***There will not be an afternoon Weather Xtreme video this afternoon due to the severe storms in progress**
RADAR: Don’t forget, you can watch our live ABC 33/40 Pinpoint Doppler radar on our live stream… just go to the main ABC 33/40 weather page and click on the live stream button on the top right part of the page.
As expected, the upper air high weakened over Alabama today, and the cooler air aloft has resulted in unstable air, and scattered storms have fired up nicely across the state this afternoon. Jefferson and Shelby Counties remain under a severe thunderstorm warning; rain is pouring down here at our studio in Riverchase; the rain total is up to 0.44″ and our thermometer is showing 78 degrees. Very, very nice.
All storms that fire up this afternoon will have the potential for wet microbursts; local areas of straight line wind strong enough to cause damage. And, the lightning is really fierce and frequent. Don’t mess with it.
THE WEEKEND AND BEYOND: Same story for the weekend, we will have scattered showers and storms tomorrow and Sunday, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours, with highs in the low to mid 90s. That type of weather will continue into next week. No 100 degree heat in sight, and it sure looks like it will be the summer of 2008 at the earliest before that kind of heat returns.
And, at the end of next week, we still expect a general increase in the number of showers and storms as a surface front approaches from the north.
J.B. will have details of the Alabama weather situation this afternoon as the storms continue to unfold. Again, be really careful with this lightning! Brian Peters will have the Weather Xtreme video updates over the weekend, and my next video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. Monday….
