Bring On The Heat

The Tuesday afternoon web video is on the server:

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

SPC has placed much of Alabama under a slight risk of severe storms for the rest of the afternoon... they even issued a MCD (mesoscale convective discussion) for us and mentioned the possibility of a severe thunderstorm watch.

I simply disagree. The 500 mb trough and the coldest air aloft is well to the east of us. Sure, maybe one or two isolated showers (we have a couple of them now around Smith Lake as I write this), that should be it.

The big story is the summer-like heat. We are still talking highs in the 86 to 89 degree range tomorrow and Thursday. I am sure we will hear from some people claiming they had a high of 95, but those folks are measuring the temperature of the thermometer and not the air! To measure temperature properly, you need to have the thermometer about six feet off the ground, in a good instrument shelter painted white, and over grass. One way or another the weather will be very warm, and what most will call hot over the next several days.

Guess you can't totally eliminate the chance of isolated afternoon showers each day, but warm air aloft and the upper ridge should crush most of the cumulus towers before they develop into storms.

THE WEEKEND: The 12Z GFS still suggests the best chance of showers and storms will come from about 4:00 Saturday afternoon through 11:00 Sunday morning. This timing will probably change as we get closer to the weekend. But, sure looks like we have a decent chance of getting a cold front all the way through, with drier and slightly cooler air by Monday of next week.

Enjoyed the visit with the 4th grade at Kitty Stone Elementary in Jacksonville today... they will be on the KIDCAM today on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00!
Posted by AC  
on May 10, 2005, 2:13 pm
Just rained in Cullman Cty..I live in the Bremen area, and looks like it could do it again! NO COMPLAINTS...hope it settles the dust a bit!

AC

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Posted by Carol in Rainbow City  
on May 10, 2005, 4:00 pm
Thunder here. Would be nice to have some rain to cool things down a bit.

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Posted by  
on May 10, 2005, 7:12 pm
Well I think the SPC has gone nuts! Yeah I saw the clouds coming in around 4 P.M. and it looked like we might get some rain but it did not. And right now the sky is fair so what is up with the folks @ SPC? I think they have over done it a little bit.

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Posted by Ursula  
on May 10, 2005, 7:26 pm
They've over-done it all this year. Getting hard to put much stock in their forecasts.

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Posted by jason  
on May 10, 2005, 7:32 pm
We had a good thunderstorm here in cherokee county, near Mccords crossroads , between alexis and rock run. Gusty winds 25-30 (guesstiment) and hail slightly smaller than dime size. We also had some very heavy rain that lasted for about 30 minutes and of course some vivid lightning.


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Posted by  
on May 10, 2005, 8:58 pm
Hey Jason the coolest air aloft was northeast and east of us, so that is where the most storms fired up. I still say that I think the SPC needs to take a nerve pill.

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