Weather Blogs

Home of Storm Chaser Videographer Jeff Gammons.

Total news: 10
Last news: October 28, 2008 02:42:10

Discussions, thoughts, and comments from the ABC 33/40 team of meteorologists. Updated often daily, 7 days a week!

Total news: 73
Last news: 3 hours 52 minutes ago

Thanks to Ed Tyler of Pell City for this image… he writes:

“This image is a composite of two image I made last night. I am not
totally happy with the sharpness but it will come with practice. I used a Meade 8 inch LX200 2000mm F/10.0 telescope and attached my Pentax K20d camera to it. Even though the whole stack of equipment is weighs over 100 lbs. vibration is still a problem. The full resolution print makes a 16×20 picture.”

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

BRING ON A LONG WEEKEND: Sure seems like most people I know are taking today off… making for a nice three day Fourth of July weekend. Our weather stays dry today and tomorrow, with low humidity levels and temperatures near average values for early July in Alabama (highs mostly in the low 90s). There are a few fireworks shows tonight (at the Barons game, and in Chelsea Park), and the sky will be clear. For the fireworks displays tomorrow night, the chance of rain is very small.

SUNDAY: SPC has the northern half of Alabama in a slight risk of severe weather for Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening thanks to an approaching surface boundary. The prime risk will be from wet microbursts, local areas of damaging straight line winds that can knock trees and power lines down easily. The greatest risk of severe storms will be along and north of I-20, and mostly during the peak of the daytime heating process, the late afternoon and evening hours.

NEXT WEEK: The 00Z GFS is now stalling the surface boundary near the Tennessee border, which makes more sense for July. If this solution is correct, next week will be relatively wet with a moist airmass in place. Each day will feature scattered to numerous showers and storms with highs mostly in the mid to upper 80s because of the clouds and showers. Since our rain surplus for 2009 has vanished, this is a very good thing. It will replenish the soil moisture and keep the summer heat under control.

TROPICS: See the Weather Xtreme video; NHC is looking at a hybrid system over the middle the Atlantic, but it won’t get anywhere near the U.S. The Gulf remains quiet.

GULF COAST WEATHER: We expect about 6 to 8 hours of sunshine tomorrow and Sunday with the risk of a few scattered showers and storms along the way. Showers and storms should be a little more widespread on the coast Monday with about 4 to 6 hours of sun. Highs tomorrow and Sunday will be in the 87 to 90 degree range along the immediate coast, with mid 90s likely for inland areas

LONG RANGE: The 5940 meter circle does show up on the 500 mb progs at mid-month, centered west of here over the Southern Plains. This can represent some pretty nasty heat, hopefully that heat bubble will stay west of here. For now, our weather for mid-month looks pretty routine with no sign of any tropical trouble.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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.

We are working on a holiday schedule; just one Weather Xtreme video through the weekend. Back to the “two a day” schedule Monday. Be safe this weekend!

Thanks to Dalton Thompson for this image taken this afternoon in Panama City…

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

PLEASANT SUMMER DAY: Temperatures are below forecast levels across North Alabama this afternoon, and nobody is complaining. Birmingham is at 90 degrees at 2:00, with a dewpoint of 58 and a humidity of only 33 percent. A fresh westerly breeze is also helping.

Our weather will stay dry tomorrow, and Saturday still looks mostly rain-free at this point, although we will have to watch for any MCS that forms northwest of the state; that could drop down in here Saturday night. But, for now things are looking pretty good for the fireworks shows across the state Saturday night.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY: We should see a good increase in the number of showers and thunderstorms on these days as moist air flows northward and a surface front approaches from the north. Highs will drop down into the mid to upper 80s on these days, and we have the potential for at least one-half to one inch of rain. The heaviest rain will be over North Alabama, with amounts tapering off as you head south.

The GFS continues to show drier air creeping into North Alabama Tuesday and Wednesday; so many of the showers and storms on these days could very well be south of I-20.

TROPICAL AND BEACH WEATHER: Only a small risk of a thunderstorm tomorrow along the Alabama/NW Florida coast and some widely scattered ones for the July 4 holiday. A slightly better chance on Sunday, but the better chance of all will be on Monday. High temperatures between 90 and 95. A survey of sea surface temperatures show very warm water along the coast with water temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. We even saw a water temperature of 92 off Waveland, Mississippi. Tropical storms and hurricanes feast on water that warm, but there are no signs of any development.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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…

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

DRY AIR IN PLACE: A relatively dry airmass for mid-summer continues to cover Alabama this morning, and accordingly we expect no rain today with a high in the low 90s; mid 90s for West Alabama. The humidity will remain fairly low for early July. Pretty much the same story for tomorrow; the chance of rain looks so small we will leave it out of the forecast and roll with a mostly sunny forecast.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND: Global models continue to trend dry on Saturday, and for now we have mentioned only isolated afternoon showers. Sure looks like most of the state will stay dry, and the weather is looking generally good for fireworks displays Saturday night.

We will continue to mention scattered showers and storms Sunday as heights lower a bit and moisture levels increase. Showers and storms will be more numerous Monday with a nice short wave and surface front involved by then. The GFS is continuing the idea of highs only in the upper 80s on Sunday and Monday because of clouds and showers. We could use the rain since our rain surplus for 2009 has just about vanished in recent weeks.

LONG RANGE/TROPICS: Watch the Weather Xtreme video for details; no sign of any super serious heat wave through mid-July; looks like the typical July heat around here. And, no sign of life in the tropics for now.

AT THE BEACH: You can bet the beaches will be packed in coming days as we approach the Fourth of July weekend. The weather looks pretty decent; expect about 7 to 9 hours of sunshine each day through Sunday with just a few scattered showers and storms. Afternoon highs along the immediate coast will be close to 90, with mid 90s a few miles inland. The sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab last night was 87 degrees, and there is no sign of any tropical storm formation through the weekend.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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.

I will be in Tuscaloosa this morning for a weather program at Morning Pointe (senior adults)… I will be back by early afternoon and the next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 3:30. Enjoy the day!

The shots below were taken by a tugboat crew pushing a barge north, up the Tombigee River. They shots are in chronological order; the first ones are a sunrise over the Mobile Delta. You can see the I-65 bridge over the Delta. The tug passes under a railroad bridge in Jackson, and the most recent shots are from Demopolis. You can see the barge going through the Demopolis Lock and Dam, followed by a shot of the Demopolis Civic Center, where our SKYCAM is located. Then, a great sunset follows. We had this crew live on the SKYCAM on our 5:00 news this afternoon.

One of these days, a group of us are going to try and go all the way from Birminghamport to Gulf Shores via this same waterway. Sure looks peaceful out there…

Thanks to Shirl Ganey of Brilliant for these images… she writes:

“This is a picture I took Sunday (June 28) night of a sunset at Brilliant, Al. I think the sunset was so colorful from the volcanic eruption they had in Russia on June 12th which put sulfate aerosol into the atmosphere. ”

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

RIGHT NOW: Nothing on the radar, despite a weak surface boundary dropping south through Central Alabama. We will stay dry tomorrow, and even Friday is looking generally rain-free at this time. We will still have to watch developments over Missouri and Arkansas Friday afternoon; those storms could roll down into our state Friday night.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND: The 12Z GFS is trending drier on Saturday; we will probably begin to lean in that direction in our forecast as well. But, scattered showers and storms will be around on Sunday, and into the first half of next week as moist air settles into the state, and a front approaches and stalls out over Tennessee. Hopefully we will pick up some decent showers since the top soil is getting pretty dry around here. We will need to raise the high for Saturday up into the low 90s with more sunshine than originally expected, but upper 80s are being printed by the GFS for Sunday and Monday.

VOODOO LAND: You can watch the Weather Xtreme video for the long range model output; bottom line is that the 5940 meter contour is now off the board for mid-July, but the weather will still be hot and humid one way or another with some risk of scattered, mostly afternoon showers and storms. The tropics remain quiet for now.

AIR QUALITY: A code orange air quality alert has been issued for Jefferson and Shelby counties for tomorrow due to ground level ozone.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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!

