Most of the thunderstorms in Alabama late tonight were over the south half of the state...mainly from Dallas and Lowdnes County southward.
Over in West Alabama, there was a thunderstorm with good lightning output along the Tuscaloosa-Pickens County line west of Tuscaloosa.
Everything moving south.
OUR HOTTEST DAY OVERALL
Check out these official highs:
100 in Anniston, Birmingham, Huntsville, Dothan, Muscle Shoals, Shelby County Airport
101 in Decatur, Evergreen, Tuscaloosa
102 in Pinson, Montgomery, DeSoto State Park
103 in Troy
James will have a roundup of highs from 3340 weather watchers on the 10 o'clock news
Late Peek at the Thunderstorms--9:45 pm Report
August 8, 2006, 8:44 pmLate Afternoon Thunderstorms--5:30 pm Look
August 8, 2006, 4:32 pm
Most of the thunderstorms in Alabama late this afternoon were over the south one-third of the state. There were widely spaced ones over the north and central sections.
At 5:30 pm, some of those were centered:
+ Over West Coosa County
+ East tip of Weiss Lake, Extreme East Cherokee County
+ Near Fayette in West Alabama
+ Just west of I-65 in north edge of jefferson County just west of Warrior
+ Tuscaloosa/Jefferson County line west of Oak Grove
Everybody moving toward the south.
At 5:30 pm, some of those were centered:
+ Over West Coosa County
+ East tip of Weiss Lake, Extreme East Cherokee County
+ Near Fayette in West Alabama
+ Just west of I-65 in north edge of jefferson County just west of Warrior
+ Tuscaloosa/Jefferson County line west of Oak Grove
Everybody moving toward the south.
One of Our Hottest Days
August 8, 2006, 3:43 pm
These 4 o'clock temperatures tell the story:
99 in Albertville
97 in Fort payne
89 in Anniston (upper 90s earlier this afternoon)
101 in Tuscaloosa
100 at Birmingham Airport
101 in Verbena
102 in Montgomery (breaking the old record for 8/8 by two degrees)
102 in Columbus, Miss.
77 in Decatur and Huntsville (showers in the vicinity brought cooling)
We will not have the final highs for the day until after 7
99 in Albertville
97 in Fort payne
89 in Anniston (upper 90s earlier this afternoon)
101 in Tuscaloosa
100 at Birmingham Airport
101 in Verbena
102 in Montgomery (breaking the old record for 8/8 by two degrees)
102 in Columbus, Miss.
77 in Decatur and Huntsville (showers in the vicinity brought cooling)
We will not have the final highs for the day until after 7
Rain Chances Going Up
August 8, 2006, 2:12 pm
The Tuesday afternoon map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Again, the video updates are now in QuickTime format; if you watch within your browser the video will begin to play immediately as it downloads in Firefox and all browsers EXCEPT Internet Explorer (if you use IE, you will have to wait until the video downloads completely before you can watch it. Another reason to dump IE for Firefox
. You can watch in iTunes full screen, or any size you want. And, of course, you can take it with you and watch on your video iPod.
HOT TEMPERS: Getting some e-mail from readers upset that the temperatures we report here are too low. I have had reports today from people with readings anywhere from 102 to 111. Let me stress it is very difficult to get an accurate afternoon temperature reading on a hot summer day using amateur equipment; most of the time you are actually measuring the temperature of the housing of your instruments instead of the air; you pretty much need an aspirating fan for a good, accurate observation on a day like today.
But, make no mistake, the weather is hot today. Here are the observations from our SKYCAM network as I write this (a little before 3:00 p.m.):
Hamilton 99
Inverness 98
Birmingham (20th Street downtown) 97
Demopolis 97
Tuscaloosa 96
Gadsden 93 (nearby showers)
Jasper 91 (another nearby shower)
Gulf Shores 86 (gotta love the sea breeze
Not getting any video or data from Mt. Cheaha right now... not sure whats wrong up there. We will check into it.
BETTER RAIN OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD: We have some pretty healthy storms on radar this afternoon, but they remain widely scattered. The coverage of afternoon showers and storms should continue to increase over the latter half of the week as the heat bubble moves off to the west, and our air becomes more unstable. As always, the distributon of rain will be uneven, but I do think most Alabama communities have a good chance of getting some beneficial rain at some point tomorrow through Saturday.
In addition to the better coverage of afternoon showers and storms, heat levels will slowly come down. While we still expect mid 90s tomorrow, the high should be closer to 90 degrees by Thursday and Friday.
WEEKEND THOUGHTS: A surface front is forecast to pass through late Saturday and Saturday night, so scattered showers and storms will remain a fairly good possibility on Saturday, but the GFS strongly suggests drier air will slip in here by Sunday and Monday, meaning no rain for most places around here. But, there is ALWAYS a chance of a brief shower or storm on just about any August afternoon in Alabama... it is just about impossible to say there is no chance of rain.
