Sweaty weather ahead with a heat index near 100°F and a higher-than-normal chance of storms

1 year ago 37

ALL RIGHT, CHIEF METEOROLOGIST JASON SIMPSON BACK WITH. US ONCE AGAIN. I GOT SOME STORMS TO TALK ABOUT MOVING. THROUGH. WE DO LOOK AT THIS IN TALLADEGA. FROM THE SUPER SPEEDWAY BETWEEN TALLADEGA AND LINCOLN. WINDS GUSTING THERE ABOUT 30 TO 35MPH. PELL CITY’S AIRPORT REPORTED A RIGHT AT 30 MILE PER HOUR GUST. AND THAT’S NOT ONLY BRINGING THE WIND AND THE RAIN WITH IT, BUT IT’S ALSO DROPPING THE TEMPERATURE SIGNIFICANT OVER THIS PART OF THE STATE. IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY RIGHT THERE, THAT’S THE LEADING EDGE OF THE GUSTY WINDS COMING THROUGH EAST TO BOCA AND HEADED RIGHT TOWARD THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CITY OF ANNISTON, RIGHT AROUND 202 OUT HERE, CLOSE TO THE WELLBORN COMMUNITY. THAT’LL COME UP INTO ANNISTON. SOON, EVEN THOUGH IT’S GOING TO BE MAYBE AN HOUR. BEFORE THE RAIN REALLY GETS TO YOU. THERE COULD BE ADDITIONAL STORMS DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF CALHOUN COUNTY, CLAY COUNTY AND CLEBURNE COUNTY AS ALL THIS IS MOVING EASTBOUND. GOT HEAVY DOWNPOURS FROM RAGLAND RIGHT AT THE VERY TOP OF THE SCREEN, ALL THE WAY DOWN 77 TOWARD THE SOUTH SIDE OF LINCOLN, OVER TOWARD PELL CITY, DOWN AROUND STANLEY AND INTO CROPP. WELL, TO HERE’S A CLOSER IN LOOK RIGHT AROUND THE SPEEDWAY. HEAVY RAIN JUST GETTING READY TO MOVE INTO THE INFIELD AND THEN YOU LOOK OVER THROUGH THE LIGHTNING HERE JUST TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE HIGHWAY 77 EXIT. MOST OF THIS IS SOUTH OF THE HONDA PLANT RIGHT NOW AND IT IS. COVERING CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN. TALLADEGA COUNTY, TOO. THERE’S HARDLY GOING TO BE A SQUARE INCH OF TALLADEGA COUNTY. THAT’S NOT IMPACTED BY A THUNDERSTORM THIS EVENING. SAME THING FOR SAINT CLAIR COUNTY, TOO. IT’S BEEN RAINING HERE AROUND PELL CITY AND TALLADEGA MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. THERE ARE PROBABLY A FEW COMMUNITIES IN THERE THAT ARE TOTALING UP IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 4 OR 5IN JUST SINCE LAST WEEKEND BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY STORMS IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS ARE WONDERING, WELL, WHERE IN THE WORLD’S MY RAIN? SAME THING HAPPENED AROUND BIRMINGHAM TODAY. A FEW COMMUNITIES GOT MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN AND OUT AT THE AIRPORT JUST A FEW DROPS HERE AND THERE. THAT’S THE KIND OF WEATHER WE CAN EXPECT AGAIN TOMORROW. VERY HIT OR MISS, BUT STILL VERY LOCALLY. HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS, HIGH AROUND 92 DEGREES AFTER A MORNING LOW IN THE MID 70S. AS FAR AS RAIN GOES TOMORROW, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PATTERN DEVELOPING HERE. FORECAST MODELING SUGGESTING A RANDOM HIT OR MISS PROPOSITION WHEN IT COMES TO WHERE THE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP. WE’LL HAVE A FEW AROUND ANNISTON AND GADSDEN. A FEW BIRMINGHAM TUSCALOOSA UP TO CULLMAN AND JASPER AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE EVENING HOURS, THIS IS WHEN THEY REALLY START TO FLARE UP ABOUT 6 TO 7 P.M. SOME OF THEM COULD BE BORDERLINE SEVERE WITH GUSTY WINDS AS WELL AS A LOT OF LIGHTNING AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME SMALL. HAIL, SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WILL BE INCREASING OVER THE WEEKEND, THE CHANCE UP TO ABOUT 60%, SATURDAY, AROUND 80%. MOST OF US GETTING SOME RAIN SUNDAY AND IT COULD BE RELATIVELY HEAVY STORMS ARE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THEN WE’LL DRY OUT SOME ON TUESDAY BEFORE IT GETS HOT AND HUMID AGAIN. GOING IN