* 2,000 is the number of homes that were destroyed by wildfires early this year in SE Australia, mostly in February. Wildfires can be as devastating to people as a large tornado. * 173 people died in those wildfires–many of them trying to outrun the flames. Over 7,000 were left homeless. * 8 degrees was the difference [...] - [Read more]

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

TODAY/TOMORROW: A surface front will pass through here today, but with a serious lack of moisture it looks like most communities over North Alabama will stay dry. Our internal RPM model does hint at a band of showers forming on the boundary south of Birmingham this afternoon, and we will mention a risk of isolated showers, but don’t look for too much action on radar today. Temperatures will rise back into the low to mid 90s today. Tomorrow should be dry with a fresh surge of dry air over Alabama.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: We will introduce some risk of an afternoon storm Friday as the door is open for an MCS to move into Alabama from the northwest. Then, for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, we expect a mixture of clouds and sun Saturday and Sunday with a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms both days. The most numerous storms should be over the northern half of the state, but there also should be some decent intervals of sunshine. The GFS is printing highs generally in the upper 80s, but if we get a decent amount of sun we could easily reach 90. This is the middle of summer, after all. It is impossible to tell you exactly when and where the showers will form on Saturday and Sunday, but there is a reasonable chance the showers will fade by the time the fireworks shows begin Saturday night around 9:00.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: A surface front will try to move into Alabama early next week; we all know Alabama is the cold front graveyard time time of the year, and I am not too convinced the boundary will move south of I-20. So, we will keep the chance of scattered showers and storms going on a daily basis through much of next week with afternoon highs in the low 90s, which is where we should be this time of the year.

Watch the Weather Xtreme video and you will see the nasty 5940 meter circle showing up on the 500 mb progs at mid-month from near Birmingham to Omaha; that can represent pretty significant heat. But, this is the first time we have seen it, and hopefully it will be gone on future runs.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

Thought I would show you the team I have been coaching for the last several weeks… this is the Hoover East 12u All-Star team; we have been together since the regular season ended in May. We won our fair share of games, and had plenty of fun along the way. Hopefully great memories these kids can take with them for the rest of their lives.

Thanks to Bobby Hanley of Hanley Photography for his great work in putting this together for our team! You can contact him if you are interested in a similar poster for your son’s team… they love this much more than a trophy.

All right all your Facebook Weather Fans across the Fruited Plain…

Here is your assignment:

Go add “AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters” fan page to your Facebook account.

Tanya King, Public Affairs Specialist, needs 1,000 fans to be able to reserve the Facebook domain name “Hurricane Hunters”

She says they will also be doing storm updates on the fan page and on Twitter@403pa.

Show the men and women of the Hurricane Hunters how much we appreciate the invaluable job that they do. Become a fan and show your support with a post to this comment!

And tell all your friends!!!

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

RIGHT NOW: Nothing but severe clear across much of Alabama as dry air continues to cover the state. At 2:00… Birmingham is at 91 degrees, but with a dewpoint of only 54, the relative humidity is a very low 28 percent. A “dry heat” if you will. We should drop well down into the 60s again tonight, and some of the cooler spots could visit the 50s again. Scroll down for a list of lows around Alabama this morning, as compiled by the great American weather legend, J.B. Elliott.

THE DAYS AHEAD: A surface front will drop down through Alabama tomorrow, but with moisture so limited, we have to figure the front should pass through generally dry. We do note the GFS shows a band of isolated showers along the front tomorrow afternoon, but we won’t mention it in our formal forecast for now. A fresh supply of dry air will arrive tomorrow night, and it looks like we can remove any risk of a shower Thursday with dry air in place.

We will bring in some risk of a shower or storm late Friday as moist air returns, but most of the day should be dry.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND: The 12Z GFS is a little drier for the weekend, but there is no doubt we will need to mention at least a chance of scattered showers and storms on Saturday and Sunday with a moist airmass in place, and a weak surface front to the north. Afternoon highs should be in the 87 to 90 degree range due to the showers, but there should be a few decent intervals of sunshine. The chance of any one spot getting wet Saturday and Sunday is about 1 in 2.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: We will keep the chance of scattered showers and storms going on Monday and Tuesday. The GFS continue to try and push another surge of drier air in here by the middle of next week, but dry lines rarely pass through Alabama in July. Looks like rather routine summer weather for the middle and later part of next week, with highs around 90 and some risk of scattered showers and storms on a daily basis in the humid air that should be covering Alabama at the time.

TROPICS: We will keep an eye on the old front down in the northern Gulf for any sign of development, but for now all is quiet across the Atlantic basin.

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. Scroll down for the show notes on this week’s new episode we recorded last night.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

I had a great time in Gadsden this morning visiting with my friends at CED Mental Health Center, and then the Gadsden Boys and Girls Club. Look for the kids on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!

Last night’s sunset was more like October than late June… here are more shots sent to us by blog readers and TV viewers; all of these images were from last night:

I just gotta post a few low temperatures this morning. If you walked out early anywhere in North and Central Alabama, you had to quickly realize that this is not typical for the last day of June. Not unheard of and you won’t see it on the national news channels. This is not a 3-foot-long list. I only included 60s or lower:

54 Muscadine
55 Broomtown
55 Scrougeout (second lowest all month)
56 Cottondale
58 Pinson, Crossville
59 Concord/Hueytown, Munford, Fort Payne Airport
60 Coker, Noccalula Falls, Cullman Airport, Anniston, Tuscaloosa
61 Moody
62 Meridianville
63 Birmingham Airport, Albertville
64 Weaver, Bankhead National Forest, Shelby County Airport
65 Montgomery/Dannelly Field, Muscle Shoals
67 Huntsville Airport
68 Selma

Thanks to one of readers for this sunrise image captured this morning from a tugboat down in the Mobile Delta. Hopefully Dr. Tim and some of us will be able to send in this kind of image one day if we can make the big trip down down the Alabama waterways to the Gulf (see his post from last night below!)

WeatherBrains Episode 179 is now online (June 29, 2009). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you! Listen to the show on iTunes, or on the player on the left side of the blog. No special guest on the show this evening, so you just never know what to [...] - [Read more]

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

FEELS GOOD: What a refreshing morning for the last day of June. Vic Bell, our Skywatcher in Northeast Etowah County, is reporting 56 degrees with a clear sky at 5:00. Skywatcher John Talbot in the Concord/Hueytown area is at 59 degrees. Most of the official reporting stations are somewhere between 60 and 65, a very nice break from the recent heat.

No big change today and tomorrow; sunny with low humidity. The high both days should be in the low 90s, but those low dewpoints will make the afternoon heat much more comfortable, And, needless to say, with the dry air in place there is no chance of rain around here.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: The GFS continues to hint at an MCS developing northwest of Alabama during the day Thursday, potentially moving in here late in the day or Thursday night. And, we will mention some risk of scattered afternoon storms on Friday as well as moisture levels increase. Highs will be around 90.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND: We do expect an increase in the number of showers and storms over the holiday weekend as moisture continues to increase. No wash-out, but a few passing showers and storms seem likely Saturday and Sunday. The GFS is printing highs in the upper 80s because of the showers, so excessive heat won’t be a problem.

The 00Z GFS tries to bring drier air down into North Alabama early next week, but I not convinced that is the correct solution, and we will maintain the chance of scattered showers and storms into Monday and Tuesday. Fronts really don’t make it all the way down to the Gulf coast that often in the middle of summer.

VOODOO LAND: The good news is that we still don’t see any serious or excessive heat wave into mid-July. Looks like the average type heat and humidity around here with the almost daily risk of scattered diurnal convection.

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. The new episode is available; we will post notes a little later this morning.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

This morning I am headed to Gadsden to speak at the CED Mental Health Center, and then the Gadsden Boys and Girls Club. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

Jason Simpson and I went all the way to Tuscaloosa and back. The next challenge is Demopolis. Eventually, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico!

Part 1

Part 2

Wow… what a great summer evening. Low humidity, a cool breeze, and a fantastic sunset. Thanks to a number of our readers and viewers for these images captured tonight…

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

LOW HUMIDITY: At 2:00… Birmingham was at 90 degrees, but with a dewpoint of only 57 for a relative humidity of 32 percent. Not bad for a summer day in Alabama. Looks like places like Gadsden and Cullman will fail to reach 90 today. And, along with the low humidity is excellent visibility; the sky almost looks like fall.

