The Friday morning map discussion is on the web, and also available on iTunes:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Yep, the upper air trough forecast to form from the Great Lakes to the Deep South over the weekend is indeed terrific. It means heat relief and a decent chance at some badly needed rain. Bring it on.
TODAY: We will heat up in a hurry today; the mercury should reach the 95 to 100 degree range again this afternoon, and like recent days storms will form in the hot, humid air. Some Helena neighborhoods yesterday reported over two inches of rain (close to the Cahaba River) from a slow moving storm. We were on the edge of it at our studio in Riverchase; our total was 0.42".
THE WEEKEND: All of Alabama is in a slight risk of severe weather on the day 2 convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center as the upper trough forms and a surface front moves into far North Alabama. The main risk will come from high straight line winds. But, the benefit is a big reduction in heat and a big increase in the coverage of showers and storms. Some communities will remain below 90 tomorrow; it all depends on when the storms arrive. If they hold off until late afternoon, we will probably reach the low 90s.
The big question is where will the front hang up and become stationary. The 00Z GFS holds the front up right along I-20 on Sunday morning, meaning showers and storms will still be likely along and south of a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Anniston. To the north, over the northern third of the state, there will be a brief intrusion of dry air. But, the front should drift northward slowly next week as it dissipates,
NEXT WEEK: Showers and storms should be fairly active in the Monday through Thursday time frame, which is great news for a parched Alabama. There was some thinking that the best chance of showers on Monday and Tuesday will be over the southern half of the state, but it sure looks like all of Alabama will have a decent chance of showers and storms with the old front drifting northward. The GFS MOS has highs in the 84 to 89 degree range all of next week; that might be a little too low. But, no mid or upper 90s for sure.
BYE BYE BERYL: The tropical storm is northeast of Cape Cod this morning, and will slowly become extra tropical over the Canadian maritimes in coming days. The rest of the Atlantic basin is unusually quiet.
Tonight is ABC 33/40 night at the Birmingham Barons game at the Hoover Met... I will be doing the weather live at the stadium at 5:00 and 6:00; drop by and say hello if you will be at the game. I will be at the station before I head to the Met, and should have the afternoon map discussion video posted by 3:30 unless the afternoon storms get out of hand...
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Yep, the upper air trough forecast to form from the Great Lakes to the Deep South over the weekend is indeed terrific. It means heat relief and a decent chance at some badly needed rain. Bring it on.
TODAY: We will heat up in a hurry today; the mercury should reach the 95 to 100 degree range again this afternoon, and like recent days storms will form in the hot, humid air. Some Helena neighborhoods yesterday reported over two inches of rain (close to the Cahaba River) from a slow moving storm. We were on the edge of it at our studio in Riverchase; our total was 0.42".
THE WEEKEND: All of Alabama is in a slight risk of severe weather on the day 2 convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center as the upper trough forms and a surface front moves into far North Alabama. The main risk will come from high straight line winds. But, the benefit is a big reduction in heat and a big increase in the coverage of showers and storms. Some communities will remain below 90 tomorrow; it all depends on when the storms arrive. If they hold off until late afternoon, we will probably reach the low 90s.
The big question is where will the front hang up and become stationary. The 00Z GFS holds the front up right along I-20 on Sunday morning, meaning showers and storms will still be likely along and south of a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Anniston. To the north, over the northern third of the state, there will be a brief intrusion of dry air. But, the front should drift northward slowly next week as it dissipates,
NEXT WEEK: Showers and storms should be fairly active in the Monday through Thursday time frame, which is great news for a parched Alabama. There was some thinking that the best chance of showers on Monday and Tuesday will be over the southern half of the state, but it sure looks like all of Alabama will have a decent chance of showers and storms with the old front drifting northward. The GFS MOS has highs in the 84 to 89 degree range all of next week; that might be a little too low. But, no mid or upper 90s for sure.
BYE BYE BERYL: The tropical storm is northeast of Cape Cod this morning, and will slowly become extra tropical over the Canadian maritimes in coming days. The rest of the Atlantic basin is unusually quiet.
Tonight is ABC 33/40 night at the Birmingham Barons game at the Hoover Met... I will be doing the weather live at the stadium at 5:00 and 6:00; drop by and say hello if you will be at the game. I will be at the station before I head to the Met, and should have the afternoon map discussion video posted by 3:30 unless the afternoon storms get out of hand...