A Hot And Dry Day Today, But Rain Returns Monday
TODAY: Dry air aloft has really limited any chance for shower and storm development today, so nearly the entire area has remained clear today. Temperatures, especially farther south, have climbed to the mid 90s, with heat indices exceeding well over 100. Due to lack of clouds today, this has allowed the Sun to heat up the surface rather significantly, and in turn, heated up the atmosphere and raised the heat index.
TONIGHT: Clouds will begin to build in from the west, but rain will not be associated with these. However, it will leave us with an overall partly cloudy sky tonight. Expect lows in the low to mid 70s, with slightly less humid conditions.
TOMORROW: For Monday, the upper level pattern starts to change slightly, as more humid conditions will become present for the start of the week. The typical summer pattern with afternoon showers and storms will be back in place for the first half of the week. Storms are seeming very widespread and numerous, but still isolated in nature as they are not expected to be in the form of a line. Some areas may not even see rain, but it is seeming a majority of the area will see some rain in the next few days.
8 DAY: While today has remained dry, the start of the week does not appear to be similar in nature. Rain and storms will be the story for the first half of the week, with some of these storms potentially being on the stronger side; the main threats will be frequent lightning and torrential downpours. Local flooding could also be an issue. After Wednesday, rain chances start to dwindle and the heat ramps up. Heat indices later in the week could near 105, which could warrant heat advisories.
TROPICS: The National Hurricane Center is currently monitoring two areas for potential tropical development in the next 5 days.
The cone that is farthest west, with the cone extending into the Caribbean, has a 50% chance of development over the next 5 days. The cone that is more centered in the Atlantic has a 40% chance of development over the next 5 days. We will continue to monitor the situation in the upcoming weeks and their threats to Alabama.