Hot, sticky weather with locally-heavy storms lasts through the weekend

Scattered, locally-heavy, unevenly-spread: expect more daily thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday, but rain is almost guaranteed by Sunday evening. Check the video forecast for the latest.EVENING STORMS Scattered heavy thunderstorms with intense lightning, heavy rainfall, and wind gusts over 30 miles per hour are moving east-southeast across Alabama Thursday evening. While most storms will not be 'severe,' a few could get rough with higher wind gusts and a lot of intense, frequent lightning.Temperatures fall from the low-90s (heat index at 100°F+) ahead of the storms into the 70s behind them.Track storms with WVTM 13 Live Doppler online and on the WVTM 13 App!SWEATY WEATHERIn case you were wondering, it is seventy-seven days until September 21st when Birmingham usually sees the end of the 90s. We have twenty-one days of 90°F or higher so far: a normal amount through early July. It may be too soon to think about ‘sweater weather,’ but ‘sweaty’ weather sticks with us for the long haul.The humidity stays thick, the heat keeps coming, and the daily dose of scattered showers and thunderstorms offers the only real natural heat relief Alabama could hope for on Friday and Saturday.FRIDAY AND THE WEEKENDScattered storms increase in coverage over the next few days, but the air stays hot in spots missed by the downpours. While any given storm may be heavy, the largest round of stormy weather hits Sunday afternoon and evening.Total rainfall through the weekend adds up to around 1-2” in most North and Central Alabama communities. Some get a little more, and a few may only get a small fraction of an inch. Friday looks hot and sticky again. Expect morning lows in the 70s and an afternoon high around 90-93°F with a heat index pushing 100°F between noon and 5 PM. Showers and storms remain hit-or-miss, but the areal coverage of rain expands to more of us than the hit/miss action Thursday.Saturday brings the heat, the humidity, and more storms. Temperatures start out in the mid-70s in the morning and head for the low-90s in the afternoon. Look out for some more scattered storms! The chance of at least 0.10” of rainfall between 11 AM and 9 PM is up to 60% Saturday. Lightning is dangerous! Even if the storm is not ‘severe’ by definition (58 MPH+ winds, 1-inch diameter hail), lightning is deadly to people and animals and destructive to property. Mid-July is peak lightning season in Alabama, so be alert to storms in the area even if it is not raining on you at the time! Sunday sets up the best chance of rain and storms, and some of them could be severe. It does not get quite as hot because of less sunshine. High temperatures climb to the upper 80s and lower 90s. Heat index around 95-100°F. Scattered storms are possible all day, but our highest chance of widespread heavy thunderstorms comes late afternoon through the evening. Some spots get more than 1.5” of rain Sunday evening with slow-moving, intense thunderstorms.FEWER STORMS, LESS HUMIDITY, STILL HOTSummer storms tend to hit their peak around Alabama in July. Severe storms tend to be fewer in number through mid-to-late July, but we usually see more lightning this month than any other time of the year.Thunderstorms slow down a little next week as a ridge (weather feature that usually brings hotter, drier weather) begins to build eastward over the South; however, it still does not look strong enough to suppress all thunderstorm activity. The first part of the week looks drier than the last part. As storms move out Sunday night into Monday morning, a brief shot of drier air slides in from the north. That lowers the humidity and removes virtually all showers and storms for Monday night and Tuesday.Muggy air moves north again Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so look for hot weather (highs in the mid-90s) and at least a chance of a few isolated, slow-moving, big-time downpours.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.

Scattered, locally-heavy, unevenly-spread: expect more daily thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday, but rain is almost guaranteed by Sunday evening. Check the video forecast for the latest.

EVENING STORMS

Scattered heavy thunderstorms with intense lightning, heavy rainfall, and wind gusts over 30 miles per hour are moving east-southeast across Alabama Thursday evening. While most storms will not be 'severe,' a few could get rough with higher wind gusts and a lot of intense, frequent lightning.

Temperatures fall from the low-90s (heat index at 100°F+) ahead of the storms into the 70s behind them.

Track storms with WVTM 13 Live Doppler online and on the WVTM 13 App!

SWEATY WEATHER

In case you were wondering, it is seventy-seven days until September 21^st when Birmingham usually sees the end of the 90s. We have twenty-one days of 90°F or higher so far: a normal amount through early July.

It may be too soon to think about ‘sweater weather,’ but ‘sweaty’ weather sticks with us for the long haul.

The humidity stays thick, the heat keeps coming, and the daily dose of scattered showers and thunderstorms offers the only real natural heat relief Alabama could hope for on Friday and Saturday.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND

Scattered storms increase in coverage over the next few days, but the air stays hot in spots missed by the downpours. While any given storm may be heavy, the largest round of stormy weather hits Sunday afternoon and evening.

Total rainfall through the weekend adds up to around 1-2” in most North and Central Alabama communities. Some get a little more, and a few may only get a small fraction of an inch.

Friday looks hot and sticky again.

Expect morning lows in the 70s and an afternoon high around 90-93°F with a heat index pushing 100°F between noon and 5 PM.
Showers and storms remain hit-or-miss, but the areal coverage of rain expands to more of us than the hit/miss action Thursday.

Saturday brings the heat, the humidity, and more storms.

Temperatures start out in the mid-70s in the morning and head for the low-90s in the afternoon.
Look out for some more scattered storms! The chance of at least 0.10” of rainfall between 11 AM and 9 PM is up to 60% Saturday.
Lightning is dangerous! Even if the storm is not ‘severe’ by definition (58 MPH+ winds, 1-inch diameter hail), lightning is deadly to people and animals and destructive to property. Mid-July is peak lightning season in Alabama, so be alert to storms in the area even if it is not raining on you at the time!

Sunday sets up the best chance of rain and storms, and some of them could be severe.

It does not get quite as hot because of less sunshine. High temperatures climb to the upper 80s and lower 90s. Heat index around 95-100°F.
Scattered storms are possible all day, but our highest chance of widespread heavy thunderstorms comes late afternoon through the evening.
Some spots get more than 1.5” of rain Sunday evening with slow-moving, intense thunderstorms.

FEWER STORMS, LESS HUMIDITY, STILL HOT

Summer storms tend to hit their peak around Alabama in July. Severe storms tend to be fewer in number through mid-to-late July, but we usually see more lightning this month than any other time of the year.

Thunderstorms slow down a little next week as a ridge (weather feature that usually brings hotter, drier weather) begins to build eastward over the South; however, it still does not look strong enough to suppress all thunderstorm activity.

The first part of the week looks drier than the last part. As storms move out Sunday night into Monday morning, a brief shot of drier air slides in from the north. That lowers the humidity and removes virtually all showers and storms for Monday night and Tuesday.

Muggy air moves north again Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so look for hot weather (highs in the mid-90s) and at least a chance of a few isolated, slow-moving, big-time downpours.