Hotter Days Ahead

Drier air will slip into the state from the east so we are going to lower our rain chances today and Wednesday. Both days will be partly to mostly sunny, hot, and humid. Afternoon showers and storms should be pretty widely spaced; the chance of any one spot getting wet on these two days is around 20 percent. Moisture will be a bit deeper Thursday and Friday, so afternoon storms will become more numerous again, but still random and scattered and no way of knowing in advance where they will develop. Afternoon highs through Friday will be in the 92-95 degree range.

TROPICAL STORM CHRIS: At 500 AM EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Chris was located near latitude 32.6 North, longitude 73.9 West. Chris is moving toward the northeast near 2 mph, and a faster northeastward motion is expected today and tonight. Chris is forecast to further accelerate toward the northeast on Wednesday and Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts. Chris is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane later today and some additional strengthening is expected through Wednesday night. Chris is forecast to become a strong post-tropical cyclone by Thursday night or early Friday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center. The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is 993 mb (29.33 inches).

BERYL, NOT DONE YET?: The remnants of Beryl are producing strong gusty winds and areas of heavy rain over Puerto Rico, portions of Hispaniola, and the adjacent Atlantic and Caribbean waters. This system is expected to move west-northwestward across Hispaniola this morning and over the southeastern Bahamas later today. Little development is expected during the next day or so due to land interaction and unfavorable upper-level winds. The disturbance is forecast to turn northward over the western Atlantic on Wednesday where upper-level winds could become a little more conducive for the regeneration of a tropical cyclone later this week. Regardless of development, locally heavy rains and gusty winds are likely over portions of Hispaniola and the Bahamas as the remnants of Beryl move through those areas. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…50 percent.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Looks like your classic, mid-summer weekend. Partly sunny, hot, and humid Saturday and Sunday with scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Chance of any one place getting wet will be 30/40 percent, and highs should be in the low 90s.

NEXT WEEK: Not much change; we could see an increase in the number of scattered storms toward mid-week with the approach of a weak front from the north. Highs will be mostly in the low 90s, right at seasonal averages for mid-July.

Have a great day!
Ryan