Tonight will be very pleasant; most places will drop into the 60 to 65 degree range, but the cooler spots should reach the upper 50s.

TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY: No real change with dry air in place; sunny days and clear nights. The humidity will stay low, and the high will be in the low 90s in most places.

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: We will bring in a chance of mainly afternoon thunderstorms on these days as moist air begins to return, and some hint in the GFS that a MCS or two might roll into Alabama from the northwest. Let’s keep an eye on radars around Memphis and Little Rock on these days.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND: The 12Z GFS is a little more bullish on showers and thunderstorms for Alabama over the Fourth of July weekend; very moist air combined with a weak surface boundary to the north, and a series of weak waves along the southern edge of the mid-latitude westerlies. The GFS MOS is printing highs only in the upper 80s because of the showers, so excessive heat should not be a problem. There should be some decent intervals of sunshine, but a few showers and storms seem likely on a daily basis Saturday through Monday.

TROPICS: Still no sign of any tropical trouble for now; our system in the southern Gulf is disorganized, but we will have to watch the old front hanging around in the northern Gulf in coming days for any sign of a backyard surprise.

AT THE BEACH: About 6 to 8 hours of sunshine each day through Friday, with partly to mostly sunny days along with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. We note the sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab right now is a very warm 90 degrees (F).

VOODOO LAND: The GFS does not show any sign of a major or excessive heat wave around here through mid-July… looks like your standard hot and humid weather with the almost daily opportunity of a passing afternoon shower or storm.

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. We will record this week’s episode tonight; it will be posted by 10:30 or so.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow… enjoy the day!

That city has been very much in the news lately for obvious reasons. Tehran, with a population of over 7 million, of course, is the capitol of Iran. It is located in the extreme north part of the country 1,000 air miles removed from its southermost part of the country. Some interesting facts:

* The city is not far from the south shore of the Caspian Sea, but separated from that body of water by a range of mountains called the Elburz Mountains that run along the north edge of the country.

* The Caspian Sea is billed as the world’s largest enclosed body of water covering 143,244 square miles. There is no outflow and the maximum depth is 3,363 feet.

* In Tehran, where the elevation is 3,800 feet, the average January temperatures are 45 in daytime and 30 at night. This compares to 53 and 32 for Birmingham. In July, their average high is 98 and the low 75.

* Tehran gets an average of only 9 inches of rain a year. Birmingham gets six times that much.

* The population of all of Iran is 65,600,000. If you overlaid the map of Iran on a USA map, it would take up only 21% of our country. Iran was known as Persia until 1935.

* With only 9 inches of rain a year, Tehran would be classified as a desert area, but as you go south and SE into the interior of Iran it is really, really desert country.

* Back to the mountain range north of Tehran, one of the highest mountain peaks reaches 18,405 feet.

(I enjoy doing these little features, but they are on a non-scheduled basis. I promise not to post “stuff” like this on days with heavy blog traffic, stormy times, etc. I hope to do a “Weather by the Numbers” tomorrow, which is my real favorite. I hope to explore many corners of the world with this “In Focus” feature.)

No, we are not in a drought again but it is getting dry across many parts of the state. It does not take long for a relentless June sun and mean ole thermometers stubbornly insisting to reach the 90s every day to dry out the topsoil

* Huntsville Airport no measurable rain in the last two weeks.

* Anniston much better off. Storms Sunday brought 0.62 bringing their total for June at the airport to 4.11 inches.

RAIN ROUNDUP: Since rain is getting more popular, here is a list of amounts for the last 24 hours. This is not one of those five-mile-long lists like we did back in drought days.

0.69 Noccalula Falls
0.25 Ragland
0.12 Jasper
0.61 Bankhead National Forest
0.58 Guntersville
0.29 Scottsboro Airport
0.62 Anniston Airport
0.33 Dothan (where the high Sunday was 104)
0.46 Albertville
0.28 Albertville (we get more than one report from lots of places)
0.62 Guntersville
0.49 Scottsboro/Lakeside
0.46 Moulton TVA
0.62 Guntersville
2.99 Union Grove (Marshall County)
2.32 7 miles WNW of Union Grove
0.65 5 miles ENE of Albertville
0.93 5 miles WNW of Albertville
1.56 Guntersville Dam
0.46 Clanton
1.54 Hollytree (Jackson County)
0.90 11 miles NE of Abbeville
0.58 5 miles SSW of Wilton
0.37 2 miles NE of Montgomery
0.25 1 miles SE of Oneonta
0.05 7 miles NNE of Trussville
1.54 6 miles SW of Grant (Marshall County)
0.35 4 miles NE of Jasper
0.23 5 miles NW of Warrior
0.30 Weaver
1.01 Theodore
0.05 Tuscaloosa Airport

NOTE OF THANKS: To Michelle Miklik, our 33/40 Skywatcher in Weaver. She helps assemble some of these long lists. We now refer to her as our RO (Official Rain Officer!)

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

MOSTLY DRY THROUGH MID-WEEK: You can see the progression of the dry air in the dewpoints this morning… the dewpoint at Huntsville is down to 62; Birmingham reports 68, while it is a muggy 72 at Montgomery. Showers and storms this afternoon should fire along and south of the dry line, which should be around U.S. 80 at midday, or along a line from Demopolis to Montgomery to Opelika. Over North Alabama, the day should be mostly sunny with lower humidity and a high close to 90.

Look for mostly sunny days and clear pleasant nights tomorrow and Wednesday; we will be well down in the 60s tomorrow and Wednesday morning… some of the cooler spots across North Alabama could visit the upper 50s. Not bad for late June in Alabama. Thursday looks mostly dry, although a few isolated storms could show up late in the day.

FRIDAY AND THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Moist air returns, and the weather looks very typical for the Fourth of July with partly sunny days and the chance of scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms Friday through Monday. Highs will be around 90, with lows in the low 70s. There is some hint showers and storms could be a little more numerous Sunday and Monday thanks to a surface boundary just north of here; we will fine tune the forecast as we get closer to the weekend.

TROPICS: The tropical wave that was over the western Caribbean late last week has been struggling over the Yucatan peninsula this weekend, and shows no sign of any organization this morning. We will keep an eye on that, and the old surface front that will drift into the northern Gulf tomorrow.

VOODOO LAND: The good news is that we see no sign of any serious 5940 meter 500 mb heat bubbles around here through mid-July, so fairly standard summer weather can be expected during the next 15 days.

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. We will record this week’s episode tonight; it should be posted around 10:30 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon!

Looking back at June, and ahead to July…

The average temperature so far this June has run about three degrees above the long term average of 76.4F. This month has within nearly a degree of being the hottest June ever in Birmingham on average. We average 351 cooling degree days in the month. June 2009 will blow that out of the water, with around 430 before all is said and done.

The hottest temperature observed this month was the 96F observed Saturday. The hottest it has ever been in June in the Magic City was 106F on June 29, 1931. 3.03 inches of rain had fallen through Sunday morning. This is slightly below the average of 3.78 inches. 12.09 inches of rain fell in June 1900.

As you would expect, July is the hottest month of the year in Birmingham. The average daytime high is 90.6F. The average overnight low is 69.7. There really isn’t much difference on average between July and August. The hottest day ever in Birmingham, occurred on July 29, 1930, when the mercury hit a sizzling 107F. The temperature has reached 105F or higher on 16 occasions in Birmingham. Eleven of those times were observed in the month of July. The coolest reading ever observed in the Magic City in July was 51F back on July 15, 1967.

July is not one of our sunniest month with 59% of possible sunshine on average. Six months are sunnier. Rain is usually observed just over twelve days in the month and thunderstorms occur on nearly twelve days in the month, both tops for the year. The mercury reaches 90F or higher on 17.3 days on average in July. On average, 5.09 inches of rain falls during the month. The most ever observed is 20.12 in July 1916. That is also the wettest month ever in Birmingham history. In 1983, 0.30 fell during the month, the driest July ever.

