Author Archives: spann
Showers Most Numerous Over East Alabama This Afternoon
RADAR CHECK: We have your classic case of random, scattered showers across Alabama this afternoon. They are most active over the eastern half of the state, where moisture is a little deeper. Continue reading
A Few Scattered Showers/Storms Later Today
UNUSUAL JULY PATTERN: A rather anomalous upper air pattern continues for mid-summer, as we have a deep upper trough over the eastern half of the U.S. in place this morning. This was responsible for severe storms over parts of Alabama over the weekend, including an EF-0 tornado near Opelika Saturday. Continue reading
Looking At The Situation For Later Today And Tonight
FORECAST NOT GETTING ANY EASIER: An unusual pattern for July continues over the eastern U.S., with strong jet dynamics coming into play thanks to a deep upper trough digging southward. The strong wind fields aloft, along with the usual summer instability, will keep the risk of severe storms in the forecast through tonight. And, as we have pointed out in recent days, these “northwest flow” events are challenging to forecast. Computer models are of little use, and we don’t have much experience since almost all of our organized severe weather days in Alabama are “southwest flow” events. Continue reading
The Midnight Hour (Almost)
Anyone remember the song by Wilson Pickett? “I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour That’s when my love come tumbling down I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour When there’ no one else around I’m gonna take you, girl, and … Continue reading
Waiting And Watching
QUIET SO FAR: Despite a very unstable environment, so far severe storms are a no-show across Arkansas, West Tennessee, and the northern part of Mississippi and Alabama despite the current tornado watch in effect. Seems like a capping inversion (a “cap”) a few thousand feet off the ground is keeping air parcels from rising to the level of free convection, when storms would then go up. Continue reading
Severe Storms Possible Tonight/Tomorrow
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TONIGHT: SPC maintains an enhanced risk (level 3/5) of severe storms for parts of Northwest Alabama, with the standard “slight risk” (level 2/5) down to Demopolis, Prattville, and Roanoke. There is a marginal risk of severe storms as far south as Evergreen and Troy. Continue reading
Early Afternoon Update
Not much change in our thinking for tonight… an organized batch of storms will move across the northern 2/3 of Alabama. *Storms will move from northwest to southeast… so they enter the Tennessee Valley first around 7 p.m. *The main … Continue reading
Severe Storms Possible Tonight
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR ALABAMA THROUGH TOMORROW: An unusually active pattern for July is ahead for Alabama. On the maps, we have a strong upper high to the west, which is responsible for triple digit heat for much of Texas and Oklahoma. And, there is an upper trough with strong wind fields from the Great Lakes down into the southern U.S. This will provide dynamic support for strong to severe thunderstorms for Alabama over the next 36 hours. Continue reading
Severe Storms Possible Tomorrow Night
RADAR CHECK: We started off this day with a batch of rain and storms this morning over Northwest Alabama… but this afternoon the action has shifted over to the eastern counties of the state on the outflow of the morning storms. Most of the rain at mid-afternoon was east of a line from Anniston to Selma; some places there are seeing heavy amounts of rain. Continue reading
Hot, Humid, Scattered Storms
SUN, HEAT, STORMS: The weak front that drifted into North Alabama has pretty much dissipated, and Alabama is in a moist, unstable airmass this morning. We note a few showers over parts of West Alabama around daybreak, and we will deal with scattered showers and thunderstorms through the day, with most of them coming this afternoon and early tonight. Chance of any one spot getting wet is around one in three; otherwise the day will feature a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the low 90s. Continue reading
