Scott Martin: Scattered storms likely to kick off Alabama summer
STORMS LATER TODAY: With moisture content still fairly high throughout the state since Claudette, there will be a good chance today of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms before a cold front approaches. The skies will be partly to mostly cloudy with highs reaching the mid-1980s. There will also be breezes at times, with winds of 10 to 15 mph and occasional higher gusts.
The Storm Prediction Center outlook shows marginal risk (1 in 5) for areas along and northwest of I-59. A few thunderstorms in the evening and during the night can become strong or even violent in these areas. Destructive gusts of wind will be possible, as well as heavy rains. Make sure your method of receiving warnings is turned on during the night and can wake you up, just in case.
Thunderstorms will subside as midnight approaches and the severe threat will subside by early morning.
REST OF THE WEEK: Summer has now officially arrived, but the good news is that temperatures appear to be staying a little cooler than average this week as highs are found throughout the ’80s with the exception of Tuesday. A cold front is moving and will bring these peaks back from the mid-70s to the low 80s.
The cold front is making its way across the state on Tuesday. We’ll start with rain and thunderstorms in the morning, but the drier air is moving quickly behind the front, with most of the northern half of Alabama dry by noon. The front will continue to move southeast, bringing activity with it. At midnight, activity will be out of the southern half with the exception of a few persistent showers. The peaks will be between the mid-70s and the lower 80s.
The front will stall, keeping the risk of showers and thunderstorms scattered in the forecast Wednesday and Thursday for the southern third of Alabama. The rest will be dry except for a few isolated showers each afternoon. Wednesday’s highs will be between the low to mid-80s, while Thursday’s will be between the mid-to-high 80s.
The front will return north and reintroduce a chance of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout central Alabama on Friday. We may see an increased risk of showers and thunderstorms late in the far north of the state. The peaks will be between the mid to high 80s.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We will continue to have volatile weather in our north, but the energy will be close enough that scattered showers and storms are possible north of the I-20 corridor on Saturday and Sunday, while only a few isolated showers will be possible in the south. this side. The peaks will be in the 80s on both days.
TROPICS: At 10 p.m. Sunday night, Claudette appeared to be starting to reorganize and strengthen as she moved closer to the North Carolina coast. The winds were at 35 mph, but it is expected to become a tropical storm again before emerging over the Atlantic Ocean. The movement was east-northeast at 20 mph. East-northeast to northeast movement with some increase in forward speed is expected over the next few days. On its intended track, the system is expected to cross the coast of North Carolina to the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday and pass near or just south of Nova Scotia on Tuesday. Some further strengthening is possible over the western Atlantic Ocean until Tuesday morning. Claudette is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone on Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening.
AT THIS DATE IN 1886: A destructive hurricane struck Florida’s Apalachicola-Tallahassee region during the summer solstice. Extensive damage was caused in Florida and throughout the Southeast by this storm, mainly due to extremely high tides.
AT THIS DATE IN 1987: A tornado destroyed 57 mobile homes in the Chateau Estates trailer park northwest of Detroit, killing one and injuring six others. Total damage was estimated at $ 1.7 million. Thunderstorms over lower Michigan also inundated the Saginaw Valley with up to 4.5 inches of rain in less than six hours.
BEACH PREDICTION CENTER: Get the latest weather forecast and current forecast for Dauphin Island beaches in Panama City Beach, Florida on our Beach Forecast Center page. There you can select the forecast for the region you are interested in.
For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.