Just looking at the 3:00 AM observations from the airports in our part of the state, and some of the internet weather stations tells an interesting story about central Alabama's landscape and how it influences the weather!
3 AM Observations
-Birmingham Airport: 81 F
-SkyCam Downtown: 80 F
-Alabaster/Shelby Co.: 78 F
-Inverness SkyCam: 79 F
-Pell City: 77 F
-Jasper SkyCam: 78 F
-Oakmulgee (Perry Co.) 75 F
-Cullman Airport: 75 F
-Gadsden Airport: 73 F
The hotter temperatures, such as Birmingham Airport, Downtown Birmingham, and Inverness are all inside what we call the "urban heat island," while Oakmulgee, the Cullman Aiport (well outside the city), and the Gadsden airport (also well away from the downtown area) are more rural and don't have the same heat-retention capability.
Why the heat island? Concrete, asphalt, rooftops, and other man-made materials are efficient at changing light energy into heat energy in the afternoons. This also leads to a slower cooling process overnight than you see in the more rural areas where there is more vegetation!
Get ready for another hot one today! Forecast highs are in the middle to upper 90s again, but the heat index should top out over 100 F easily with only a small chance of t-storms!
Stay cool!
3 AM Observations
-Birmingham Airport: 81 F
-SkyCam Downtown: 80 F
-Alabaster/Shelby Co.: 78 F
-Inverness SkyCam: 79 F
-Pell City: 77 F
-Jasper SkyCam: 78 F
-Oakmulgee (Perry Co.) 75 F
-Cullman Airport: 75 F
-Gadsden Airport: 73 F
The hotter temperatures, such as Birmingham Airport, Downtown Birmingham, and Inverness are all inside what we call the "urban heat island," while Oakmulgee, the Cullman Aiport (well outside the city), and the Gadsden airport (also well away from the downtown area) are more rural and don't have the same heat-retention capability.
Why the heat island? Concrete, asphalt, rooftops, and other man-made materials are efficient at changing light energy into heat energy in the afternoons. This also leads to a slower cooling process overnight than you see in the more rural areas where there is more vegetation!
Get ready for another hot one today! Forecast highs are in the middle to upper 90s again, but the heat index should top out over 100 F easily with only a small chance of t-storms!
Stay cool!