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Taking the title from a song I remember from long ago. Birmingham along with Tuscaloosa and Anniston set new records yesterday. For Birmingham it was 98 breaking the old record of 95 set in 1953, at Tuscaloosa the new record was 99 breaking the old record of 98 set in 2006, and in Anniston, the highs was 99 eclipsing the old record of 97 set in 1953. So the heat is hot!
And right now our weather pattern seems a lot like a broken record as the heat just rolls along. With very little change in the overall pattern, there is little to expect in the way of weather changes. The upper ridge continues to maintain a strangle hold on the weather pattern for the eastern half of the country. While the upper ridge does meander a bit and the strength wanes a bit, the pattern does maintain itself.
The record high for today is only 95 for Birmingham so it appears likely once again that we will set another new record high as highs get into the upper 90s. Heat indices will be topping out in the 100 to 105 range, so remember to stay hydrated if you are out in the heat no matter how much you are exerting.
SPC has outlooked an area centered on North Georgia including a portion of Northeast Alabama for potentially severe thunderstorms. The big question will be whether or not thunderstorms can develop at all. Soundings from last night from Atlanta and Birmingham show some differences in the subsidence inversion – weaker at Atlanta than at Birmingham. However, I still have doubts that we’ll see much in the way of thunderstorm development. Any isolated storms that do form, though, will be capable of producing damaging wind due to the overall instability potential.
Rain will be a scarce commodity for the next week or so. While an isolated shower may occur, very few spots will see much rain.
Tropically, the Hurricane Center notes two area of clouds, one from a thunderstorm complex just south of New Orleans and the other a cloud mass over the western Caribbean. Neither is expected to see much development over the next couple of days. Conditions in the western Caribbean do become more favorable for slow development after 48 hours, so this area will bear watching.
The GFS continues to suggest the breakdown of the strong upper ridge out in voodoo country. I’m sure it will breakdown eventually, but I’m not optimistic that it will be any time soon.
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Staying at Harrison Bay State Park just northeast of Chattanooga for the weekend and it is hot here, too. Very nice state park on the banks of the Tennessee River where there is lots of boating action. Be cautious in the heat and Godspeed.
-Brian-
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