TROPICS: Still no real change in our wave in the middle of the Atlantic around 48W. Seems like it continues to fight dry air and hostile upper air winds. Model output continues to bend the wave to the north over the weekend in response to the weakness/trough forming over the eastern part of the U.S. This wave does not seem like a good candidate to reach the Gulf of Mexico. A nice wave is moving off the African coast this afternoon... we will also keep an eye on that.
The NWS in Huntsville just issued a SVR for Madison County... no doubt that storm is the strongest statewide as I am writing this. The storms today are showing very little movement. I also note the East Alabama storms have fallen apart during the last 15 minutes while I was recording the video update. Catch em while you can!
I will have the next map discussion video on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow... I am looking forward to speaking to the ALERT group tonight; those are amateur radio operators who serve as volunteer storm spotters here in Alabama during times of severe weather!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Again, the video updates are now in QuickTime format; if you watch within your browser the video will begin to play immediately as it downloads in Firefox and all browsers EXCEPT Internet Explorer (if you use IE, you will have to wait until the video downloads completely before you can watch it. Another reason to dump IE for Firefox
. You can watch in iTunes full screen, or any size you want. And, of course, you can take it with you and watch on your video iPod.HOT TEMPERS: Getting some e-mail from readers upset that the temperatures we report here are too low. I have had reports today from people with readings anywhere from 102 to 111. Let me stress it is very difficult to get an accurate afternoon temperature reading on a hot summer day using amateur equipment; most of the time you are actually measuring the temperature of the housing of your instruments instead of the air; you pretty much need an aspirating fan for a good, accurate observation on a day like today.
But, make no mistake, the weather is hot today. Here are the observations from our SKYCAM network as I write this (a little before 3:00 p.m.):
Hamilton 99
Inverness 98
Birmingham (20th Street downtown) 97
Demopolis 97
Tuscaloosa 96
Gadsden 93 (nearby showers)
Jasper 91 (another nearby shower)
Gulf Shores 86 (gotta love the sea breeze
Not getting any video or data from Mt. Cheaha right now... not sure whats wrong up there. We will check into it.
BETTER RAIN OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD: We have some pretty healthy storms on radar this afternoon, but they remain widely scattered. The coverage of afternoon showers and storms should continue to increase over the latter half of the week as the heat bubble moves off to the west, and our air becomes more unstable. As always, the distributon of rain will be uneven, but I do think most Alabama communities have a good chance of getting some beneficial rain at some point tomorrow through Saturday.
In addition to the better coverage of afternoon showers and storms, heat levels will slowly come down. While we still expect mid 90s tomorrow, the high should be closer to 90 degrees by Thursday and Friday.
WEEKEND THOUGHTS: A surface front is forecast to pass through late Saturday and Saturday night, so scattered showers and storms will remain a fairly good possibility on Saturday, but the GFS strongly suggests drier air will slip in here by Sunday and Monday, meaning no rain for most places around here. But, there is ALWAYS a chance of a brief shower or storm on just about any August afternoon in Alabama... it is just about impossible to say there is no chance of rain.
TROPICS: Still no real change in our wave in the middle of the Atlantic around 48W. Seems like it continues to fight dry air and hostile upper air winds. Model output continues to bend the wave to the north over the weekend in response to the weakness/trough forming over the eastern part of the U.S. This wave does not seem like a good candidate to reach the Gulf of Mexico. A nice wave is moving off the African coast this afternoon... we will also keep an eye on that.
The NWS in Huntsville just issued a SVR for Madison County... no doubt that storm is the strongest statewide as I am writing this. The storms today are showing very little movement. I also note the East Alabama storms have fallen apart during the last 15 minutes while I was recording the video update. Catch em while you can!
I will have the next map discussion video on the server by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow... I am looking forward to speaking to the ALERT group tonight; those are amateur radio operators who serve as volunteer storm spotters here in Alabama during times of severe weather!
Interesting Report From Tulsa
August 8, 2006, 2:07 pm
This interesting note from one of our blog readers in Tulsa. He posts under the name of bamasooner:
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t has been at least 100 degrees or higher here in Tulsa for 9 of the last 10 days. It is supposed to be 100 degrees or higher for at least the next five days (104 on Friday and Saturday). 20 people have died in Oklahoma from the heat since July 1. The power company here has started asking people to conserve power because they are afraid we may start having rolling blackouts. Nationally, this is the second hottest summer on record up to this point.
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t has been at least 100 degrees or higher here in Tulsa for 9 of the last 10 days. It is supposed to be 100 degrees or higher for at least the next five days (104 on Friday and Saturday). 20 people have died in Oklahoma from the heat since July 1. The power company here has started asking people to conserve power because they are afraid we may start having rolling blackouts. Nationally, this is the second hottest summer on record up to this point.
In the Heat of the Afternoon--2:20 pm Report
August 8, 2006, 1:20 pm
Widely separated thunderstorms continue across Alabama this afternoon. They seem to be slightly more noticeable over the eastern part of the state.
The strongest one we could track down at 2:20 pm was along the Calhoun-Cleburne County line between Jacksonville and Heflin.
Everything moving generally southward.
