”We have met our Andrew,” said Charlotte County Emergency manager Wayne Sallade after Category Four Hurricane Charley made landfall near the towns of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte on this date one year ago. The hurricane made a beeline for the Southwest Florida coast after crossing Cuba the night before. The storm strengthened only slowly during the morning hours before intensifying rapidly in the three hours just before landfall, deepening from 965mb to 941 mb. The hurricane began turning from a northerly course to a more north northeasterly one during the morning hours, drawing a bead on the Southwest Florida coastal area.

An Air Force reserve Hurricane Hunter plane gave the only notice of the catastrophic intensification when it transmitted a report a 162 mph flight level wind to the National Hurricane Center. This allowed forecasters to upgrade the hurricane from Category 3 to Category 4 nearly two hours before it reached land. This gave a small window of precious time for last minute evacuations. The hurricane’s tight core made landfall near Charlotte Harbor, Florida with winds of 145 mph and a central pressure of 941 mb. The retirement town of Punta Gorda, Florida was especially hard hit. Many residents who lived in several mobile home parks around the area ignored evacuation orders and were severely injured or killed. Twenty people died in the storm. Up to eighty percent of the buildings in Charlotte County were damaged. Charley would cause extensive damage all the way across inland sections of the Florida Peninsula. A wind gust to 105 mb was measured in Orlando. Charley was the strongest storm to affect Southwest Florida since Donna in 1960.

From Todd Foisy, the ABC 33/40 Online Weather Watcher in Billings, MT:

I just saw my first tornado ever! I was out on my porch watching a storm to our northwest, when I saw something very odd-looking. Then I looked to see that a tornado warning was in effect, and saw that a tornado had been officially spotted. I then chased the storm, and as I got close, I saw the tornado again. It was a fairly small tornado and was getting dark when I saw it. It was actually a rare anticyclonic tornado. I then waited it out so I didn't cross the tornado's path, and got hit by golf ball sized hail totally whitening the ground several inches deep. Certainly an evening I'll never forget. I haven't heard of any damage from the tornado, as it was over rural areas. At the beginning, the tornado appears to have been a respectable size (not just a skinny funnel).

Most of the thunderstorms in Alabama tonight have diminished. However, some strong ones remain over SW Alabama south of Livingston down toward Grove Hill. Some of those are dumping heavy rain.

Here is a review of what is going on with the main thunderstorms at 5 pm:

NW ALABAMA
Strong storms with locally heavy rain in scattered spots from Fayette County northward to Colbert County

SOUTH ALABAMA
Main storms over Wilxox and Monroe County

SE ALABAMA
A band of thunderstorms extends from Elba northeastward to Phenix City. A number of the storms producing locally heavy rain.

ELSEWHERE
We are concerned by a line of thunderstorms in East Central Mississippi moving ESE toward West Alabama's Lamar and Pickens County.

GREATER BIRMINGHAM
No real strong storms within a 50 mile radius of the city at 5 o'clock.

Because of a low pressure area aloft, the thunderstorms are moving in various directions in different parts of the state.

Flash Flood Warnings for...

.....South Central Montgomery County until 5:15 pm
.....Central Cherokee County in NE Alabama including Cedar Bluff and Centre till 5:30

At 3:30, some of the heaviest rain was:

.....Over SW Bibb and NW Perry County in Central Alabama
.....Over Cherokee County in NE Alabama
.....Largest group of storms with heaviest rain was east and SE of the Montgomery area.

The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

J.B. Elliott points out that the mercury has reached 90 degrees in Birmingham on only one of last 14 days. Heat simply has not been a big issue this summer, and I still see no signs of any excessive heat (mid 90s or hotter) down the road. My thermometer shows 82 as I type this around 2:55 p.m. Not bad for an August afternoon in Alabama.

More big, slow moving storms across the state this afternoon; see J.B.'s updates and the great waterspout pictures on the blog below from Bill Bussey down in Gulf Shores.

SAME OLD SONG: Anyone remember the song by the Four Tops?

"You're sweet as a honeybee
But like a honeybee stings
You've gone and left my heart in pain
All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be

Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
It's the same, same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone"

What a great top 40 radio record.

For the weekend, two new days, but an old forecast. Partly sunny; scattered afternoon storms; highs around 90. That pattern should hold into the first few days of next week.... it is almost impossible to play games and discuss day to day differences in this kind of pattern. And, yes, the ole upper low is still hanging around near Montgomery, and should persist through the weekend. That thing means the air aloft is a little colder, and the air is a little more unstable.

IRENE: Sure looks like a hurricane now. The good news is that the models continue to forecast a good weakness north of the system, which means it should recurve before reaching the U.S. mainland. If the 00Z models come in with the same look, that should give our friends on the Outer Banks much more confidence in the "stay off shore" forecast.

Nice wave in the Atlantic around 13 N and 40 W, we have to wonder if that one will become tropical storm Jose at some point down the line.

Glad the weekend is here... try to spend some time with your family and have a few laughs!

So far today, the more numerous showers and storms has been over the east half of the state.

Severe Thunderstorms Warnings were posted for a time for Dekalb, Marshall and Jackson County in NE Alabama.

Around 2 pm, the heaviest rain was falling in these places:

.....In Dekalb County including areas near Collinsville and Ft. Payne
.....North Cleburne County at the Georgia border
.....North and NE of Montgomery up toward South Tallapoosa County
.....In West and Central Alabama between Centreville and Selma
.....At Perdido Beach and Lillian in the SE corner of Baldwin County to west of Pensacola area.

Doppler radar estimates of 3.30 inches of rain in the last hour with those coastal storms.

Same cluster of storms that produced the waterspout off Gulf Shores at mid-day. (Scan down and see photographs of the spout

Near certain that 1 to 2 inches of rain has fallen in a number of East Alabama comunnities in the last few hours.

Check out these images of a large waterspout taken this afternoon around 12:15 by our pal Bill "Bubba" Bussey of the Rick and Bubba show. Bill was on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores. Good stuff!

The NWS, Huntsville has posted a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Marshall County until 12:45 pm. The thunderstorm was 8 miles west of Albertville and nearly stationary. But it may affect Guntersville, Boaz and Albertville.

Showers (and some thunderstorms) were fairly numerous at noon across Central and East Alabama. Most of them were along and east of I-65.

Some of the heaviest rain was falling over Central and East Clay County in East Central Alabama, especially along Highway 9 between Ashland and Lineville. Some of that heavier rain was spreading into Randolph County.

Based on radar estimates, 1.50 inches of rain since 11 am in Central Clay County. Lots of lightning in that area, too.

Other spots with heavy rain include NE Autauga, NE Chilton and NW Coosa County.

In NE Alabama, heavy rain in Marshall County SW of the Guntersville area.

Most showers and storms moving slowly NE or east. Some of the showers and storms this afternoon will probably go off on their own and move erratically.

The weather is definately not Octoberish today.

Life goes on--wet or dry...

Showers and thunderstorms are forming a whole lot earlier than they did yesterday.

At 10:50 am, the heaviest rain was over East Central Alabama from near Sylacauga eastward into Clay County and southward into Extreme North Coosa County. Others were forming over East Chilton County in the center of Alabama.

The Sylacauga area has received far more than their share of rain lately.

In NE Alabama, showers were also developing from Blount County northeastward into Dekalb and Jackson County.

All showers seemed to be moving slowly east and NE.

These spot updates can become outdated rather quickly. On a day like today, a shower or thunderstorm can form at almost any time and any place.