Highs Hit Three Digit Values

The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

I continue to have a few video production problems - read that as operator error - so the web video map discussion is a trifle late.

Before I get to the weather, I wanted to invite everyone to come out to Kidfest 2006 at the amphitheater in Old Town Helena tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm. I'll be participating in the dunking booth from 11 am to noon, so it will be a great opportunity for you to dunk a weatherman.

Getting some grief from readers about the title this morning - the heat is hot! I'm fresh out of creativity, so I'll just state that it is darn hot! At least four stations in Alabama hit three digits today, Troy, Gadsden, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa all hit 100 or higher at 3 pm. So that really confirms that the heat is firmly in place in Alabama.

And unfortunately there is no immediate relief in sight. A large high pressure system both at the surface and aloft will maintain a firm grip on our weather pattern through the end of next week. So the pattern of isolated showers or thunderstorms with very hot afternoons will continue with us at least through the latter part of next week.

By Friday, a week from today, the GFS continued to forecast an upper level trough over the eastern third of the Nation. That should bring us some relief from the heat though it seems the GFS was not forecasting any significant precipitation. I'd like to think that with the heat and humidity that even a weak front would help to kick of some thunderstorms with a bit more coverage than we've seen the last few days or I expect to see over the next several days.

Bottom line is to stay as cool as you can. Please, if you do have to be outside, take the heat seriously and don't over exert. Drink lots of water, too.

Tropics are fairly quiet as Tropical Storm Chris has been downgraded to a depression. The track of Chris is still expected to take it along the northern coast of Cuba and into the Gulf by Monday. Some intensification is likely to occur when the system gets into the Gulf but probably not until then. Even though the northeast shear may lessen soon, part of the circulation will be over land so I just would not expect to see Chris regain tropical storm status until it reaches the Gulf. We'll be watching whatever Chris does.

I'll have another web video map discussion tomorrow morning by 8 am or so.

-Brian-