LATE SUMMER HEAT: The large scale upper ridge across the southern U.S. won’t move much over the next five days, meaning heat levels will remain elevated across Alabama and the Deep South. Afternoon highs will be in the mid to upper 90s for most locations, and the heat index will exceed 100. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms will remain very isolated; most of them coming from 12 noon until 9:00 p.m. Chance of any one spot seeing rain over the northern half of the state is 10-20 percent, and 20-25 percent over the southern counties.
NEXT WEEK: The ridge shifts slowly westward, but is still the dominate feature for the Deep South. Heat levels will be slightly lower with highs generally in the 90-94 degree range… afternoon showers remain very widely scattered. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Tonight Samford hosts Southern Illinois (6:00p CT kickoff at Pete Hanna Stadium)… temperatures will fall from the mid 90s at kickoff into the 80s during the second half. Just a small risk of a brief shower.
UAB will take on Illinois in Champaign tonight (8p CT kickoff)… the sky will be clear with temperatures falling the mid 80s at kickoff into the upper 70s by the final whistle. The high in Champaign today will be in the mid 90s.
We are projecting temperatures in the 96-99 degree range in Tuscaloosa Saturday by the fourth quarter of the Bama/ECU game at Bryant-Denny Stadium (kickoff at 11a CT). The heat index will be in the 105-110 degree range.
Auburn plays in Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday against Baylor (2:30p CT kickoff).. it will be a pleasant 72 degrees in the climate controlled dome.
Jacksonville State, South Alabama, Troy, Alabama State, and Alabama A&M all have Saturday home games, but they are all evening games with temperatures falling through the 80s.
TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains remarkably calm for early September and tropical storm formation is not expected for at least the next seven days.
ON THIS DAY IN 1930: A Category 4 hurricane devastates the Dominican Republic. This storm killed more than 8,000 individuals, which is it the fifth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.
ON THIS DAY IN 1979: Hurricane David made landfall in south Florida as a Category 2 storm. It caused 15 deaths in the US. Hurricane David was a Category 5 over the Dominican Republic were over 2,000 people died.
Look for the next video briefing here by 4:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
