The annual BirmingHamfest is this weekend (May 6-7) at the Zamora Temple, which is just off I-459 near the Grants Mill Road exit. Amateur radio operators from all over Alabama and other parts of the nation will be in town for the big event, which includes new equipment vendors, a huge flea market, and a variety of meetings and forums. The event is put on every year by the Birmingham Amateur Radio Club, a local group of ham radio operators.

I attended by first BirmingHamfest in May 1971, about six months after I earned by Novice Class license in late 1970. I was 14 years old at the time, and that hamfest was one I will never forget. It was held back then at the Oporto Armory over on the eastern side of town, and for a kid fascinated by electronics, radios, and gadgets, it was an awesome experience.

If you are interested in amateur radio, or becoming a SKYWARN volunteer weather spotter, I strongly recommend you attend the hamfest this year. You can check out the hobby, see lots of new and used equipment, and meet people that have been in SKYWARN for a long time. If you want to get your license, FCC license exams will be given on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. You don’t have to know the Morse Code to get your license, it is a matter of taking a relatively simple exam on basic FCC rules and electronic theory.

Amateur radio is crucial for SKYWARN operators since cell phones at times become useless during tornado emergencies. My call sign is WO4W, and I continue to enjoy the hobby today. The national amateur organization is the American Radio Relay League, and you can learn more on their web site:

http://www.arrl.org

And, get more details on the hamfest here:

http://w4cue.com/fest.html

The Tuesday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

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

The map discussion video is available on iTunes, along with all of our other video and audio products. Be sure and check out the new WeatherBrains podcast. Dan McCarthy from the Storm Prediction Center joins us this week.

The weather here will look and feel like summer during the next two days. Highs in the low 80s, higher humidity, and the risk of "widely scattered late afternoon and nighttime showers and storms". Most of the dynamic forcing will remain north of Alabama, but a few storms could creep in here from the north tomorrow and Thursday. The best chance of that will be over the Tennessee Valley. And, during the peak of the daytime warmth a few isolated showers could pop up.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY: Wet is the word. I know that isn't what many people want to hear; seems like everyone has something going on this Saturday. Birthday party, ball game, etc. And, of course the Regions Charity Golf Classic is this weekend at Ross Bridge (still used to saying the Bruno's Memorial Classic at Greystone.

Showers and storms will become more numerous Friday afternoon, and rain is likely at times Friday night into most of the day Saturday. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are likely here, with some 2-3" totals possible to the north over the Tennessee Valley. We will continue to mention a risk of strong storms Friday afternoon and Friday night, but once again the instability values are not too impressive for early May. Hopefully we can escape without any severe weather, but no promise on that.

SUNDAY: Drier air moves in from the north and our sky should become mostly sunny. The day looks very nice with highs in the 70 to 74 degree range. If you need to do something outside this weekend, this will be the day.

SKYCAM NETWORK: The new Gadsden SKYCAM network view and weather data is now online:

http://www.abc3340.com/static/skycams/skycamsmain.html

I also just found out the Hamilton camera is back in servce after taking a wicked lighting hit a few weeks ago. It will also be added back to the web page with an image and current weather data. Thanks to the gang at Status Station for their hard work this week.

Sure enjoyed speaking to the 3rd and 4th graders up at Winfield Elementary today in Marion County... look for them on the KIDCAM on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00 today! The next map discussion video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow...

We just posted this week's WeatherBrains podcast... in this week's show:

We learn about the Storm Prediction Center, the National Weather Service unit that issues Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Watches in the U.S. James Spann, J. B. Elliott and David Black talk with Dan McCarthy, the SPC's Warning Coordination Meteorologist, about the how's and why's of issuing severe weather watches, the challenges involved, and what may be ahead as severe weather forecasting improves.

We discuss public perceptions of severe weather forecast "busts," PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) watches, false alarm ratios, the SPC's Four Day Outlook, and more...

Listen via iTunes (just search for Weather Brains), or listen on your computer:

http://www.weatherbrains.com/

The Tuesday morning map discussion video is on the server:

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

This video, along with all of our audio and video products, is available on iTunes as well. Just search ABC 33/40 within iTunes.

We have a great WeatherBrains podcast this week... a long interview with Dan McCarthy with SPC out in Norman. I will post that shortly...

TODAY/TOMORROW/THURSDAY: A summer-like pattern is setting up for mid-week. Most of the wave action will be north of Alabama, but there will be sufficient moisture for the chance of "widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms" each day. Most of those should be over the Tennessee Valley, but a few might show up as far south as I-20. We also will watch the big thunderstorm areas north of here, some of those might try to reach North Alabama during the nighttime hours, but they should be fading as they approach.

Highs over the next few days should be mostly in the low 80s, just a tad above normal for early May in Alabama.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY: This period still looks wet. Possibly very wet. The latest QPF charts from HPC are suggesting some 2 inch plus rains for the northern half of the state. And, a few strong storms will be possible as well. Instability values aren't overly impressive, but we have to remember this is early May in Alabama and it doesn't take much to get strong to severe storms going.

The 00Z GFS also is showing a slower frontal passage on Saturday as a piece of the upper trough hangs back. That isn't exactly good news for those planning the Regions Charity Golf Classic this weekend at Ross Bridge; periods of rain will have to be dealt with both Friday and Saturday along with some thunder and lightning.

SUNDAY: The latest GFS does push the rain to South Alabama on Sunday, with dry air over the northern half of the state. We will maintain a dry forecast for Sunday with highs in the mid 70s.

LONG RANGE: The GFS is advertising a chance of active weather here in the May 12-13 time frame with a major trough coming out of the plains. Confidence is low, however, since the model is basically showing a different look almost every run in that time period.

TODAY: Nice road trip ahead today... heading up to Winfield in Marion County to speak with the kids at the elementary school. I should be able to get the afternoon video produced on time by 3:30... but it might be a few minutes late!