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SHOWERS HARD TO FIND: As expected, this has been a quiet day in the weather office with lots of hazy sunshine statewide and very few showers and storms on radar. In fact, as I write this shortly before 3:30 there is only one shower in the entire state, between Repton and Evergeen down in Conecuh County in deep South Alabama.
Temperatures are near average values for mid-July in Alabama, mostly in the 90-95 degree range. Birmingham and Anniston are at 92, while Tuscaloosa is reporting 93.
REST OF THE WEEK: We still believe there will be a slow increase in the number of scattered showers and storms each afternoon tomorrow through Friday. There is actually a pretty big model spread tomorrow, with the GFS looking dry, and the NAM relatively wet. We will split the difference and roll with the standard summer forecast. You know the words by now… partly sunny with a passing afternoon shower or storm in scattered spots. Highs hold in the low to mid 90s. Persistence is the best course of action for Thursday and Friday.
OUR WEEKEND: Not much change. A mix of sun and clouds with scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and storms Saturday and Sunday. Highs in the low 90s, with the most intense heat holding across the southern Great Plains.
NEXT WEEK: The upper ridge weakens early in the week, and accordingly we expect showers and storms to increase Monday and Tuesday with highs possibly dropping into the upper 80s due to clouds and showers. Again, it is becoming pretty clear that July won’t be as hot as June in Alabama on an average basis. Makes you wonder if the worst of the summer heat is actually behind us, but we all know how hot it can get in August.
TROPICS: Bret is still packing sustained winds of 50 mph as it moves north/northeast at around 8 mph in the Atlantic well east of Florida. Bret is still expected to remain below hurricane strength as it moves northeast between Bermuda and the Carolina coasts. It should fizzle out over cooler water by the end of the week, and it is no threat to land. The rest of the Atlantic basin remains quiet.
AT THE BEACH: Mostly sunny days, fair nights through Friday with only isolated showers and storms. Highs around 90 on the immediate coast, and the sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this afternoon is 83 degrees.
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