We often share safety tips here involving dangerous weather, like tornadoes, hurricanes, damaging straight line winds, and ice storms. I rarely discuss “killer” heat waves, mainly because we haven’t had one in many years. But, looking at the record book in recent days, it brought back memories of the horrible heat wave of 1980. I was in my second year of doing the weather on television in Birmingham, was what started out as a novelty with triple digit heat turned into a marathon heat wave across Alabama.

From mid July, through mid September, 1980, a sustained period of extreme heat and high humidity put Alabama in a frying pan. In the month of July 1980 alone, there was an estimated 120 heat-related deaths across the state along with the loss of more than 200,000 chickens and half the state's corn crop. The hottest day of the summer was July 17th, when over 80 percent of the state reached 100 degrees, and nearly one quarter of the state reached 105. The highest reading on that day was 108 degrees recorded in the cities of Bessemer, Aliceville, and Jasper.

The heat in Birmingham peaked on July 13, 1980 with 106 degrees. Many of those who died were elderly people who lived in small apartments and other housing facilities with limited ventilation. I recall doing the weather live from a freezer at the Piggly Wiggly in Homewood when the heat wave started, but as it became apparent the situation would be life threatening we went into a much more serious mode of operation. Electric fans and portable air conditioning units were hard to find, and power use hit an all time high.

The 1980 heat wave was the result of a nearly stationary upper air high over the southern U.S. and very dry soil. It was 25 years ago; lets hope it is another 25 years before we see anything like that again.

UPDATED AT 9 PM: Line of stormshas moved southward to Central Shelby County east to Sylacauga and into Clay County. Not as strong now. Probably our last update.

UPDATE AT 7:55 PM: Line of storms now from South tip of Walker County east to near Downtown Birmingham east to near Riverside in North Talladega County. Line still moving ESE. Lots of lightning and locally heavy rain...strong gusty winds. Two reports:

From David in Smoke Rise: This line of storms blew through here with heavier rain and much stronger winds than we got with Dennis!

From Debbie near the corner of Jefferson, St. Clair, and Bount County: Lots of lightning, thunder but very little rain. Lots of wind. Just black and lightning.

EARLIER POSTS

UPDATE AT 7:15 PM: Line of storms now from near Fayette east across South Walker County to near Adamsville, Pinson and Trussville in North Jefferson County and further east along the Etowah-Calhoun County line. Still moving toward the ESE.

Sky getting dark with ominous-looking clouds, occasional loud thunder in NE Trussville.

Overall, storms have weakened a bit but still capable of producing dangerous lightning and heavy downpours.

UPDATE AT 6:38 PM: That line of thunderstortms has now moved down to the Fayette-Jasper line and into Extreme North Jefferson County, Approaching Birmingham soon. The line also extends east across South Blount and Calhoun County.

ORIGINAL POST AT 6 PM: Just before 6 pm, a line of storms stretched west to east across most of North Central Alabama. From the Lamar-Franklin County line eastward along the Winston-Walker County line...to South Cullman, St, Clair and North Calhoun County.

The storms were moving toward the ESE.

Strongest storms were over North Calhoun County and over the NW Corner of Walker County near Carbon Hill. Very heavy rain moving toward Piedmont and Jacksonville.

Lots of lightning and the storms are dumping quick heavy rainfall amounts.

Earlier, there was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for NE ST.Clair and Calhoun County.

UPDATE AT 6:23 PM
Jasper Police Department reports that it is getting very dark and stormy looking approaching Jasper from the NW

The Wednesday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

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

Pure tropical air holds in place through Friday, and the upper trough that Dennis left behind will still mean scattered to numerous showers and storms through Friday. The sun will be out at times, and the rain will come down hard at times. Precipitable water from this morning's Shelby County Airport sounding was a whopping 1.99 inches. When it rains, it will pour. And, a shower is possible at any time, including the nighttime and morning hours.

