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

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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. 90+ STREAK UPDATE: Looks like Tuscaloosa has probably ended their streak of 90 degree plus days; the high reported so far has been 89, and [...] - [Read more]

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.

As the 2008 hurricane season fast approaches, and with all the news headlines of the extremely deadly Cyclone Nargis, in Yangon, Myanmar’s, it’s hard to ignore it’s time to begin preparing. The death toll from the Cyclone has now reach close to 100,000 people and thousands still missing. Most of the deaths are due to the 12-15 foot deadly storm surges that flooded over a extremely large area of Yangon, Myanmar’s. This is why it’s stressed each season here in the United States about, if your asked to evacuate due to living close to the water and expected landfall, you should do so as requested.

Hurricane Storm Surge Can Kill

Whether it be a Cyclone in the Indian Ocean, or a Typhoon in the Northwest Pacific or a Hurricane here in the Atlantic basin, they all can produce significant and deadly storm surge flood waters. In 2005, myself along with some of my fellow Hurricane Chasers watched as Hurricane Katrina’s 25-30 foot storm surge came blasting into the coast of Mississippi. It was a very sobering sight to not only witness, but survive to tell about.

The surge waters in Katrina came in like a large wall of water, smashing into coastal builds, Casino’s and boat yards. The water was filled with automobiles, boats, homes, and everything you can think of was likely floating in the surge waters. I can’t imagine all the people trying to survive the storm surge waters of the violent Cyclone Nargis. This is why it’s very important to listen to officials during threatening hurricanes.

Play It Smart, Stay In Formed and Evacuate If Need Be

There’s no leaving once the storm surge waters reach your location, so your best bet is to leave the coast well before the storm, so you don’t end up trying to climb to the roof of your structure to survive. With all the weather technology we have in the world today, especially here in the United States, there should be no reason for you to not know what’s going on with a storm, and putting yourself in a dangerous situation.

The greater Miami-Dade and Ft Lauderdale metro area’s experienced smoke on and off much of the day on Tuesday. Prescribed ground brush burns, and some smaller brush fires smoke on the southwest region of Lake Okeechobee, spewed smoke southeastward into the metro areas of southeast Florida today. Some parts of western Palm Beach County had dense smoke at sunrise from a very still air mass, and downtown Miami was hazy much of the morning. The smoke conditions are expected to continue through much of the week, along with very warm temperatures.

Poor Air Quality And Road Closures Due To Smoke

The air quality will also be an issue through the week, as high pressure (sinking air) holds in not only the warn temps, but all the smoke out there. There should be some type of limit on how much prescribe burning can take place in a given region, especially when there is little wind circulations to mix out the smoke. Yesterdays smoke was dense, and breathing was not easy when traveling in a automobile and outside.

This morning, there is less smoke over southern Florida, but in parts of central east Florida, I-95 was closed for several hours during the early morning due to very dense fog and smoke. Highway Patrol feared a major pileup with the severe road conditions in St Lucie County. This could be the case again on Thursday morning as similar weather is expected.

Hot, Smokey and stuffy, that sums up the weather the last 24 hours over much of central and southern Florida. Strong high pressure ridging is holding a tight cap on the atmosphere, not allowing much hot air to rise and filter out some of this wildfire smoke from the last few days. On Monday, the stretch along SR 80 in western Palm Beach County, was smoke filled, making the sky brown, with a orange sun during late afternoon as seen in this picture. It defiantly was not the best Florida day to be outside under the sun.

Current Weather Pattern To Hold Steady This Week

Temperatures neared the lower 90s, and with very light sea breeze circulations, it became very hot and thick out there. The smoke that filtered in during the second half of the afternoon didn’t help the situation, and made the morning blue skies hazy by 2pm. Unfortunately this blocking weather pattern is expected to persist into the weekend with little if any rain chances, and more fire weather concerns than thunderstorms.

It should also remain very warm for the remainder of the week, and really, the cool spring time months are just about over here in Florida. Cold fronts can barely reach into the Panhandle region of the state now, so before you know it, we’ll be dealing with lower to mid 90Fs, high dew point and high humidity levels.

The blog is back up and running after an extended outage with our server.

overall, the activity has gone downhill in the past hour, but there is still some active weather.

