Noon Update: Independence Day Forecast: Hot, Humid, Scattered Storms
INDEPENDENCE DAY FORECAST: Hot, humid, partly sunny, and random, scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. The chance of any one spot getting wet will be in the 40 percent range, while better rain chances will cover southern portions of the state. Highs will be in the lower 90s, and hopefully any storm activity will be winding down by the time all the big firework shows start. Of course through the day, with lots of people outside and on the local waterways, remember if you can hear thunder you can be struck by lightning, so WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS!
MARS LOOKS DIFFERENT: A martian dust storm that started in late May, silencing NASA’s Opportunity rover, has now wrapped itself around the entirety of Mars, radically transforming the appearance of the Red Planet. Amateur astronomers are taking pictures of the storm through backyard telescopes, and even naked-eye observers say they can see changes in the planet’s color.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Not much change for the rest of the week. Morning sun, a few scattered, hit or miss showers and storms; highs close to 90 and no way of knowing in advance when and where the storms pop up, but as we see most days, the highest coverage will come during the afternoon and evening hours.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Looks like the coverage of showers and storms Saturday will be higher as a weak surface front drifts down to near the Alabama/Tennessee border, and another easterly wave moves across the state. The sky will be cloudy at times with a high in the 80s. The front will become stationary somewhere over North Alabama 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: We may be cranking up the heat as it looks like the upper high will strengthen a bit, meaning a trend toward hotter afternoons and fewer afternoon storms. But, still, fairly routine weather for the middle of summer much of the week with high in the low 90s most days.
TROPICAL OUTLOOK: Two areas the NHC is monitoring…An area of cloudiness and showers remains a few hundred miles southeast of Bermuda. Although this disturbance is currently disorganized, environmental conditions could become more conducive for a low pressure system to form by late this week in the area southwest of Bermuda. The system is then forecast to move generally northward over the weekend and begin interacting with a frontal
system on Sunday, which would limit any additional development. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…50 percent.
A concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms associated with tropical wave and a small area of low pressure is located several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Although satellite images show some signs of organization, the disturbance is moving west-northwestward toward an area unfavorable for tropical cyclone formation. Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.
Have a great day!
Ryan