Upper heights begin to rise over the weekend, and the showers should thin out, especially on Sunday. Then, we should see showers and storms increasing again by the middle of next week as a surface boundary approaches from the northwest. We wonder if any moisture from Emily will be involved in that stalled front toward the end of next week, even though landfall should not be anywhere close to Alabama...

MORE ON EMILY: The system has stuggled a bit today... still moving at a forward speed of 20 mph, and it probably won't strengthen rapidly until the thing slows down. It is also a very low latitude storm, and it might even bump into South America on the current course. Most models take the system across the Caribbean, across the Yucatan peninsula, and into the Mexican Gulf coast. The GFS gives it a little northward nudge next week and places it not too far south of Brownsville, Texas. But, if Emily doesn't develop a northward component of motion soon, it might wind up moving into central America.

FRANKLIN? The next system in the far eastern Atlantic does have some potential to become TD6, and maybe even tropical storm Franklin during the next few days. Some models recurve this one into the open Atlantic, others suggest a more westward track toward the east coast of the U.S. One way or another it should not be a direct problem for us.

SO... if you have a beach trip planned for the next week or so, no worries about a major hurricane coming at you!

So far today, most of the showers and thunderstorms that have formed in Alabama have been over the central and southern part of the state. In fact, mostly from south Shelby County southward. They were moving eastward.

We also have some lighter showers across the Tennessee Valley.

More scattered showers and storms will form in the afternoon heating with the warm humid air mass we're in. Some of those will drop heavy amounts of rain.

The grass keeps growing and life goes on.

The Wednesday morning map discussion video is on the server:

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

Confidence is pretty high now that Emily won't get anywhere close to the Alabama coast. Looks like the storm will keep moving in a general westward direction, moving across the Yucatan peninsula, the Bay of Campeche, and into the southern Mexican Gulf coast, far south of Brownsville, TX. Could be a very significant hurricane in a few days, but no problem here. So, if you have a beach trip planned next week you can breathe easier.

I am still amazed by the very very warm SSTs (sea surface temperatures) in the western Gulf of Mexico (watch the video to see the graphic)... I would a little concerned if I lived along the Texas coast. The water off the south Atlantic coast of the U.S. is also very very warm. Thankfully Cindy and Dennis produced a good bit of upwelling over the central and eastern Gulf... SSTs are down around here.

REST OF THE WEEK: No real change. A shower or storm will be possible at any time in this true tropical air over Alabama and the deep south. A nice cluster of showers and storms is over the northeast part of the Birmingham metro as I write this at 5:50 a.m. We will have intervals of sunshine each day through Friday, but also we will be dodging scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s, below normal for mid-July.

The showers will thin out in the Sunday through Tuesday time frame as heights begin to rise... but a big upper trough up north will push a surface boundary down this way toward the middle of next week, which should mean an increase in the number of showers and storms again by Wednesday and Thursday, about a week from now.

Still no sign of any long term excessive heat here. And, with the soil moisture so high now, a pretty good bit of solar energy will be required to evaporate that moisture, which should keep the heat in check hopefully for the rest of the summer. Don't get me wrong, the weather is always hot and humid here in August, but I am talking no sign of temperatures about 95 for any long period of time. Maybe not at all.

FRANKLIN: Should mention TD6 will probably form in the far eastern Atlantic today, and should become tropical storm Franklin down the road. Two tropical models want this one to recurve over the open Atlantic, but the UKMET takes it westward, in the general direction of the Atlantic coast of the U.S. Way too early to know whats up with this one, but you can bet we will keep a close eye on it.

BACK INTO SPACE: Watching the NASA TV Channel this morning; the space shuttle Discovery is scheduled for launch at 2:51 local time today. Thunderstorms could be in the area; hopefully they will get the launch in. HDNET will carry the launch live in high definition for the first time ever; you can also watch the launch live on the NASA web site via streaming video:

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/rtf_front/index.html

I have always loved the space program since I was a kid; I was 13 during the first walk on the moon and loved every space mission during those Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo days back then.