An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
SUMMER SOLSTICE: The sun will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at 6:28 this morning, meaning this is the first day of summer in terms of astronomy. Sure, all of us weather people know summer really started on June 1 (the beginning of meteorological summer), but today is the “longest day of the year” in terms of the amount of daylight. The daylight will begin to shrink tomorrow, and will continue to do so until the winter solstice, right before Christmas.
RIDGE IS THE WORD: The upper heat ridge really goes nowhere this week, meaning more hot, humid weather for Alabama with the main belt of mid-latitude westerlies well to the north. MOS guidance is generally too hot; yesterday’s official high in Birmingham was 93, but most of the model output was suggesting we were going to see 97 degrees. We can be thankful for that surprise MCS Saturday that brought heavy rain to much of the state, keeping soil moisture levels high.
Generally speaking, we are looking at highs in the mid 90s during the first half of the week, dropping into the low 90s by Thursday and Friday. We all know the lack of skill in forecasting the placement and coverage of summer convection in Alabama, but it sure looks like most communities will be dry today with a sunny sky. Afternoon storms will be isolated tomorrow and Wednesday, with some potential increase in afternoon storm coverage by Thursday and Friday as temperatures aloft cool ever so slightly and the air becomes more unstable.
WEEKEND PEEK: Looks like a very routine summer weekend, with partly sunny hot days and the risk of a passing afternoon storm in a few spots. Highs will be in the 92 to 95 degree range Saturday and Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: The GFS tries do develop a long wave trough over the eastern U.S. early next week as the heat bubble moves west; this could mean temperatures backing off a big with a increase in the coverage of showers and storms, but that is in voodoo land and I would not bet the farm on it.
TROPICS: The tropical wave is hanging in there over the eastern Caribbean, but no sign of organization at this point. Jason Simpson pointed out something rather interesting… the GEM and the ECMWF want to develop a tropical system in the Gulf, with a landfall at Mobile Bay on June 30. Sure, we all know that is voodoo, but rather interesting that two global models do the same thing at the same time. The GFS does not join the party, however. We will keep an eye on trends; at some point we all know the tropics will break loose. Watch the Weather Xtreme video for more…
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left.
FOLLOW ALONG: Here are our weather team Twitter accounts….
| James Spann | Jason Simpson | Ashley Brand |
| J. B. Elliott | Bill Murray | Brian Peters |
| Dr. Tim Coleman | WeatherBrains Podcast | E-Warn (AL wx watches/warnings) |
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