The main weather is now over Cullman and Blount Counties. I think we will see an intensification of storms around Oneonta over the next 30 minutes as storms near Springville interact with the storms coming down from near Cleveland.

But storms over Bibb county, were translating into Shelby County where boundary intersections were occurring near Calera.

Strong storms are over northeastern Jefferson County early this evening, from Tarrant to Chalkville and Trussville then on to Moody and Leeds.

JB reports continuous lightning, power out, rain just beginning in northeastern Trussville.

Tops are over 50,000 feet on this cell. Some cell mergers and outflow boundary enhancement was going on in this area.

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
519 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
CENTRAL PICKENS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 519 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR REFORM…AND MOVING EAST AT 5
MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
REFORM…GORDO…OWENS…NORTH PICKENS AIRPORT AND LUBBUB.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION…MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER…
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

* A nice downpour over Western St. Clair County. The ABC 33/40 Skywatcher, Brenda Varner, reports pouring rain with 0.67 already measured at Springville..

* Those storms are spreading out over other parts of North St. Clair.

* A thunderstorm also developing along I-20 just east of downtown Birmingham and still another one near Gardendale NE toward Pinson.

* Very heavy rain over South Lamar County in West Alabama and an Area Flood Advisory has been issued. More heavy rain is approaching that area from just over the border in Mississippi.

* The National Weather Service in Birmingham has now issued a Significant Weather Advisory for Northern St. Clair County until 5:45 p.m. The strong thunderstorm was near Odenville and moving east at 5 mph. Wind gusts of 40 are expected along with heavy rain and frequent dangerous lightning. Locations near the path of this storm also include Ashville, Ragland, Caldwell and Wattsville. Torrential rain may flood some low-lying areas such as ditches and underpasses.

* The National Weather Service in Huntsville cancelled the Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of DeKalb and Marshall Counties.

* Over SW Alabama, a thunderstorm was growing stronger over South Choctaw County south of Butler.

* There is no distinct movement to these storms: some are moving NE, others east and others showing little movement.

There is also a Significant Weather Advisory for North Pickens and South Lamar County, In West Alabama until 4:45.

Here is the warning…

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
425 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
NORTHERN DEKALB COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA…
SOUTH CENTRAL JACKSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA…
NORTHEASTERN MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 420 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LANGSTON…OR ABOUT 13
MILES NORTHEAST OF GUNTERSVILLE…AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
CHIGGER HILL…SECTION…
LAKEVIEW…
FYFFE…POWELL…
SHILOH…GUEST…
RAINSVILLE…PEEKS CORNER…
SYLVANIA…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL TENNESSEE.

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM COLIN ADVISORY NUMBER 7
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042010
500 PM AST THU AUG 05 2010

…REMNANTS OF COLIN REGENERATE AND BECOME A TROPICAL STORM ONCE
AGAIN….

SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST…2100 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…24.9N 66.3W
ABOUT 520 MI…835 KM S OF BERMUDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…45 MPH…75 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 325 DEGREES AT 20 MPH…32 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1009 MB…29.80 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY…

THE GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR
BERMUDA.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT…

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* BERMUDA

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 500 PM AST…2100 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM COLIN WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.9 NORTH…LONGITUDE 66.3 WEST. COLIN IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 20 MPH…32 KM/HR. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH AND A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED ARE EXPECTED
DURING THE NEXT 48 HR.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH…75 KM/HR…WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND
FRIDAY…WITH SLOW STRENGTHENING FORECAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES…165 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1009 MB…29.80 INCHES.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WINDS…TROPICAL STORM-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER
BERMUDA WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HOURS.

NEXT ADVISORY
————-
NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY…800 PM AST.
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY…1100 PM AST.

A SAMPLE OF MID-AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES

85 Huntsville, a thunderstorm in the vicinity
82 Decatur
97 Gadsden
97 Tuscaloosa, heat index 107
97 Birmingham, heat index 105
93 Anniston, heat index 101
93 Gulf Shores, heat index 110
99 Columbus, Miss., heat index 111
104 Olive Branch, Miss., heat index 124

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
306 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…
WEST CENTRAL MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 345 PM CDT