Thanks to Mike and Aliece White of Oxford for these images… they write:

“We were on I-20 at about 6pm, coming back to Oxford from Birmingham and caught this ominous cloud around Pell City. Bear in mind, we were traveling 70 mph and taking these with my iPhone, but still, great photos, I thought!”

The storms are mostly over. Most of the rain has diminished.

A small storm continues southeastward over eastern Walker County. It is near Sipsey, moving toward Sumiton. It has a good bit of lightning and some heavy rain.

Moderate rain covers parts of Clay, Calhoun, Cleburne and Randolph Counties in East Alabama.

The severe thunderstorm watch is being allowed to expire at 8 p.m.

Thanks to ABC 33/40 Skywatcher Vic Bell for this image… he writes:

“I think I have to win the award for bad luck out of this frontal system. In the last 24 hours, I had no less than six storms pass within two miles of me and I didn’t get any measurable rain. Several of them were literally at my door steps, including the last big one in this animated radar picture. You can see how it skirted Scrougeout (the + marks my house) for an hour with only a sprinkle or two at 6:30 pm…none of which fell in the rain gauge.”

Thanks to one of our readers for this image of a double rainbow over Goshen Valley in south Cherokee County…

Thanks to ABC 33/40 Skywatcher Ronald Hughes for these images… he writes:

“Hello James,
Took these pictures yesterday afternoon and thought the viewers would enjoy looking at them. Bring on the rain!”

A cool front was pushing into Alabama this evening.

Thunderstorm activity has diminished. But there still is a fairly strong cell just ahead of the front over Winston County. It is between Double Springs and Arley. Has lightning and perhaps some small hail and gusty winds. It is moving in the general direction of Jasper and Cordova.

Another decent cell is near Scottsboro. It is approaching Section and Langston.

A weakening storm is dropping southward through Blount County.

Couple of patches of moderate rain, one over East Alabama. Another over Tuscaloosa, Bibb and Chilton Counties.

The following counties have been cleared from the severe thunderstorm watch…Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker and Winston.

The watch continues for the following counties…Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa and Tuscaloosa [AL] till 8:00 PM CDT

Nothing threatening to become severe over North Central Alabama at this time, but there is an intensifying storm east of Double Springs. There is another strong cell south of Arab in Northeast Alabama.

The good news is that the storms have weakened a bit over the past 15 minutes.

No warnings over North Central Alabama. There is a severe thunderstorm warning for southern Coosa and northern Elmore County.

A large area of moderate to heavy rain and thunder is over Marshall, NE Blount, Etowah, northern St. Clair, western Cherokee and into northern Clahoun Counties, but it is no longer severe.

There is a small storm over southern Lawrence moving into northern Winston County. It will pass near or east of Double Springs.

There is a small cell over Northeast Jefferson County. It is moving through the Center Point and Roebuck Plaza areas. It has weakened.

A large area of light to moderate rain covers parts of Pickens, Tuscaloosa, southern Lamar and southern Fayette Counties.

Drier air is on the way…the dewpoint at Olive Branch MS is 72F…at Memphis International…it is 65F…at Jonesboro AR it is 62F.

A severe thunderstorm warning continues for eastern Blount, northern St. Clair and Etowah Counties. Intense storm south of Altoona…moving SSE toward Ashville. Trees were reported down in Blountsville.

A flash flood warning has been issued for Marshall County. Radar estimates indicate three inches of rain has fallen across Marshall county and flooding is being reported on Slab Creek.

Developing storm passing south of Rockford in Coosa County is moving into Elmore County…could become severe momentarily. And it just did…severe thunderstorm warning for southern Coosa and northern Elmore.

Developing cell over northern Jefferson County between Gardendale and Morris…moving SE toward Pinson, Chalkville and Trussville.

Severe thunderstorm warning continues for Blount, northern St. Clair, Etowah, southern Marshall and southern DeKalb Counties.

The strongest storm is approaching Altoona and Walnut Grove. It is moving in the general direction of Steele. It has wealened a bit in the past few minutes.

Everything else has weakened a bit and there are no other storms threatening to become severe right now.

Earlier a 60 mph wind gust was observed at the Albertville Airport.

In West Alabama…trees were reported down at Windham Springs in northern Tuscaloosa County.

A mass of strong to severe storms continues over eastern Morgan, Marshall, eastern Blount, NW Etowah and into DeKalb Counties. Biggest storms are near Snead and east of Albertville and Boaz.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect.

Another warning continues for Chilton County, as well as Tallapoosa, Chambers and Lee Counties.

Four main concentrations of storms now…

From Marshall down into Etowah County. Big storms from near Union Grove to just west of Boaz…heading toward Walnut Grove over to Reece City. Severe thunderstorm warnings in effect

The storm near Douglas in maxing out the VIL indicator on the radar. Indicating hail to the size of baseballs. High probability of damaging winds.

Strong storms from east of Centreville to Jemison and Thorsby. Severe thunderstorm warnings for eastern Bibb and Chilton.

Strong storm straddling the Jefferson/Tuscaloosa County line around Windham Springs.

Severe thunderstorm just northwest of Opelika…warnings in effect on this storm also.

A new severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for eastern Morgan and NW Marshall Counties.

Intense storm east of Somerville heading SE toward Arab.

New severe thunderstorm warning for southern Marshall County…intense storm west of Albertville…this will move SE in the general direction of Gadsden. Look for a severe thunderstorm warning to be issued for Etowah County.

And it just was…til 530 p.m. for northern Etowah and a small slice of Blount.

Elsewhere…

Strong storms over northern Tuscaloosa…Bibb and Chilton Counties.

New severe thunderstorm warning for Bibb and Chilton Counties…intense storm moving toward Clanton.

New severe thunderstorm warning for Chambers County in East Central Alabama.

Storms are now growing in coverage and intensity from Madison and Jackson Counties in North Alabama down through Marshall, Cullman and Blount Counties…then into Walker, Fayette, Tusacaloosa, Bibb and Lamar Counties.

Overall intensity has increased in the past 15 minutes.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues for North and Central Alabama until 8 p.m. CDT.

Scattered storms continue across Central and North Alabama this afternoon.

Over West Alabama…storms were streaming across Fayette, Lamar, northern Pickens, Tuscaloosa, southwestern Jefferson, Bibb and western Shelby Counties. They seem to have picked up in intensity in the past few minutes. A pretty strong storm was approaching the Lake View area of NE Tuscaloosa County, paralleling the Jefferson County line.

A severe thunderstorm warning has just been issued for NE Tuscaloosa and SW Walker Counties for this storm.

Over East Alabama…strong storms were over St. Clair, Talladega, Clay and Randolph Counties. Pretty storng storm southwest of Ashland.

Over North Alabama…strong storms were over…
…southern Lawrence and Winston counties…
…Morgan, Madison, Marshall and Jackson Counties.

Everything is moving SE.

A severe thunderstorm watch continues until 8 p.m. CDT.

Be alert for damaging winds, intense lightning and even hail.

No severe thunderstorm warnings at this time.

Strong storms over Clay and Randolph Counties in the east.

Storms are scattered along I-59 from Etowah through Tuscaloosa Counties. Just had an interesting storm split with the left mover passing north of Holt in Tuscaloosa County. The Tuscaloosa Co. storms are holding together well and will move in the general direction of Moundville.

Strong to severe storms in NE Mississippi…but they seem to be taking their time getting into Alabama…new severe thunderstorm warning for the Columbus area.

Severe thunderstorm watch continues until 8 p.m. for all of North and Central Alabama.

Severe thunderstorm warning for Calhoun County til 3 p.m…severe storms in the Anniston, Oxford, DeArmanville areas…

Severe thunderstorm warning for Cleburne and Randolph Counties til 330 p.m….dangerous storms moving toward Wedowee.

New severe thunderstorm warning for Calhoun and Talladega Counties til 315 p.m.

The stuff from Lincoln to south of Oxford will also affect Clay County…could become severe.

Other storms of note…
…over western Jefferson County…but not severe…
…intensifying storm near Tuscaloosa…moving toward the city of Tuscaloosa.
…intense storms over northeastern Mississippi from Pontotoc to Aberdeen will affect Lamar, Pickens, Fayette and eventually Tuscaloosa Counties…

Severe thunderstorm warning for Calhoun County into northern Talladega County…

Intense storm near Anniston. Lots of lightning with this one as well as a damaging wind threat.

