Is summer two-thirds over? Weather people consider June, July and August as Summer and September, October and November Autumn. So, for us we can say that summer is two-thirds in the books.

But the old thermometer sometimes has a mind of its own and it doesn’t always turn out that way. It can be very hot, not only in August, but well into September. In a normal year, the four weeks from mid-July through mid-August is our hottest time of the year. During that time the normal high temperature for Birmingham is 91. It drops back to 90 on August 16 and to 88 by the end of the month.

In past history, September has occasionally thrown the book at us. September has the unusual distinction of being the one single month that Birmingham recorded the largest number of days of temperatures 100 or higher which was 12 in 1925. The most 100-degree days in August was 8 in 1995.

In that September 1925 heat wave, the hottest temperature of all time for the whole state of Alabama occurred at Centreville—a blistering 112 degrees. It was a long drawn out heat wave with extremely high temperatures re-occurring at several times of the month. It was also during the period of a major drought. A major heat wave and drought are first cousins.

In 1925, air conditioning was virtually unheard of. For sure there had to be a great deal of suffering and probably a lot of heat strokes during that terrible period. Of course we’re thankful for air conditioning. Don’t know how we could do without it. Even this past week when we had mid 90s for several days in a row. But life goes on through heat and cold and through drought and flood.

--J.B. Elliott

At Birmingham Airport, where the city's official weather data is collected, a thunderstorm dumped 2.16 inches of rain rather quickly this afternoon.

This swelled the July total to 9.38 inches which is almost double the normal for July. And, we have two more days to add to the total.

It brought the total for the year so far to an even 37 inches. That is an excess of 3.16 inches.

Wasn't too long ago that we were five inches in the hole.

FROM THE ABC 33/40 NEWS DEPT:

.....Power lines down in Calera (South Shelby County) with outages.

.....Tree down on a house in Calera on 5th street.

OTHER REPORTS
Only 0.08 of an inch of rain in Helena (Brian Peters)
1.43 inches in NE Trussville

At 6pm, strongest storms have now shifted southward into Chilton County.

Heaviest rain has now shifted down into South Shelby and North Chilton County.

Not much going on in Jefferson County but the Flash Flooding Warning still posted till 7 for East Jefferson mainly for runoff.

New band of showers has formed to the NW from Fayette to Carbon Hill to Cullman. Moving almost due south. Not as heavy.

Very heavy rain conrinues over Chambers and Lee County in East Alabama.

NWS posted a Flash Flood Warning for East Jefferson County until 7 pm, CDT.

It includes, among other places, the area from downtown Birmingham, Hoover and Homewood out to Trussville and north to Fultondale and Gardendale.

At 4:30, the heaviest rain had shifted eastward to near the Jefferson/St. Clair County line south of Trussville to near Irondale and Leeds.

Moving slowly east.

In NE Trussville, by 4:30 pm, the rainfall amounted to 1.43 inches with light to moderate rain continuing.

No wind when this storm came through.

The Friday afternoon map discussionb video is on the server:

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

Sorry... running a little late today.

Anyone remember the song "Weekend" by Wet Willie from 1979? Lets bring it on.

Nice storms over the Birmingham metro as I write this post... some neighborhoods getting a heavy downpour. The WRF tomorrow places most of the showers and storms along and south of I-20, with very few over the northern third of the state... that concept looks pretty good to me.

The moisture creeps back northward Sunday, and into early next week we will have to mention scattered showers and storms on a daily basis. That nice, dry air north of here never makes it this far south, as expected. Highs will be mostly in the 87 to 90 degree range through early next week.

TROPICS: Franklin is moving out to sea and is becoming extra-tropical... but it sure looks like Harvey is trying to form east of the northern Leeward Islands. The models have shifted south (see the video), and it looks like the greatest initial risk will be along the Florida coast south of West Palm Beach next week... the system might even stay south of Miami. It is beginning to look like Harvey will wind up in the Gulf of Mexico... we better watch this thing carefully with very, very warm water now just off the coast, and a general upper air weakness in our neck of the woods. And, big weather events often happen when I try and take some time off. Lets hope not this time.

We will still have to watch for a "back yard" tropical system forming just off the coast over the weekend; that warm water and lower surface pressures might combine for a little quick trouble. But, the main threat will come from what should be tropical storm Harvey at some point in the next 36 hours. And, I can't tell you if the primary threat will be Mexico, Texas, or the central Gulf... too early.

Spend some time with your family this weekend and have some laughs. See you Monday August 8 (unless Harvey tells me to come in early).

Across the North half of Alabama, the main showers and thunderstorms extended from Jefferson County NE to near Guntersville and Fort Payne.

Thunderstorms not real strong. Not as much lightning as yesterday.

At 3:30, heavy rain was falling in the NE part of Trussville.

Individual storms also over Bibb and SE Clay County.

Slow eastward movement.

No showers over the NW part of the state.

Just before 2 o'clock this afternoon, radar indicated a band of showers and thunderstorms across North Alabama. They extended from the north tip of Tuscaloosa County NE across Walker and Blount County to near Guntersville and Scottsboro in NE Alabama.

The heaviest rain seemed to be over SW Walker County SW of the Jasper area.

The storms were moving east slowly. There was considerable lightning but so far not as much as in yesterday's storms.

They will be moving into Jefferson County between 2 and 3 this afternoon.

The air is slightly drier over the NW part of the state.

Because of more extensive cloud cover, the temperature was only 77 in Cullman at 1 pm. It was only 82 in Birmingham and in the mid-80s at Huntsville, Fort Payne and Muscle Shoals.

The Friday morning map discussion video is on the server:

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

How about that dry air filtering into northwest Alabama... the dewpoint as I write this post at Muscle Shoals is down to 64. That corner of Alabama was dry yesterday and will probably be dry through the weekend.

The surface boundary is stalled, and we still expect scattered to numerous showers and storms today for everyone south of a line from Hamilton to Guntersville to Scottsboro.

The latest model output suggests the most numerous storms will be south of Birmingham tomorrow and Sunday; we will watch the 12Z runs come in, and if they look the same we will cut back on the afternoon storm possibilities for the weekend.

Next week looks pretty routine for early August in Alabama... partly sunny days with scattered storms around each afternoon. Highs near 90, about normal for this time of the year.

TROPICS: So far no development of the various waves in the Atlantic... wonder if that SAL (Sahara Air Layer) has sometime to do with it.

Franklin is moving out to sea and is no threat to land... it is east of Cape Cod this morning. The wave east of the Leeward Islands is not any better organized this morning... it should be in the vicinity of the Bahamas late in the weekend. Will it turn westward toward the Atlantic coast of Florida? Move northwest toward the Carolinas? Or, recurve out to sea? It all depends on the ridge that builds in the wake of Franklin. Gut feeling here still says this might be a problem for Florida... but models don't agree at all at this point.

Two other waves in the Atlantic are moving along without any signs of organization, and yet another one is about to move off the African coast. As always, we will wait and watch.

NEXT WEEK: I am going to take a little time off next week before school starts; thanks in advance to our team for covering while I am away! I will be here for the afternoon update by 3:30 today.