Heat Advisory Returns
Another hot and humid day, as we continue to see an upper-level ridge to the west of the state, and with Alabama on the eastern periphery of this ridge, we are seeing our upper-level flow out of the north. This allows clusters of storms to move out of the Midwest into the Southeast, and that is what we saw on Tuesday.
We are starting our Wednesday off with area of patchy dense fog. This should mix out once the sun comes up and we should see mainly sunny condition until the afternoon. Plenty of sunshine will allow temperatures to climb into the mid to upper 90s and heat index values will be over 100° much of the afternoon and as highs as 110°. For that reason, a Heat Advisory has been issued for much of the area from 11AM-9PM as dangerous heat levels are expected. This afternoon, clouds will be on the increase and we are going to see scattered afternoon and evening storms. These will provide the only break from the heat if you find yourself under one.
HELLO EARL: Its official we now have our fifth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season. At 500 AM EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Earl was located near latitude 16.1 North, longitude 83.7 West. Earl is now moving toward the west near 14 mph and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the core of Earl is expected to pass near the Honduras Bay Islands this afternoon, and then make landfall in Belize tonight or early Thursday. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours, and Earl is likely to become a hurricane before it makes landfall. Weakening is expected after the center of Earl moves inland. A NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft is currently enroute to investigate Earl. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 994 mb (29.36 inches). The storm will have no impact on Alabama and thankfully Earl will not be impacting anywhere along the northern Gulf Coast, but it is a reminder the tropics are heating up and should become more active the next two months as we will will be in the heart of the season.
THURSDAY-FRIDAY: Very little change in the day to day weather across the state as the dog says of summer continue. Nights will be fair and muggy, with temperatures in the 70s, while afternoons will be hot and humid, and we are going to see highs range anywhere from the mid to upper 90s. Heat relief will come for some as convection bubbles up across Alabama mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. It is it nearly impossible to pinpoint when and where storms develop, but we do know summertime convection will produce gusty winds, intense tropical downpours, and a lot of lightning.
WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND: More of the same with the daily threat of scattered showers and storms for both Saturday and Sunday as rain chances over the weekend will range in the 20-40% range. Highs each day will be in the mid 90s.
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Have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Ryan