Will move southwest through Oxford and into southwestern Cleburne…and eventually northern Clay and Randolph Counties. Severe thunderstorm warning just issued for Cleburne and Randolph Counties.

Talladega County has been cleared…but there is a small but strong storm near Jenifer.

To the west…strong to severe storms over northern Mississippi into Marion County Alabama will affect areas along and south of Corrdior X in West Alabama over the next few hours. If these storms get organized, a distinct damaging wind threat may develop…do I dare say potential derecho?

From the SPC…

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1367
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0224 PM CDT SUN JUN 28 2009

AREAS AFFECTED…NRN/CENTRAL AL… WRN/ CENTRAL GA…AND SERN TN

CONCERNING…SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 530…

VALID 281924Z – 282030Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 530
CONTINUES.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE SLOWLY INTENSIFYING THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON AS THEY SPREAD SEWD AT 15-20 KT.

SEVERAL THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS HAVE ALREADY FORMED WITHIN THE WATCH
AND AS THE STORMS CONTINUE TO GROW IN SIZE AND OUTFLOWS
CONSOLIDATE…THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND DAMAGE WILL INCREASE. THE
STRONGER STORM CLUSTERS AT 19Z WERE LOCATED ALONG THE FRONT IN ERN
TN…IN A BAND FROM EAST OF ANB TO N OF TCL AND IN ANOTHER BAND
BETWEEN CSG AND ABY IN CENTRAL GA. TEMPERATURES/DEWPOINTS IN THE MID
90S/LOWER TO MID 70S…HIGH PW VALUES AND MLCAPES IN EXCESS OF 3000
J/KG ARE FAVORABLE FOR WET MICROBURSTS AND WIND DAMAGE.

..IMY.. 06/28/2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega [AL] till 3:00 PM CDT…storms near Ohatchee have re-intensified…moving toward Anniston and Oxford…will cross I-20 east of Oxford…this complex has a history of producing damage in Gadsden…trees down on Paden Road…power out in Gadsden.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Cleburne [AL] till 2:30 PM CDT…storm near Fruithurst…moving southeast…will cross I-20 before moving into Georgia.

Storms over eastern Walker County getting ready to enter Jefferson County. They have not intensified…but JB says heads up…the Birmingham heat island effect could perk them up…

Storms moving into Marion and Lamar Counties….not severe now…but could become so…

No severe thunderstorm warnings in effect right now…but there are still strong storms in progress…

At 2:05…the heaviest activity was…
…over Walker County, moving southeast toward the Birmingham Metro…
…over Blount County…these storms are growing and will move toward St. Clair County…
…over Etowah, Cherokee, Clahoun and Cleburne Counties…
…over northeastern Mississippi…moving toward Marion and Lamar Counties…activity over northern Mississippi is growing…it is just ahead of the cold front…
…new storms are developing in the Tuscaloosa area…

Look for for lots of lightning, heavy rain and strong gusty winds.

Strong to severe storms continue across North and Central Alabama…

Severe thunderstorm warning for southern Jackson, eastern Marshall and western DeKalb Counties until 230 p.m. This warning is for a storm west of Langston or southwest of Scottsboro.

Etowah County under severe thunderstorm warning until 2 p.m. Severe storms in the Gadsden area.

LATE REPORT… Reece City [Etowah Co, AL] emergency mngr reports TSTM WND DMG at 01:35 PM CDT — tree down in Reece City at intersection of Church St and Fairview Road.

Activity over Walker and southern Winston Counties seems to be getting a little stronger…as it heads southeast…it will affect the Birmingham metro around 3 p.m.

Strong storm near Tupelo will head toward Marion and northern Lamar Counties. It should make the Alabama border before 2:45.

Severe storms in the Gadsden area have prompted a severe thunderstorm warning for Etowah County.

Be alert for damaging winds.

Storms continue to grow in number and intensity across North and Central Alabama at this hour.

The strongest storms are over East and Northeast Alabama, including…

…a storm approaching Guntersville from the northwest. Boaters need to be off Lake Guntersville.
…others from north of Gadsden to near and northeast of Piedmont

Another cluster is over Northwest Alabama from eastern Franklin through southern Winston, into NW Walker and western Cullman Counties.

More storms are back over Northeast Mississippi.

All of this is ahead of a cool front that will move through tonight.

No warnings yet, but lots of lightning already.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for all of North and Central Alabama until 8 p.m.

Damaging winds will be a threat through the afternoon with all of the instability.

Be inside in safe shelter when these storms roll through.

Severe thunderstorm watch issued for the northern two thirds of Alabama until 8 p.m. CDT.

Counties in the Birmingham area of responsibility include: Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.

Counties in the Huntsville area of responsibility include: Franklin, Lincoln, Moore [TN] and Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan.

LATE NOTE: The SPC is monitoring parts of North and Central Alabama for a potential severe weather watch. Pay attention to the latest weather information through the afternoon.

Temperatures early this afternoon are running a couple of degrees hotter than at this same time yesterday.

In Birmingham, it was 94F at noon. Yesterday it was 92F. In Anniston, it is 92F today, versus 91F yesterday.

It is 94F at Tuscaloosa at noon. That is a degree cooler than an hour ago, when the mercury peaked at 95F. It was 95F yesterday.

Afternoon highs will run a degree or two warmer than yesterday in many spots. Tuscaloosa has an outside chance at making 100F.

The cumulus field is most developed over Northeast Alabama, perhaps indicating the area where storm development is most imminent.

That is borne out by the radar.

A few showers were starting to bubble up on the radar. They are most prevalent over Northeast Alabama, from Cherokee through Marshall and into Madison County.

Others were over Lawrence County in Northwest Alabama.

Movement is southeast.

Be alert for approaching or developing storms in your area today. They could be strong with damaging winds and copious lightning, as well as brief heavy rain.

We have one little storm in Alabama at this hour. It is approaching Hmailton in Marion County.

Nothing strong or severe, and it is moving southeast. This is a herald of what is to come this afternoon, ahead of a cold front approaching Alabama from the northwest. Well, not so much of a cold front, but more like a “not so hot” front, as Brian said this morning.

Storms could be on the strong side today, with damaging winds a possibility. Respect the lightning too. It’s a killer. Your saying should be “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

The latest edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here. Okay, okay, I just could not bring myself to say “cooler” in the title of today’s Blog post. But from the mid and upper 90s to [...] - [Read more]

Some late evening storms have blossomed over Northeast Alabama at this hour.

A cluster of storms is over DeKalb County, centered around Fort Payne.

In Etowah County, a developing shower was north of Hokes Bluff. This cell will likely develop into a storm and it moves southeastward.

An approaching front could trigger more storms on Sunday. Any that form could be on the strong side with strong winds being the main threat. But don’t discount the lightning threat. Take it seriously. When thunder roars, go indoors.

In late June 1898, U.S. troops were arriving in Cuba in preparation for the offensive during the Spanish-American War.

The Chief of the fledgling U.S. Weather Bureau was Willis Moore. He was very concerned about the threat of hurricanes against the U.S. forces in the Caribbean. A disastrous hurricane in 1896 had killed 114 people as it wreaked havoc from Florida to Pennsylvania.

Moore passed his concerns to the head of the Department of Agriculture, James Wilson, who got them an audience with President McKinley.

Armed with charts, maps and records, the pair presented their case to the President, warning that as many armadas had been sent to the bottom of the sea by storms as by enemy force.

Wilson proposed a hurricane warning service consisting of observers on Caribbean islands who would warn the American fleet.

McKinley concluded, “Wilson, I am more afraid of a West Indian Hurricane than the entire Spanish Navy. Get this service started at the earliest possible moment.”

Congress authorized funds for establishing observing stations throughout the central and eastern Caribbean. They included Kingston, Jamaica; Trinidad; Curacao; Santo Domingo and Santiago, Cuba.

The first stations would be operational in July, actually after the Spanish Fleet was defeated in Santiago on July 3rd, but the stations would become the backbone of the hurricane warning service that has continually improved over the years to become what it has today.

Storms are moving into the Tennessee Valley early this evening.

