WARM; A FEW SHOWERS: The weather pattern in place across Alabama is more like June instead of May. Warm, humid, and a few widely scattered showers and storms today. A few small but noisy clusters of storms moved northward during the pre-dawn hours; most of those have dissipated.
The high today will be in the mid 80s with a mix of sun and clouds, and the chance of any one spot getting wet is around one in five.
TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Showers and storms will be a little more numerous on these two days, but still scattered and random. The sky will be cloudy at times, and the high will be in the mid 80s tomorrow, and close to 80 on Saturday. Best coverage of showers will come on Saturday, when any one spot has about a 50/50 chance of getting wet. But, this won’t be a “wash out” kind of day… just be ready for a few passing showers. A strong storm is also possible Saturday afternoon; SPC has defined a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe storms for North/Central Alabama.
Heavier storms Saturday afternoon will be capable of producing gusty winds and small hail. There is no tornado threat.
SUNDAY AND NEXT WEEK: Drier air returns to the state, and Sunday will be mostly dry with just a few isolated showers for far South Alabama. The sky will be partly to mostly sunny with a high in the low 80s. Dry weather continues Monday and Tuesday… then we will have a chance of scattered showers and storms Wednesday through Friday. But the ridge holds, and it will be a summer type setup. Highs will be in the 80s during the week. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
PRE-SEASON TROPICAL ACTION: Hurricane season begins June 1, but it is possible to have mischief in May. A disturbance over the Bahamas has potential to bring rain to the Florida Peninsula today, but it will curve northeast over the next 48 hours. Odds of development (by NHC) are only 20 percent over the next five days, and there will be no impact to the Florida Panhandle or the Alabama Gulf Coast.
ON THIS DATE IN 2010: May began with two days of historical rainfall over much of Middle Tennessee, with massive swath stretching along the I-40 corridor from Benton County to Davidson County. Some areas received nearly 20 inches of rain during this 2-day period, the highest of which was 19.41 inches reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in Camden, TN. Numerous rainfall records were broken at the Nashville International Airport, including the most rain received in a 6 hour period, highest calendar day rainfall, and wettest month, along with several others. Incredibly, the Nashville Airport experienced its wettest and third wettest days in history on back to back days. Many area rivers exceeded their record crest levels, including the Harpeth River near Kingston Springs, which rose to 13.8 feet above the previous record. The Cumberland River at Nashville reached its highest level since flood control was implemented in the late 1960s, flooding parts of downtown Nashville. Waters from the Cumberland reached as far inland as 2nd Avenue, flooding many downtown businesses. Forty-nine Tennessee counties were declared disaster areas with damage estimates of between $2 and $3 billion statewide. Many Nashville landmarks received damage from floodwaters, including Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry.
REGIONS TRADITION: The Regions Tradition will be May 8-12 at the beautiful Greystone Golf & Country Club! Make plans to attend one of the majors of the PGA Champions Tour! You can see legendary golfers Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Fred Couples, John Daly, Vijay Singh, and more tee it off with Nick Saban, Gus Malzahn, Bo Jackson, Condoleezza Rice, and other celebrities in the NCR Pro-AM. Juniors 18 & under are admitted free with a ticketed adult, and five-day grounds tickets are $100. Single day grounds tickets are $25. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!!!
BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute show anytime on your favorite podcast app. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Snapchat: spannwx
I have weather programs today at Douglas Elementary in Marshall County, and Chelsea Park Elementary in Shelby County… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
