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THE ALABAMA STORY: A weakening front will approach Alabama later today, and could kick off a few isolated showers and thunderstorms. But, with weak dynamics and limited moisture, most places won’t get wet. Where the storms do form, they could be strong, however. We actually had some wind damage last night from a lone storm over northern Tuscaloosa County… same kind of thing might happen today. Otherwise, the day will be hot and hazy with a high in the mid to upper 90s.
The front will stall and fizzle out tomorrow, and while a blip or two is possible on radar, most Alabama communities remain dry.
OUR WEEKEND: While Irene runs the East Coast, it will bring a deep northerly flow to Alabama over the weekend, meaning heat levels will be on a downward trend. The latest GFS shows a high of 94 on Saturday, but only upper 80s here Sunday and Monday. Of course, the air will be very dry and we will see a good supply of sunshine both days.
Looks like Monday morning will be pretty pleasant, with lows in the 60-65 degree range, with 50s possible for the cooler valleys and protected areas of North Alabama.
NEXT WEEK: We stay dry on Tuesday, but moisture slowly returns with some risk of scattered showers by Wednesday and Thursday. Still, the prospect of widespread rain doesn’t look good.
EYES ON IRENE: The hurricane is slightly weaker this morning, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. No real change in the forecast track; Irene is expected to kiss the Outer Banks of North Carolina Saturday evening with lots of wind and rain, but it should not be a major hurricane at that point.
The main impact will come over the Northeast U.S. late in the weekend as the storm makes landfall somewhere between Long Island and Cape Cod Sunday evening. It should be a weak hurricane or a tropical storm at that point, so the main impact will be downed trees and power lines along with flooding. Major, widespread structural damage is not likely thankfully.
Irene will disrupt travel in New York City and Boston from about midday Sunday through early Monday morning, and major airport delays are likely. So, plan accordingly if you are flying in or out of these cities. Be sure and watch the Weather Xtreme video for all of the graphics and details on Irene.
TD 10: A new tropical depression has formed in the East Atlantic, which should become Tropical Storm Jose later today. But, no worries with this one as it will simply drift northwest over the open Atlantic for days, and is no threat to any land mass. The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.
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