Storms are over eastern Lauderdale County, northeast of Florence.

A strong storm was over northwestern Jackson County, west of Hytop. It will move near Skyline and Scottsboro. This storm has had a severe thunderstorm warning on it in Tennessee.

Storms in DeKalb County north of Fort Payne weakened as they moved toward Georgia.

Another storms is about to enter DeKalb County northeast of Pisgah. This storm will pass near Henagar and north of Fort Payne. Another cell is forming southwest of Fyffe in DeKalb County. It will push towards Collinsville.

Other showers were forming over southern Madison County, moving into Marshall County

All of the activity will continue pushing south southeast. The storms should slowly weaken after sunset, but could be with us until 9 or 10 p.m.

Boy, it felt good today just to roll the windows down in the car, turn on the Phillies and Blue Jays on the radio and just enjoy summer. We are such an air conditioned society now, that we often miss the opportunity to just kick back and feel the warmth, hear the sounds and take in the smells of a glorious Alabama day. The smell of freshly cut grass, or the barbecue joint. Reminded me of being a kid so long ago.

It is a beautiful summer day across Alabama. Temperatures are hot, rising into the middle 90s at this hour. Highs will top out between 94-97 for the most part across Central Alabama.

Skies are partly cloudy with just puffy cumulus clouds out there.

The radar is clear across much of Alabama. There are some storms along the seabreeze front in Mobile County. There are some developing showers just north of Florence in Northwest Alabama. This activity may develop a little further and move down into Northwest Alabama as the afternoon wears on. There are more numerous, but still small and rather widely spaced storms over eastern Tennessee. Some of these storms could clip the extreme northeastern part of Jackson County in Northeast Alabama.

Probably the best chance for any development over Alabama over the next couple of hours will be in an area from north of Florence to Dectaur to Fort Payne. Movement of any storms that do form with be southerly.

Preparing the new forecast package right now. Looks like a boundary may slip through here tomorrow night, triggering a few storms in advance of it. I guess they could be strong, but the models aren’t very bullish on rain chances.

In the tropics, a tropical wave over the Northwest Caribbean could develop into a depression when it gets over the southern Gulf on Sunday. The GFS is not bullish on developing a tropical system here, but some of the other models still develop a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane and move it toward the West Coast of Florida early in the week. It should not affect the Alabama or Northwest Florida coast.

But it bears watching for folks from Cedar Key down to Naples. A Hurricane Hunter plane is scheduled to investigate the disturbance tomorrow.

The latest edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

Perhaps there is a little relief from the heat on the way. Today is going to be another scorcher and tomorrow will be, too. But a weak front is expected to move through North and Central Alabama on Sunday afternoon and evening which should knock temperatures down to around 90. And with a corresponding drop of about 4 to 5 degrees in dew point, we should feel a little less cooked!

The main weather feature in the upper atmosphere will be a strong closed low which will move through the Great Lakes over the next several days, dragging a trough across the Southeast. After the trough passes and gets to our east by Monday, we should remain mostly dry through much of the upcoming week. Though an isolated shower could still occur. We’ll have to watch the timing on the movement of this weak front.

Also with the trough to our east, we will be under a northwesterly flow, so we’ll have to watch for development of large thunderstorm clusters off to our northwest. The GFS hints at this toward the latter part of the week.

In the long term, the ridge builds back into the Southeast, but the GFS gets an interesting look that could mean some wetter weather around the 11th or 12th.

Don’t forget to listen to our weekly 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.

And you can follow news and weather updates from ABC 33/40 on Twitter here. And, my personal Twitter feed is here if you want to keep up with the adventures and mis-adventures in my life. Twitter is a short messaging service you can receive via the web, cell phone, or IM.

Godspeed.

-Brian-

For your meteorological consulting needs, Coleman and Peters, LLC, can provide you with accurate information on past hailstorms, lightning, flooding, and wind damage. We work primarily for people involved in insurance cases and for attorneys. Please call us at (205) 568-4401.

Hurricane Audrey strengthened rapidly just before landfall on the Gulf Coast near the remote fishing village of Cameron LA on the Texas/Louisiana border during the early morning hours of June 27, 1957.

Many residents went to bed the night before thinking that they had time to evacuate the next morning, but were caught by surprise by the faster moving and stronger than anticipated storm.

The storm’s central pressure dropped from 973 to 945 millibars (and perhaps even lower) in just five hours. Winds reached 150 mph. The rapid intensification generated a storm surge of at least 12 feet above normal which was not anticipated.

390 people died in Louisiana (127 of them unidentified) with another 192 were reported missing. The loss of life was the greatest in the United States since the 1938 Hurricane in New England.

Areas as far as 25 miles inland were inundated by the storm tides. As much as percent of the homes in the area from Cameron to Grand Cheniere, Louisiana were destroyed or floated off their foundations. A brick courthouse and cement block icehouse were the only structures standing in Cameron after the hurricane.

Just four buildings were left standing in Crede, Louisiana. A 78 ton fishing boat was tossed up and onto an offshore oil drilling platform. Fourteen people were injured in tornadoes in Alabama after landfall.

$130 million in damage resulted from Hurricane Audrey.

Citizens brought several wrongful death lawsuits against the U.S. Weather Bureau for not warning them properly. But a jury found for the defendant under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and the lawsuit was unsuccessful.

– Bill Murray

bill.murray@theweathercompany.com
Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter. I am wxhistorian.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

WESTERN CARIBBEAN: The disturbance in the western Caribbean is showing signs of a CDO (central dense overcast), and looks more organized with each hour. Conditions seem to be improving for more organization down there in coming days, and there is potential for a tropical depression to form. Most of the dynamic models move this across the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, and into the southern Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. From there, if this thing does get it’s act together, it has the choice of being influenced by the upper trough developing over the eastern U.S., which would move the system northeast, toward the Florida peninsula, and then into the Atlantic. Or, it the trough misses the system it could hang around the southern Gulf, ultimately moving toward either the Gulf coast of Texas or Mexico. The BAM runs are suggesting the latter scenario is most likely; just too early to tell since it is not organized at this point. We will be watching over the weekend.

THE ALABAMA STORY: Our weather won’t change much tomorrow; hot and hazy with a high in the low to mid 90s, and some risk of widely scattered afternoon showers and storms. We still expect a general increase in the number of showers and storms around here late Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday in response to a surface boundary moving through, helped along by the upper trough over the eastern U.S. The 12Z GFS is not quite a bullish on rain around here, but any decent surface boundary around here in late June often brings a nice batch of showers and storms. Still a good chance we stay below 90 on Monday due to cloudy periods and showers.

The rest of next week, Tuesday through Friday, looks dry with lower humidity and slightly cooler nights; cooler spots across North Alabama might even visit the upper 50s by daybreak Wednesday. Afternoon highs will be around 90.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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.

Brian Peters will have the Weather Xtreme video updates over the weekend… my next one will be posted bright and early Monday morning; by 7:00. Enjoy the weekend!

A narrow east/west band of showers and a few thunderstorms were develooping early this afternoon across the heart of Central Alabama.

They are almost in the exact same place that those yesterday afternoon formed and did not move much.

Not a great deal of lightning yet, but the storms are still in the formative stage. Most of them are small so far and fairly widely spaced. The stronger one at 1:20 p.m. was over South Sumter County south of the Livingston ara. Movement so far has been erratic, but a slight southward drift is indicated.

The Storm Prediction Center advises that there could be a few isolated wet microbursts with some of those stronger storms this afternoon. However, they do not anticipate a severe thunderstorm watch.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

TODAY AND TOMORROW: Not much change in the overall weather for the next 48 hours; today and tomorrow will be hot and hazy with a partly sunny sky, and a few pop-up showers and storms should be found on the radar during the heat of the day. Highs in the low to mid 90s; the chance of any one spot getting wet today and tomorrow about one in five.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY: This is when we should see a general increase in the number of showers and storms; an upper trough forms over the eastern third of the nation, driving a surface boundary down this way. SPC even has the Tennessee Valley of extreme North Alabama under a slight risk of severe weather late Sunday and Sunday night due to the potential for hail and strong winds with the heavier thunderstorms. Looks like we stay under 90 degrees Monday with clouds around and a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. That will be a refreshing change.

