As always, time is flying along and this school year is just about over. And, of course, as school dismisses for the summer the vacation season opens. For many, the first getaway of the season is south to the central Gulf coast. Some prefer the Florida panhandle, but many stay in state for destinations like Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. With this in mind, every year I write a piece in this space called “Spann’s Best Way to the Bama Beaches”. Long time readers know I like to take the roads less traveled, and if you have a little extra time, getting off I-65 and onto some rural Alabama roadways offers a treasure trove of scenery, good eateries, and nuggets of Alabama history. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before I share the 2005 version of my tour into deep south Alabama, I figure it would be good to update the recovery status of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach after Hurricane Ivan, the storm that scored a direct hit on the Alabama coastline on September 16, 2004. Here is the latest status from the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB: 62 percent of accommodations are now open (7,810 units), 89 percent of attractions are open, 90 percent of cruises and charters are open, 100 percent of golf courses are open, 100 percent of marinas are open, 84 percent of shopping is available, and 80 percent of restaurants are open. The bottom line is that most places are back in business, and our friends in southern Baldwin county will welcome your business.

If you are interested in camping, our friends with the Gulf State Park report that 100 renovated campsites are now open, with larger pads, 50 amp service, water, and sewer hook-ups. Of course, the state park lodge was destroyed by Ivan, and plans are underway now for a new facility to be constructed at the old site.

The Monday afternoon web update is on the server:

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

Temperatures will drop back into the low 50s tonight, with upper 40s possible for the colder spots over the northern half of Alabama. Enjoy it, we won't have too many more of them!

Dry weather along with a warming trend headlines the forecast tomorrow and Wednesday. We will introduce the chance of a shower or storm late Thursday afternoon as moisture begins to return, and the air becomes more unstable. We will have a few passing showers or storms on Friday thanks to an upper air feature that drops southward from near Kansas City to Lake Charles during the latter half of the week. We don't expect an "all day" rain on Friday, but a shower or storm is possible at almost any time.

THE WEEKEND: The upper air system will sit on the western Louisiana coast and weaken, but there should enough moisture on Saturday for a few scattered showers and storms. We will leave Sunday rain-free as drier air slips into the state.

THE LONG RANGE: Looks like we might have a wet period in the May 25-28 time frame as a surface front settles into the deep south and becomes stationary. We will take all the rain we can get.

TROPICAL: The GFS still shows a tropical type low over the eastern part of Cuba late this week, but moves the feature to the northeast before getting into the Gulf of Mexico. A check of the buoy naer the Yucatan channel is showing a sea water temperature of almost 84 degrees this afternoon. Water sure is warm down there.

SPACE WEATHER: Quite a geomagnetic storm over the weekend; lots of aurora displays seen up north. See more on http://www.spaceweather.com .

The Monday morning web video is on the server:

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

Beautiful weather for Alabama today... lots of sun, low humidity, and highs in the upper 70s. Not bad at all for mid-May. Dry weather will continue tomorrow and Wednesday with a warming trend; we should be back in the mid 80s by Wednesday afternoon.

The forecast gets a bit complicated late in the week. The 00Z run of the GFS takes the trough moving into the northwest today, and forms a cut-off upper low over the Dakotas on Wednesday. This feature drops southward toward Kansas City on Thursday, and to near Shreveport on Friday. East of the upper low, a rather moist airmass moves into Alabama and the deep south, which would suggest the chance of a few passing showers and storms beginning late Thursday, continuing through Friday and Saturday. There is nothing here to suggest a total wash-out on those days, but I think there is no doubt we will need to mention the risk of a few showers and storms.

The GFS shows a drier airmass in here by Sunday as the upper low keeps drifting southward into the western Gulf of Mexico and weakens.

TROPICAL ACTION: I didn't mention this in the video, but check out that 1000 mb low at the western tip of Cuba on the 00Z run of the GFS! Maybe an early season tropical system? Whatever forms down there, the GFS moves the feature slowly northeastward with time, in the general direction of the Bahamas. I checked the buoy at the Yucatan Basin (42056) this morning, and the water temperature is 83.5 degrees. HMMMM

I will be "on assignment" this morning (like they say in the newsroom), with a crew consisting of J.B. Elliott, Bill Murray, Brian Peters, and Bill Castle for a fun little trip down to the south of Birmingham for a while. I will be back in the office for the afternoon update later today!