If you could push all the showers and storms together at this moment, they would not cover an average size Alabama county.
But if you are lucky enough to be under one, you could get some brief heavy rain, lightning, and a quick cool-down. Only thing, as soon as it moved away you would be in a steambath.
The strongest one we could track down at 2:20 pm was along the Calhoun-Cleburne County line between Jacksonville and Heflin.
Everything moving generally southward.
If you could push all the showers and storms together at this moment, they would not cover an average size Alabama county.
But if you are lucky enough to be under one, you could get some brief heavy rain, lightning, and a quick cool-down. Only thing, as soon as it moved away you would be in a steambath.
More Storms Forming--12:40 pm Report
August 8, 2006, 11:40 am
Widely scattered thunderstorms continue over Extreme NW Alabama early this afternoon over Lauderdale and Colbert County. Moving SE.
Other storms have formed over NE and East Central Alabama. At 12:40 pm, they extended from near the Etowah-Cherokee County line southward to Tallapoosa County. The strongest storm seemed to be over SW Cherokee County, SW of Centre.
Everything moving toward the SE.
Way too hot for this time of day. Check out these noon temperatures:
97 seems to be the favorite. It was that in Decatur, Huntsville, Fort payne, Gadsden, Muscle Shoals, Tuscaloosa and Anniston
94 in Birmingham
99 in Montgomery
100 in Pelham and Alabaster (Shelby County)
Other storms have formed over NE and East Central Alabama. At 12:40 pm, they extended from near the Etowah-Cherokee County line southward to Tallapoosa County. The strongest storm seemed to be over SW Cherokee County, SW of Centre.
Everything moving toward the SE.
Way too hot for this time of day. Check out these noon temperatures:
97 seems to be the favorite. It was that in Decatur, Huntsville, Fort payne, Gadsden, Muscle Shoals, Tuscaloosa and Anniston
94 in Birmingham
99 in Montgomery
100 in Pelham and Alabaster (Shelby County)
Some Early Thunderstorms--11:45 am Report
August 8, 2006, 10:51 am
They were forming late this morning over Lauderdale County--the northwestern most county in Alabama.
Movement toward the SE, headed toward neighboring Colbert County.
Others over South Tennessee were also moving SE.
These storms in Alabama are forming several hours earlier than the handfull that formed yesterday.
But, it is also a few degrees hotter than at this same time yesterday.
Like an oven out there. Be careful. Soak the water.
I wish I was not so hot-natured so I could enjoy summer as much as so many people do. Rumors are that I am the most hot-natured guy in North America. Sure would like to be up on the shore of Hudson Bay today watching the polar bears.
Movement toward the SE, headed toward neighboring Colbert County.
Others over South Tennessee were also moving SE.
These storms in Alabama are forming several hours earlier than the handfull that formed yesterday.
But, it is also a few degrees hotter than at this same time yesterday.
Like an oven out there. Be careful. Soak the water.
I wish I was not so hot-natured so I could enjoy summer as much as so many people do. Rumors are that I am the most hot-natured guy in North America. Sure would like to be up on the shore of Hudson Bay today watching the polar bears.
Birmingham Water Works Update
August 8, 2006, 7:45 am
Here are a couple of quick facts from the Birmingham Water Works on their water supply status as of this morning:
DROUGHT WATCH!
For Monday August 7, 2006
Latest 24 hour Water System Delivery 132,395
Lake Purdy Capacity 74.42%
DROUGHT WATCH!
For Monday August 7, 2006
Latest 24 hour Water System Delivery 132,395
Lake Purdy Capacity 74.42%
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
WeatherBrains Episode 28
August 8, 2006, 5:29 am
The latest episode of WeatherBrains, our 30 minute weekly podcast, is on the web and available on iTunes:
http://www.weatherbrains.com/
In this week's podcast:
-James Spann, up close and personal:
-From early morning until late night, a typical day in James' life;
-How James uses the latest technology to his advantage;
-The man behind the scenes who helps write the forecasts James uses
on the air;
-How a 1985 Texas airplane crash helped shape ABC 33/40's live
severe weather coverage in Birmingham;
-James reflects on his television meteorology career -- how much
longer on the air?
-Looking into Hurricanes: First of a 2 part series with Robbie Hood, an atmospheric researcher with NASA who flies into hurricanes and tropical storms in an effort to learn more about them...
Join host David Black along with James Spann and J.B. Elliott!
http://www.weatherbrains.com/
In this week's podcast:
-James Spann, up close and personal:
-From early morning until late night, a typical day in James' life;
-How James uses the latest technology to his advantage;
-The man behind the scenes who helps write the forecasts James uses
on the air;
-How a 1985 Texas airplane crash helped shape ABC 33/40's live
severe weather coverage in Birmingham;
-James reflects on his television meteorology career -- how much
longer on the air?
-Looking into Hurricanes: First of a 2 part series with Robbie Hood, an atmospheric researcher with NASA who flies into hurricanes and tropical storms in an effort to learn more about them...
Join host David Black along with James Spann and J.B. Elliott!
by James Spann
in Podcast