Better Rain Chances Through the Weekend
NEW DAY, SAME FORECAST: Little change in the forecast from day to day this time of year. The mornings tend to be dry, but late morning and into the afternoon, showers and storms bubble up over the Alabama landscape. These are completely random in their placement and movement. They produce tremendous amounts of lightning, gusty winds, and brief, intense downpours which can produce isolated flash flooding. These will meander about the Alabama landscape, and since they are driven by daytime heating, they will wind down quickly after the sun sets through the evening hours and most of the rain/storms dissipate completely by 10-11PM each night.
Where it is not raining, you can expect a good supply of sunshine with hot and humid conditions. Highs each afternoon are in the low 90s and factor in the high dew points, heat index values will range from the upper 90s to low 100s at times.
FOR THE WEEKEND: Rinse and repeat the forecast each day. Expect a mix of sun and clouds, heat and humidity, and scattered afternoon storms. It still appears storm coverage could be a bit more numerous over the weekend with a weak surface front to the north, but still no “washout” by any means. Rain chances are going to be generally 50/50 through the weekend. Once again, summertime convection is completely random in when and where it develops, and there is no way of knowing if and where it occurs. We really just have to watch the radar, and if a storm passes your locations, it will not last long, and usually moves by withing an hour of so. Highs will range from the upper 80s to lower 90s.
TROPICS: Across the Atlantic, no development is expected through the upcoming weekend. Of course, we are still early in the season and we still have a long ways to go in the coming months.
DEEPER INTO JULY: For next week, not much change, but the models are suggesting the upper-level ridge will strengthen over the Southeast and that is likely to mean fewer storms each day and hotter temperatures. Highs next week should range from 90-95 degrees for most of Alabama.
Have a fantastic Friday and wonderful weekend!
Ryan
