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.
THE ALABAMA WEATHER STORY: The 12Z models are trending drier tomorrow and Friday, as Alabama gets in the sinking air around the periphery of Ike. We will still mention some risk of showers and storms on both days, but it looks like they will be pretty widely scattered.
OUR WEEKEND: An upper ridge should mean hot and mostly dry weather Saturday and Sunday; highs in the low 90s with only isolated afternoon showers. This upper ridge will also push moisture from Ike well to the west and north of Alabama, so the first few days of next week are now looking mostly dry with temperatures holding above normal values for mid-September. Some hint that a short wave will dent the ridge down a bit by Wednesday with an increased risk of scattered showers and storms.
EYES ON IKE: Not much change in the thinking on Ike after a review of the 12Z models. Models agree nicely with the NHC track; all taking Ike into the middle Texas coast near Matagorda Bay late Friday night or early Saturday morning as a major hurricane. This will push a storm surge of 12 to 20 feet into Matagorda Bay, with potential for very significant damage. This part of the Texas coast is between Corpus Christi and Galveston.
Once inland, Ike will curve around the periphery of the upper high, with the moisture aimed at Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois after leaving Texas. Flooding is likely along the path with a few isolated tornadoes possible to the right of the center of circulation. All of this will be well to the west and north of Alabama.
VOODOO LAND: Lots of cold air up north… some of our friends around the Great Lakes saw their first freeze of the season earlier today. Still no sign of a favorable upper air pattern to bring that down our way for the next two weeks.
TWITTER: Don’t forget, you can follow our news and weather updates from ABC 33/40 on Twitter here. And, my personal Twitter feed is here if you want to keep up with my adventures in life. Twitter is a short messaging service you can receive via the web, cell phone, or IM.
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.
I had a great time visiting with the residents of Chateau Vestavia this morning… thanks so much for the invitation to speak. I will have the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
