(Many thanks to JB for writing the forecast package this evening so I could play in Miami Beach...)

Here is my Weather Talk article though....

By the time that I was ten years old, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what job that I wanted when I grew up. While some people dreamed of being firefighters, or policemen at that age, I envisioned myself as the Director of the National Hurricane Center. Hurricanes interested me more than anything.

In May 2002, I had the distinct pleasure of spending an entire day with Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center while he was conducting the Gulf Coast Hurricane Tour. The tour is his annual pilgrimage to several locations around the Gulf, spreading the word about preparedness.

Max is in his seventh year as Director of the National Hurricane Center. This kind and pleasant man is a true American hero. He has a job that defines burnout, especially given the active seasons that have been occurring in the Atlantic since 1995, and the catastrophic events of 2004 and 2005.

Today, he arranged a special tour of the world class meteorological facility. Then he took our group to a wonderful Cuban restaurant near Florida International University. The Hurricane Center is on the campus of FIU. We had a most enjoyable time touring the facility and breaking bread with Max and the Public Affairs Officer for the Hurricane Center, Frank Lepore. I will share photographs and a detailed description of the Center in future Weather Talks and Weather Brains this week will feature an audio version of the tour.

- Bill Murray

The epilogue . . .

A month or so before the storm chase I had been given an assignment in my TV Production class. It was the final assignment for the lab section, and our task was to make a news package and turn it in at the end of the semester. We had to shoot our own video, conduct two interviews, write a script, and then edit the package together with our own voice-over. We had to get our topic for the package approved before we got started, and I decided that doing a story on the upcoming storm chase would be a good idea.

As I began the process of producing the package, I began to get a feel for what idea I wanted the story to focus on. That idea revolved around the fact that my girlfriend, Katie, was not too thrilled with the idea of me going on a storm chase. She thought it was stupid, and she was afraid I would get hurt while I was dodging tornadoes left and right. I tried to tell her that my chances of coming anywhere close to a tornado were pretty slim, but that didn't seem to help.

So I enlisted a couple of experieced chasers for my interviews, and both of them stressed the rarity of actually seeing a tornado on a typical storm chase. With that in hand, I decided that I would focus the package on how real storm chases are nothing like the movie Twister. I wanted to stress that I wouldn't be seeing 4 or 5 tornadoes in one day, I wouldn't be driving through one, and I wouldn't be strapping myself to a pipe in order to save myself from an F5.

The package ended up turning out well, and Katie appreciated my efforts to calm her fears (even though I don't think it actually did calm therm). Deep down, though, I sort of hoped that my experience would be more Twister-like than normal. Of course, it was the furthest thing from it. I came into the chase with very low expectations. I didn't think I would see anything. Even so, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed with the trip. I had spent a nice sum of money to see weather that I could have probably seen back home.

I realized soon, though, that the trip was good for more than just trying to chase tornadoes. Through all the long waits in hot parks, the long drives, the disappointing weather, and everything else, I had gotten to know alot of people much better. I was able to become better friends with people I already knew, and I was able to get to know people that I really hadn't talked much with before. So, in the end, I guess the MSU Great Plains Storm Chase 2006 was a worthwhile experience.

Drew McCombs
ABC 33/40 Weather Intern
abc3340wx2@gmail.com

Only a few showers in progress late this afternoon.

Most of those were over Calhoun and Cherokee County in NE Alabama.

Not much lightning but ome of those showers were moderate to heavy over a small area.

Another shower along the Walker-Winston County line and still another small one over NE Jefferson County.

They were moving slowly east. However, some were just fooling around and hardly moving.

MID AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES
100 in Cordova for the second day in a row
99 at Redstone/Huntsville
99 at Meridianville with heat index 104
97 in Tuscaloosa with heat index 103
95 in Anniston, Birmingham, Montgomery
99 at the Air Force Base, Columbus, Miss., with heat index 109
98 in Salt lake City with relative humidity 11%

Matt Marshall, from nearby Layton says he is waiting for September!

The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the web, and also available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

Our parade of summer hits rolls along:

"Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city"

That was from John B. Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful from 1966. What a great song to play on the radio on a summer afternoon.

Lets move on from the hit parade to the heat parade...

The hot weather continues for the next five days and beyond... daytime high temperatures will remain in the 94 to 98 degree range for most spots through early next week. The big question everyone asks is WHEN WILL IT RAIN?

The answer is that is actually rains every day, but as you know, the showers are very scattered. We have a classic example of that on the radar today; much of the Alabama countryside is dry, but a few neighborhoods are getting wet.

