I have received a bunch of questions about our new “podcast” feeds, which we started back in May. Let me try to answer some of them here since podcasting seems to be growing like wildfire.

A podcast is simply an audio program stored in a digital format that can be played on a computer or portable music player, like an iPod (that is where the name “podcast” came from). There are thousands of podcasts available today; some feature music, others are talk shows with a bewildering array of topics. Our podcasts are weather forecasts, usually 1 to 2 minutes in length, that you can hear at your convenience. One of the best parts about podcasting is that the audio files automatically download to your computer; you really don’t have to do anything. Then, when you sync your portable music player with your computer, the audio file transfers to that device as well. Even though our podcasts are only one month old, we have discovered we have hundreds of users.

Podcasting will be even more popular now since Apple’s iTunes program added support for podcasting early this week. Apple said yesterday that people have subscribed to over one million podcasts since the new version of iTunes was released three days ago. Seems like everyone is scrambling to get on the bandwagon.

You can hear our podcasts directly on your computer by following the link provided on the blog (we have a morning version and an afternoon version, scroll down to hear them), or if you have a podcast receiver program like iTunes or iPodder you can get the file loaded automatically with our RSS feed (yep, RSS will be another subject I will write about here soon; if you are not using it now, you will be soon. Everyone is jumping on the RSS bandwagon too).

If you do have a podcast receiver on your computer, use this RSS feed for our forecast podcasts:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Weathertalk

That is also the same RSS feed for this blog, it works for both blog posts and podcasts.

Like I have been writing about in this space in recent days, the times are a changin’… and changin’ in a hurry!

The Thursday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

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

As expected, showers are very isolated across Alabama this afternoon, and most communities will be dry this evening. Not everyone, but most folks.

We continue to watch the surface front over the Midwest with interest... big storms are firing over Kansas and Missouri, and that boundary is moving southward. Of course, with time it will lose the southward push as the upper support lifts into northeast Canada, but that front should be over Kentucky tomorrow, and near the Alabama/Tennessee border by Saturday morning.

I still think a pretty healthy batch of storms will move into Alabama from the north at some point tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow night, and they could produce gusty winds and lots of lightning. I would imagine a few severe thunderstorms warnings will be required for the potential for strong straight line winds.

Where the front stalls and fizzles is up for debate, but I don't expect dry air to move very far into Alabama. Huntsville and the Shoals might see dewpoints dropping into the mid 60s, but everyone along and south of I-20 will stay very humid through the weekend. I still think the correct course for the weekend (including Monday July 4) is to roll with the typical summer set-up; partly sunny, very warm, very humid, and the risk of a passing afternoon shower or storm in spots. It could be that the most numerous storms on Saturday and Sunday will be south of Birmingham thanks to the dry air trying to slip into the northern part of the state.

TROPICS: Storms over the southern Caribbean are disorganized, and we don't expect any tropical storms through the weekend. The GFS is hinting at something brewing in the northern Gulf toward the end of next week, but that might be convective feedback. It shows another system in the Gulf in the July 13-16 time frame. I sure get the idea things will be hopping in the tropics by late July and August...

The ABC 33/40 Podcast for Thursday afternoon, June 30 is now being served by our RSS feed.

Want to subscribe to our free daily podcast audio weather forecast? Use this RSS feed in your podcast receiving program:

feeds.feedburner.com/Weathertalk

The Thursday morning map discussion video is on the server:

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

The headline to this post is a little misleading; there won't be much of a breeze at all today. That is simply one summer song I didn't mention on my list of great summer songs from the top 40 radio era (mostly the 60s and 70s) on my afternoon post yesterday (scroll down to read it)... thats to a reader for reminding me of the song "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts. What a great tune...

I got an MP3 player for my birthday a few weeks ago, I will have to download that song and put it on the playlist. Love being to download any song for only 88 cents... the music industry has finally figured out that people will pay for downloads when the price is right. Walmart has songs for 88 cents, ITunes and many others are 99 cents. Maybe I need to send Walmart a bill for the plug here! Don't forget, if you have an MP3 player you can get the latest forecast twice daily with our podcast updates...

Back to the subject... the hot weather still looks like the big story today as the mercury will soar into the low 90s. I still think storms this afternoon will be pretty isolated.

We will watch to keep an eye on developments up north where a cold front will trail a powerful storm system moving into Canada. Sooner or later, a batch of storms will move into north Alabama ahead of that front; the models don't agree exactly when that will happen. For now in our forecast package I have the best chance of storms late tomorrow and tomorrow night. We will probably have to adjust the timing; we will simply have to watch developments on radar. I will not be shocked if the storms produce strong winds in scattered spots, and a few severe thunderstorm warnings might be required.

THE WEEKEND: Where the front stalls out will have a big affect on the coverage of scattered storms on Saturday. For now I am thinking the front stops near Huntsville, and then fizzles out by Sunday. So, we will continue to broadbrush a routine summer forecast through the Fourth of July, with highs near 90 degrees and the risk of a passing thunderstorm each afternoon in scattered spots. We don't see anything that suggests fireworks shows will be rained out. In fact, the GFS actually is showing drier air slipping in here slowly on Sunday and Monday, although I don't buy it right now.

TROPICS: Pretty quiet in the Atlantic basin right now, and looks like there will be no tropical storm woes for the U.S. coast during the holiday weekend. The GFS does develop some kind of tropical system well to the east of the U.S. Atlantic coast in the July 8-11 time frame, but it doesn't get close to the coast...

Will be back in the office with the next map discussion video online by 3:30 or so....

The ABC 33/40 Podcast for Thursday, June 30 is now being served by our RSS feed.

Want to subscribe to our free daily podcast audio weather forecast? Use this RSS feed in your podcast receiving program:

feeds.feedburner.com/Weathertalk