RADAR CHECK: In the hot, humid air mass across Alabama, we have showers and thunderstorms developing in scattered locations this afternoon. Some of the heaviest mid-afternoon rains have occurred over the northwestern part of the state… showers will continue to develop overnight as a cold front approaches from the north. Temperatures remain below average today… mainly in the mid-1980s.

Tomorrow will be a relatively wet day for the state as a rare July cold front approaches the north. Expect mostly cloudy skies with occasional showers and thunderstorms; temperatures will probably not come out of the 70s with very limited sunshine. Rainfall amounts will be about an inch by tomorrow night.

FOURTH JULY WEEKEND: Dry air is starting to arrive in northern and central Alabama late tomorrow night, which will set the stage for a very enjoyable vacation weekend. For the northern 2/3 of the state, we expect mostly sunny days, cooler nights, and lower humidity levels Saturday through Monday. Highs will be in the 80s, cooler spots could reach the 50s early Sunday morning. Incredibly comfortable for early July in Alabama.

It should be mentioned that a few scattered showers and storms are possible over the three-day weekend in the far south of Alabama and along the Gulf Coast, but even there there will be no washout and the sun will sometimes be present.

REST OF NEXT WEEK: Humidity begins to return in the middle of the week, and we will mention a risk of scattered showers and storms statewide from Tuesday to Friday with a mixture of sun and cloud and increased humidity levels. We will be keeping an eye out for Tropical Storm Elsa; for now, it looks like the main impact of this system will remain east of Alabama, but there is still considerable uncertainty. The maximums during the week will mainly be in the range of 86 to 90 degrees… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphs and more details.

TROPICAL STORM ELSA: Elsa this afternoon is about 600 miles east / southeast of the Windward Islands in the Atlantic with winds estimated at 45 mph. No major change in the NHC trajectory forecast… Elsa crosses the Caribbean tomorrow and Saturday, and reaches the extreme southeast of the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. Monday night’s position is expected to be just west of Fort Myers, Florida.

It is important to note that this forecast may and will likely change over the next few days. It remains to be seen what impact Elsa will have on Florida or the Southeastern United States… but it needs to be watched closely.

The NHC is keeping Elsa under the force of a hurricane over the next five days due to the rapid forward movement of the system and the potential interaction with land and adverse upper winds.

The rest of the Atlantic basin is calm.

AT THIS DATE IN 2002: San Antonio, Texas recorded 9.52 inches of rain that day to set a new record for its highest precipitation for the entire month of July.

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Category: Alabama Weather, ALL ARTICLES, Weather Xtreme Videos