Noon Update: Higher Weekend Rain Chances & Hurricane Beryl

A front will be approaching the area on the last day of the work week, that will mean we will have an increase in rain chances, especially for northern portions of the state. We will have some sun with scattered showers and thunderstorms, becoming more active in the afternoon hours. A few storms could become strong with gusty winds as the main threat. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s to the mid-90s. A chance of showers and storms will continue into the evening and through the late night and overnight hours with chances being highest in the southern half of the area. Lows will be in the lower to mid-70s.

HURRICANE BERYL: The second system of the season has formed out in the Atlantic and Beryl has become the first hurricane of the season. At 500 AM AST, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located near latitude 10.6 North, longitude 45.1 West. Beryl is moving toward the west near 14 mph. A faster west-northwestward motion is expected through the weekend. On the forecast track, the center of Beryl will remain east of the Lesser Antilles through early Sunday. Satellite data indicate the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast today. Beryl is forecast to quickly weaken by late Saturday and become a tropical storm or degenerate into a strong open trough near the Lesser Antilles late Sunday or Monday. Beryl is a very compact hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 mb (29.39 inches).

APPROACHING GREEN COMET EXPLODES: A comet that could become visible to the naked eye in August has exploded in brightness, suddenly increasing its luminosity 16-fold. Whatever happened on Comet PANSTARRS (C/2017 S3) on July 1st has given it an expanding green atmosphere almost twice the size of the planet Jupiter.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Little change in the forecast for the weekend as rain chances will increase as the weak surface front stalls across the area, and another easterly wave moves across the state. The sky will be cloudy at times with a high in the 80s. Sunday, we will maintain the chance of scattered storms over most of the state with a high in the mid to upper 80s.

NEXT WEEK: Little change in the weather pattern means little change in the day to day forecast. For next week, expect hot, humid weather is the story. The stalled front just north of here will dissipate Monday, and through the week it is the usual summer situation with the risk of pop up afternoon storms on a daily basis, but these are expected to thin out some as the upper ridge strengthens. This means hotter afternoons and we could reach the mid 90s by the Wednesday and the second half of the week.

ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS: A well-defined low pressure system located about midway between the southeastern United States and Bermuda is producing disorganized showers and a few thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development during the next couple of days while the system moves slowly northwestward then northward off the coast of North Carolina. Although the system is forecast to interact with a frontal zone early next week, it could linger off the southeast U.S. coast where some additional development is possible. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…50 percent.

Have a great day!
Ryan