NEXT WEEK: Drier and slightly cooler air moves in here Monday night, and at this time the rest of the week looks dry with lower humidity during the day and cooler nights. Some of the cooler valleys across North Alabama might reach the upper 50s at daybreak Wednesday… that is about as cool as it gets around here in late June and early July. We will keep an eye on the old front, which should be draped across the northern Gulf of Mexico, sometimes tropical systems can develop with those things.

TROPICS: Speaking of the tropics, storms have flared with a tropical wave in the western Caribbean, the wave should move into Central America before it has a chance to develop. Watch the Weather Xtreme video for more.

VOODOO LAND: The 00Z GFS develops a strong upper trough over the eastern U.S. around July 8 which could bring a good chance of showers and storms, followed by drier and slightly cooler air. No sign of any intense, long lasting heat wave through mid-July (upper 90s or triple digits).

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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 3:30 this afternoon!

An interesting feature in Alabama weather late this afternoon. Some slow moving (very slow!) showers and storms in Central Alabama sent out an outflow (cool air coming down out of a thunderstorm) and spreading outward after contact with the ground.

At 6:10 pm that outflow line had spreas as far west and north as Livingston, Moundville, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and South St. Clair County.

Often this will trigger new storms but the air is so dry this afternoon that only one shower had developed over the NE corner of Shelby County.

Down south heavier showers were almost stationary south of Chatom in Washington County and south of Selma in Dallas County.

This will probably be our last update unless something significant develops. (unlikely)

Needless to say… I saw many, many old friends at Bert’s funeral this morning in Tuscaloosa. See the video below…

By the way… this video was shot entirely on my new iPhone. How times have changed…

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

ROUTINE SUMMER WEATHER THROUGH SATURDAY: Not much change in the overall weather picture for Alabama through Saturday… hot, hazy days with the chance of a few widely scattered showers and storms, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. Highs mostly in the low to mid 90s.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY: We believe there will be a general increase in the number of showers and storms on these days, as an upper trough forms over the eastern third of the U.S., and the heat bubble is pushed to the west. An approaching surface boundary will aid in the formation of showers and storms on these two days, and along with the increase in the chance of rain will come a slow decrease in daytime temperatures. The new 12Z GFS is printing a high of only 86 degrees for Birmingham on Monday with a good chance of showers and storms.

TUESDAY AND BEYOND: Drier and slightly cooler air settles into Alabama by the middle of next week; looks like highs in the 87 to 90 degree range, with lows well down in the 60s. Not bad for summer in Alabama. And, humidity values should be relatively low.

TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the rest of this week.

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.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!

A line of showers and thunderstorms developed this afternoon across Central Alabama.

That wording sounds a bit strong. Actually they are spaced pretty far apart and seem to be along or near the old dew point front that stalled in that general area.

Just before 3 pm, the storms extended from Clay County west and SW to parts of Chilton and Perry County and down to Monroe County. Actually only about 6 or 8 storms involved.

Moving very little. A few areas getting heavy rain.

Only a couple of them but they were developing right in the center of Alabama. One was over Chilton County and the other over South Bibb County. Starting off very small.

Moving very little. The upper air soundings today favor a slow SSW movement but when winds aloft are this light they can sometimes chart their on course.

The “dew point front” that pushed into Central and South Alabama will lose its identity. However, for this afternoon and evening, the better chance of a shower or storm will be down south. Even there, only isolated to widely separated. Few, if any over the north.

Already 94 degrees in Montgomery at 1 o’clock.

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

RIGHT NOW: Fort Payne is reporting 62 degrees with a dewpoint of 59… not bad for a summer morning in Alabama!

STILL HOT THIS AFTERNOON: The air over the northern half of Alabama is still relatively dry this morning, so we believe any showers that form later today during the heat of the afternoon will be pretty isolated; the chance of any one spot getting wet is only about one in eight. Otherwise, expect a good supply of hazy sunshine today with a high in the low to mid 90s. Not much change tomorrow and Saturday, although moisture levels will be increasing a bit. We will maintain a risk of widely scattered, mostly afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY: These two days seem to offer the best chance of scattered showers and storms for our state, in terms of coverage, as a surface boundary approaches from the north, and an upper trough forms over the eastern third of the nation. And, this upper trough will pinch off the heat ridge and force it well to the west, so temperatures should come downward. Remember, this is summer, so the storms will stay scattered, and temperatures will only drop a few degrees, but we do need rain around here so we will take what we get.

NEXT WEEK: Drier and slightly cooler air slips in here Monday night, meaning lower humidity and cooler nights for the middle part of next week. Highs around 90, with lows in the 60s, and mostly likely most places will be dry Tuesday and Wednesday.

TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin for now, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the end of the week.

AIR QUALITY: A code orange ozone alert is in effect today for the Birmingham metro area (Jefferson and Shelby Counties) due to the potential for elevated levels of ground level ozone.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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.

Dave Baird and I are going down to Tuscaloosa this morning for the funeral of our old radio boss, Bert Bank. We expect to see many old radio friends. We were the guys playing the hits in the 70s… vinyl records; everything from the Carpenters to Led Zepplin. I am was glad I caught the tail end of the top 40 radio era; those days were magic. I will shoot a little video with some of these people and put something together for the blog that should be here tonight. And, I am hoping to be back in time to crank out the next Weather Xtreme video by 3:30. Enjoy the day!

Two quick items:

CODE ORANGE OZONE ALERT
It is for tomorrow for the Birmingham Metro Area (Jefferson and Shelby County.)

STRONG STORMS DOWN SOUTH
NWS/Mobile continues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for for South Central Baldwin County until 3:45. The storm of concern was near Robertsdale, or 24 miles SE of Downtown Mobile and moving SW at 10. May have penny size hail and gusts over 60.

Other strong storms were over South Central Alabama. They were also moving toward the SW

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

NOT AS HOT: At 2:00… Birmingham was reporting 90 degrees with a dewpoint of 68, and a heat index of 94. Not exactly a cool snap, but certainly not as hot as recent days. Slightly cooler and drier air moved into North Alabama late yesterday, and that is also responsible for most of the showers and storms forming over South Alabama today.

Dothan is also getting a welcomed break from the intense heat; yesterday they had a high of 105; today at 2:00 the temperature there was 94.

THE DAYS AHEAD: The dry line/surface front over South Alabama will lost it’s identity tonight, and moist air will cover much of the state for the rest of the week and the weekend, and we will roll with your standard summer forecast. Partly sunny, hot days with some risk of widely scattered showers and storms each afternoon. Highs mostly in the low 90s. We will also watch for any areas of organized storms that fire over Kentucky and Tennessee, since they would move south in our general direction.

NEXT WEEK: The 12Z GFS shows a noticeable displacement of the heat ridge to the west, with a vigorous upper low over Wisconsin early next week. Heights are noticeably lower over Alabama, and if this solution is correct, it would mean highs only in the mid to upper 80s with a decent chance of scattered showers and storms each day next week. Certainly not as hot and dry as the last seven days. We will see if this solution holds.

VOODOO LAND: Still no sign of any tropical issues in the Atlantic basin through mid-July, and the GFS is hinting the most intense heat in the nation by the second week of July will be over the Southwest U.S.

BAD AIR: A code orange air quality alert is in effect again tomorrow for the Birmingham metro area (Jefferson and Shelby Counties) due to the possibility of high ground level ozone levels.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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!

Thanks to Leon Sims for these images… he writes:

I couldn’t remember the address to sent photos, please post on the blog. We were at the lake yesterday at sunrise and my wife snapped these photos. What a morning! Thanks for all you do.”

Thanks to Russell Poe for this image… he writes:

“Been saving this for one of those dull periods in the summer (like now) when
every day’s forecast is “Hot and humid with scattered thunderstorms, highs
in the 90’s…” ad nauseum.

I took this picture just off I65 across from the Hallmark place near
Warrior. This was at least 3 years ago and at the time there was a tornado
warning in effect for the area, but it never did touch the ground as it
moved across I65 toward east Birmingham. I have several more pictures of
this storm, several of which were zoomed in and much more dramatic than this
one – unfortunately, they are currently captive inside a crashed laptop I
have yet to get repaired. However, as Mr. JB says, “Life goes on…”.

