST NOT CONSISTENT. IT’S WAVE AFTER WAVE. AND I THINK MOST SPOTS HERE ARE PROBABLY IN THE ORDER OF ABOUT A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OF RAINFALL FROM THOSE STORMS AS UNLIKE WHAT’S HAPPENED OVER HERE IN CALHOUN COUNTY. WE’VE HAD OVER FOUR INCHES OF RAIN AT WEAVER AND SHOWERS CONTINUE TO EXPAND ACROSS TALLADEGA COUNTY. AND IT’S MAINLY LIGHT RAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AROUND CALHOUN COUNTY. BUT THERE’S STILL SOME HEAVY ACTION INTO ETOWAH COUNTY THAT’S TRYING TO WORK ITS WAY UP INTO CHEROKEE COUNTY, TOO. A LOT OF LIGHTNING HERE CLOSE TO BALLPLAY, JUST EAST OF HOKES BLUFF. AND THAT’S WORKING UP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PART OF CHEROKEE. ALSO SOME HEAVIER DOWNPOURS THERE SOUTH OF ROCK RUN. SO FOR THE NIGHT AHEAD, WE’RE GOING TO BE WARM AND HUMID. WE’LL HAVE A FEW STORMS THIS EVENING. A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. I CAN’T PROMISE IT’S DRY AT ANY POINT DURING THE DAY TOMORROW, BUT I CAN ALSO PROMISE YOU IT WILL NOT RAIN EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY. IT’S JUST A GOOD CHANCE OF SCATTERED STORMS THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. SO HERE’S THE SETUP FOR TONIGHT INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. WE’VE GOT THIS VERY SLOW MOVING, COOL FRONT COMING ACROSS THE STATE. CAN’T REALLY MAKE IT OUT BASED ON THE RAIN PATTERN BECAUSE IT’S SO SLOW MOVING AND SUCH A LOW IMPACT FRONT AT THE MOMENT THAT IT’S NOT REALLY ABLE TO CLEAR ANY OF US OUT OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS COMPLETELY. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THIS HUNTSVILLE COLEMAN JASPER TUSCALOOSA EAST OF THAT LINE IS WHERE THE BIGGER FLARE UP OF SHOWERS WILL BE ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AND TUESDAY EVENING AND ESPECIALLY THE FARTHER SOUTH EAST YOU GO. COOSA CHILTON DOWN TOWARD ELMORE COUNTY AND INTO MONTGOMERY COUNTY. SOME OF THOSE STORMS COULD GET QUITE A BIT HEAVIER. WELL, THIS IS TROPICAL STORM IDALIA. IT’S MOVING OUT OF THE CARIBBEAN, UP INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO, CROSSING OVER THAT WESTERN EDGE OF CUBA. IT IS INTENSIFYING AND WE THINK IT WILL BE INTENSIFYING VERY QUICKLY OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. IN FACT, WATCH THIS. WE GO FROM A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE POTENTIALLY TONIGHT TO A CATEGORY THREE, MAKING LANDFALL HERE ON THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA BETWEEN CEDAR KEY AND SAINT MARKS IN SOME PLACES HERE. THE STORM SURGE COULD BE AS HIGH AS POTENTIALLY 10 TO 12FT. JUST AN INCREDIBLE STORM MOVING INTO FLORIDA. AND WITH THIS FRONT NEARBY, IT’S GOING TO HELP TO SWEEP IDALIA OFF TOWARD THE EAST. BUT THERE STILL MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OF MOISTURE THAT TRIES TO COME BACK THIS DIRECTION ON FRIDAY. THAT COULD LEAD TO A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OR STORMS FROM THE END OF THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. SO HERE’S THE SHORT TERM. WE GO INTO THE 80S FOR HIGHS THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, HUMIDITY COMING DOWN AFTER TOMORROW’S STORMS END WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. LOOK TO BE THE MOST COMFORTABLE. WE’LL SEE SOME SUNSHINE, MORE COMFORTABLE MORNINGS FRIDAY AFTERNOON, WE’RE BACK UP NEAR 90. AN ISOLATED STORM OR TWO FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. FRIDAY NIGHT, I DON’T EXPECT A RAIN OUT, THOUGH. SCATTERED STORMS A BIT MORE LIKELY OVER THE WEEKEND, BUT IT IS A VERY HIT OR MISS PROPOSITION WHEN IT COMES TO WHO GETS ANY RAIN BEYO