THE WEEKEND: The GFS actually tries to bring a surface boundary through there tomorrow night, and it suggests a little better coverage of afternoon showers and storms tomorrow, with hardly any rain by Sunday and Monday as the surface boundary settles into South Alabama. I am not convinced this is the correct solution... but I think we will trend that way slowly in the forecast.

NEXT WEEK: The main heat ridge seems to be centered a little north of us, so hopefully that will keep the hottest weather over Tennessee, and give us an open door for at least scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms by mid-week. Temperatures will remain hot. But, the weather should be hot in mid-July in Alabama.

TROPICS: Weak waves continue moving westward through the central Gulf of Mexico and the central Caribbean with no sign of any organization. The rest of the Atlantic is still quiet.

Brian Peters is up on Mt. Cheaha this weekend, so we probably won't be able to provide a map video discussion until my next update Monday morning. But, then again, you probably know what we are going to say anyway! The blog will be updated by J.B. and Bill Murray. I think Bill is down in far South Florida this weekend; I know we is having lunch with Max Mayfield (NHC Director) today or tomorrow. We will discuss that on WeatherBrains next week. Have a great weekend and STAY COOL!

Only a few isolated showers have formed early this Friday afternoon over Extreme North Alabama--mainly over the NE. Even there, they are very scarce.

Very little lightning so far.

Actually, the hottest weather seems to alsobe across the Tennessee Valley and NE. Most noon temperatures in that region were 93 and 94 degrees.

Latest model stuff, indicates a better chance of some showers and storms Saturday, then few, if any, Sunday and Monday as a weak frontal boundry tries to push down into Central or South Alabama and go into hiding.

But we give S&H Green Stamps...

Just teasing, of course. This is no time to be silly but I think a lot of people would pay that now if we had a rain manufacturing machine. Why can't we make rain like they make snow in winter up at Mentone?

However, we treasure any amount so we take this quick look at some lucky folks yesterday:

0.63 in Pinson
0.33 in Center Point
0.26 in Clay
0.27 in Oneonta
0.06 in Blount Springs
0.05 in Steele
0.12 in Weaver

Several places in NE Jefferson County were lucky yesterday but as usual the Sahara around Trussville only received 0.02. It is almost like a big curtain surrounds the area keeping the rain out. Despite the fact that me and my neighbor continue to do a rain dance two times daily. I have even trained Little Miss Molly in the art of rain dancing. Just glad that noone sees us in action.

A FEW OTHER NOTES

* Cordova (Walker County) reported a high of 100 yesterday. This is their 4th day of 100-degree heat this year.

* Still no 100 degree weather in Anniston this year.

* At one time yesterday afternoon, the heat index reached 105 in Alabaster.

* at 7 this morning it was 32 with light snow at Alert in the north tip of Canada. They, like us, are in mid-summer.

* Basrah, Iraq now reporting 115 degrees with humidity 8%. It is late afternoon there. For the coming 5 to 7 days, their forecast calls for highs between 116 and 120.

The Friday morning map discussion video is on the web, and also available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

How about this song by Sly and the Family Stone from 1972?

"End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi Hi Hi Hi there
Them summer days, those summer days

That's when I had most of my fun, back
high high high high there
Them summer days, those summer days"

Those summer days are here. While I really don't care for the heat in my old age, I watch our 8 year old playing outside, having a real blast this time of the year. Guess that is when kids have most of their fun; I do recall the long, carefree days of summer when I was out of school.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Once again, it really doesn't pay to be cute here and identify day to day changes in the afternoon convection pattern. We will roll with a persistence forecast through the weekend; partly sunny, hot and humid days with a high anywhere from 92 to 98. And, of course, the risk of widely scattered afternoon showers and storms through Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: The center of the upper ridge will be slightly north of us next week; seems like the best chance of afternoon storms will be near and south of I-20. The hot and humid weather persists with highs in the mid 90s most days.

TROPICS: The large ULL is moving into Mexico this morning, and the surface wave following it in the central Gulf has little in the way of convection. And, our wave in the Caribbean continues moving westward with no sign of organization. The rest of the Atlantic basin remains quiet. It probably won't stay that way, however, especially as we get into August in a couple of weeks.

COOL SITE: Check out our new site, WeatherParty.com. Lots of cool weather news, and you determine what is on the main page. Register, submit links, and vote on links. It is all weather:

http://www.weatherparty.com/

Stay cool today... I will be in the office early this afternoon and will have the afternoon map discussion video posted by 3:30!