**No afternoon Weather Xtreme video today due to the travel schedule; we will be back on the “two a day” schedule tomorrow. You can scroll down and see this morning’s Weather Xtreme video**
SOAKING RAIN: This has been a great, all day rain for the Birmingham metro area. From the looks of radar, it looks like the rain will continue well into tonight. Rain totals are generally between one half and one inch so far for the I-20 corridor. Not bad at all. Our SKYCAM in Inverness, in North Shelby County shows 0.94″ as of 2:55.
Quite frankly, the thermal gradient across Alabama is not as great as I expected; most everyone from Huntsville to Montgomery is in the 48 to 53 degree range now. Mobile is in the 60s.
TONIGHT AND TOMORROW: A warm front will lift northward across Alabama late tonight, and the rain should end temporarily as the front moves into Tennessee. Tomorrow will be warmer, with a high in the mid to upper 60s. Showers and thunderstorms will sweep across the state tomorrow, and some of the storms could be strong to severe. SPC has pulled their slight risk northward, and it now includes most of Central and South Alabama.
Once again, model guidance hints that the surface based CAPE values will be near 1,000 j/kg tomorrow afternoon as far north as I-20, with surface dewpoints up in the low 60s. Storms could produce strong winds, and while helicity values are not all that impressive, we can’t rule out an isolated tornado.
DRY WEEKEND: The weekend at this point looks like rain-free, with a partly sunny sky on both days and a high in the mid to upper 50s.
NEXT WEEK: Another dynamic storm system blows through here Tuesday with showers, and the potential for strong to severe storms. Then, much colder air rolls in here Wednesday; we might have a hard time getting out of the 30s with some risk of morning snow flurries.
STORM ALERT 2008: We will see you tonight at Lineville High School down in Clay County… the show begins at 7:00; the doors open at 5:00. I will be doing the weather there at 5:00 and 6:00. This is our annual severe weather awareness tour across Alabama; our final stop will be next Tuesday night at Bethel Baptist Church on U.S. 411 in Moody.
SPECIAL ABC 33/40 NOAA WEATHER RADIO OFFER: You can purchase a top of the line Midland NOAA Weather Radio at any Handy TV location in this part of Alabama for only $29.95. These receivers have the new digital technology that allows you to choose the counties for which the alarm sounds. Get more information here.
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.
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…… J.B. will keep you updated on the ongoing Alabama weather situation…