Thought I would send it for all the storm chasers who cruise the blog -
create some interest for the next tornado season during these dull days of
summer!

Russell Poe
Hayden, Alabama”

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

NOT MUCH RAIN TODAY: Dewpoints have dropped back into the low to mid 60s over Northeast Alabama this morning; we note a dewpoint of only 63 at Gadsden at 5:00. That means the air is drier, and the chance of showers and storms for any one given spot will be very small over North Alabama this afternoon. Also, humidity values will be lower, hopefully making the afternoon heat a little more tolerable. The high today should be in the low to mid 90s, with the hottest values south of Montgomery. Amazing to see those numbers down there yesterday; Mobile 101, and Dothan 105. The Jack Edwards Airport at Gulf Shores soared to 101; that airport is just north of the intracoastal waterway… and even our SKYCAM at the Phoenix All-Suites right on the beach reported a high of 93.

COMING DAYS: The core of the heat ridge will remain west of Alabama, so each day there will be some risk of widely scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly during the afternoon and evening hours. Pretty much the usual summer weather routine here through the weekend, with highs mostly in the low 90s. Again, with a northerly flow aloft, the door remains open for more organized thunderstorms areas over Kentucky and Tennessee to drop down here; we will be watching the radar for that potential. And, those things can come at any hour of the day or might.

NEXT WEEK: Interesting to see the GFS MOS dropping highs into the upper 80s and lows down into the 60s here next week with a decent trough passing just to the north; we will wait and see before we get too excited about that for now.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

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 3:30 this afternoon!

Been working on a whole new theme for my blog over the last several weeks. After all the hoopla with my last web host, the lost of files, and all the security issues I had to deal with, it’s nice to have something organized once again.

This site and domain has other plans in the future and will host more of a videography topic, possibly non-weather related. So, for now, please check out the new blog at: Weatherzine.net

If you have a link to my blog, you may update it with the above address, and with visiting the new site for my daily updates. I appreciate all the support for Stormvideographer over the last 3 years. The site outgrew it’s host and old format, and now it’s time for something fresh and new. Come on over!

Jeff Gammons -

October Caribbean Hurricane Omar Alive

Omar wasted no time overnight becoming a mid October Caribbean Hurricane. Hurricane Omar had a steady intensification period the last 24 hours from a weak storm to a well developed hurricane in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Hurricane Warnings now issued for British Virgin Islands and Tropical Storm warnings and Hurricane watches for Puerto Rico and surrounding waters. The first affects of Omar should begin later today and overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

Hurricane Chasing Omar In The Islands 2008

I’m aware that at least one Florida Hurricane Chaser is en-route for Hurricane Omar, looking for that deep tropics hurricane intercept. Once I learn more on this intercept, I’ll pass any news along here. I’m sure there’s nothing like chasing and intercepting a hurricane deep into the Caribbean. I always know when I’m chasing Florida hurricanes compared to say northern Gulf coast, and /or Carolina hurricanes, there’s a huge difference in the inner core and structure of the hurricane. Florida storms, which are further south, always seem warmer to me in the eyewall compared to storms further north. They have that deep tropical smell and environment to them.

Tropical Storm Nana Gone, Tropical Depression 16 / Paloma

October became a pretty active after several weeks of nil in the tropics. Tropical Storm Nana has dissipated, but Tropical Depression 16 also joined the part yesterday in the western Caribbean. TD16 expected to become the next named storm (Paloma) and hug the Honduras northern coastline as a tropical storm. Only looking to be a central American threat as high pressure builds in over the western Atlantic.

Caribbean hurricanes in October can become major threats to Florida with approaching cold fronts drawing hurricanes northward into Florida. Major Hurricane Wilma in 2005 was one of these storms, along with Hurricane Irene in 1999 as well. Not the case this time around, as ridging is protecting Florida as the latest trough pulls out to the north.

There are still several weeks left in the season, so no time to let your guard down. These October hurricanes can sneak up real fast. More to come of Hurricane Omar.

What A Pain, But The Move Is Almost Done!

My painful move over to a new web host is just about completed. The domain and files are all moved over now, and I just need to import all the 600+ archived posts of this blog. While I’m currently trying to get the Stormvideographer Blog back in order and online, including allowing comments again on each post, I’m also nearing completion of a new website for launch soon.

The new site will not affect this blog and StormVideographer.com will remain more of my personal blog and site. I’ll have more information of this new weather site soon, but for now I desperately need to get this site back in tuned with the web world. I’m clearing out a tone of clutter on the site, and will remain with this template theme for the time being until I complete my other projects. Most of the archived posts should be back online within the next week as I filter over all the older content.

Several Florida wildfires continued on Thursday and this morning, but it’s nothing like earlier in the week. Central Florida residents continue to clean up after Mondays firestorm that raged through parts of southern Brevard County and Palm Bay. I have been sifting through several hours of fire video from Tuesdays in the Palm Bay area, and I hope to have some of these segments online by the weekend. Outside of the Melbourne FL, regional fires, there are still two very active wildfires in Southern Florida that are still producing significant smoke issues.

A large brush fire on the southwest edge of Lake Okeechobee, has been running wild fore days and also producing smoke issues from West Palm Beach, to Ft Myers and Sarasota. This wildfire is contained within the dry lake bottom and levee system around Lake Okeechobee, so at this time no threat to structures or people. The other South Florida fire in located in far southern Miami-Dade County in the Everglades. This is also no threat to anyone but wildlife, though, it is producing some smoke problems for southern Florida drivers in the mornings.

For a second day in a row, large wildfires threatened Central Florida homes along the I-95 corridor. Residents watched the fire closely as they cleaned up homes burned to the ground by the firestorm on Monday, but winds turned the fire back into the hard hit area’s on Tuesday, making it another nerve racking afternoon for local residents. I-95 was also closed for the second day this week as the wildfire jumped the interstate once again with large flames and thick black smoke. Fire crews worked hard on Tuesday to keep the fire out of several large farms and roadways, but the fire seemed to jump without any problems in the gusty winds.

You can see even more pictures on StormVideographer.com, until we can get the video up here.

Breaking wildfire news coming out of central Florida locations this evening. Several large wildfires have closed I-95, and are threatening homes and business’s at this time. Some homes have already been overtaken by flames, as very strong winds, dry ground conditions, and low humidity’s help fuel the fires into more populated regions of Brevard County. Hundreds are being asked to evacuate, and many roads are closed due to heavy smoke. Some residents refusing to leaving and staying to fight with garden hoses, to protect their homes and property. A very dangerous situation setting up in Central Florida tonight.

The second half of April through mid May now, have been extremely dry in Florida. Record high temperatures over the weekend, brought readings into the lower and mid 90’s under gusty dry hot winds. Although a weak cold front is moving through the state tonight, it will actually only help to fuel the wildfire even more with very low humidity levels, and gusty northerly winds on Tuesday. Most of the active fires in and around Palm Bay, Melbourne, Daytona Beach and Malabar, are expected to continue overnight and into Tuesday.

WeatherPress is en-route to Brevard County Florida to cover the wildfires in more detail, so be sure to check back here for the latest videos and pictures.

If you were luckily enough to get some of Thursdays thunderstorms, it was a great sight to see and smell. Several strong storms developed late Thursday afternoon in and around much of he Lake Okeechobee region. There was a decent amount of rainfall that even fell into the lake, helping with it’s current trend of lower water levels since April’s spike in rains. Not only did these storms bring welcomed rainfall, but some storm cells also brought very strong winds, producing some wild tropical storm like weather scenes.

Interior South Florida Storms Packing Some Punch

Area’s in Western Palm Beach County, Martin, St Lucie and Okeechobee counties as well, experienced some strong thunderstorm winds, rain and some localized street flooding. One particular storm cell over northeast Lake Okeechobee, produced some impressive storm skies as seen in the above picture. This storm was also responsible for some tree’s being uprooted and blowing sands.

All the heavy rains and cool outflow winds, helped to take afternoon hot temperatures from the lower 90’s down to the upper 70’s and lower 80s. All in all, and great sight to see and very welcome spring precipitation that many in Florida have not seen in several weeks.