* AT 305 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TANNER…OR ABOUT NEAR
ATHENS…AND MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
BELLE MINA…
FRENCH MILL…
CAPSHAW…MADISON…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH…PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS…DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER…
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
217 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
NORTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA…
WESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 215 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MT HOPE…OR ABOUT 12 MILES
EAST OF RUSSELLVILLE…AND MOVING EAST AT 5 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
MT HOPE…
LANDERSVILLE…HATTON…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH…PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS…DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER…
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
151 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

ALZ011-051930-
MARION AL-
151 PM CDT THU AUG 5 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN MARION COUNTY UNTIL 230
PM CDT…

AT 149 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR HACKLEBURG…OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAMILTON…
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM…ALONG WITH
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE…
BRINN…
LAKE BUTTAHATCHEE…
TESSNER…
BEAR CREEK…
PEARCES MILL…

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA…TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

Thanks to ABC 33/40 Skywatcher Brandon Harris for these images taken near Jacksonville tonight… he writes:

“Hey James…

Here’s 3 shots from tonight. Wish we had gotten more rain out of these storms.

Thanks!”

Colin is alive and well again as a tropical storm… it will be close to Bermuda, but is no threat to the U.S. mainland… WTNT34 KNHC 060259 TCPAT4 BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM COLIN ADVISORY NUMBER 9 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042010 1100 PM AST THU AUG 05 2010 …COLIN CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD BERMUDA… [...] - [Read more]

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. With the combination of an upper trough and a weak surface front/boundary, it appears likely that shower and thunderstorm coverage will increase some today and Saturday. [...] - [Read more]

A weak frontal system lies near the Alabama/Tennessee border late this morning.  A weak surface low is near Memphis.  Skies are partly cloudy across Central Alabama.

The mercury is rising through the middle 80s.  The temperature at Birmingham was running 2 degrees behind same time yesterday.

Scattered showers and storms are expected to begin forming soon over North and Central Alabama.  They should be fairly plentiful this afternoon.

A few of the storms will be on the strong side.

Highs will top out in the lower to middle 90s.

The NWS has issued a Significant Weather Advisory for SE Jefferson and NE Shelby Counties until 4:15. A strong thunderstorm was near Bluff Park or Homewood moving east very, very slowly. Wind gusts up to 40 mph are expected along with very heavy rain and frequent lightning. Locations near the path of this storm include Birmingham, Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Lake Purdy, Meadowbrook and Highland Lakes.

QUICK RADAR UPDATE
Radar shows thunderstorms increasing in number across SW Jefferson County as well as SW Shelby and Central Shelby County. Movement is toward the ESE. A larger radar view shows that some of the stronger and more numerous storms were over NE Alabama especially in Cherokee County where a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect.

A DAMAGE REPORT
At 2:10 this afternoon, the Marshall County EMA reported several trees snapped off along Swearengin Road. A pontoon boat was thrown into a mobile home. This was about 3 miles WSW of Grant in Marshall County.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
323 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

ALZ018-019-062115-
CALHOUN AL-ETOWAH AL-
323 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN ETOWAH AND NORTHEASTERN
CALHOUN COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM CDT…

AT 323 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR HOKES BLUFF…MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM…ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE…
PIEDMONT…
REAVES…

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA…TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAIN…WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES…IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

Thunderstorms are firing mainly across the northeastern quarter of Alabama at this hour.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect now for Marshall and Jackson counties in NE Alabama.

Storms are starting to fir from Lawrence down to Cullman County, and over western Jefferson County.

Storms will become fairly numerous this afternoon across Central Alabama. Some of them will be on the strong side.

90 DEGREE STREAK IN JEOPARDY
When the thermometer reached 90F just before 11 a.m. this morning, it marked the 33rd consecutive day of 90 degrees or hotter at the Birmingham Airport. Our record streak of consecutive 90 degrees days (37) set in 2007 is seriously in jeopardy. With temperatures forecast to be in the 90s for the foreseeable future and today probably one of the coolest of those days, get ready to rewrite the record book.

The radar for North/Central and Central Alabama looks like chicken pox late this afternoon. There are so many storms in all different sizes. The only thing they have in common is that the storms are all moving toward the SE. Here is a list of some of the more prominent storrms:

…..St. Clair County just east of the Jefferson County line.Thunder can be heard in Trussville. That same storm complex extends over into extreme North Talladega County and along the Calhoun County line.

…..Along the Tuscaloosa/Jeferson/Bibb/Shelby County intersectino. This storm was dropping very heavy rain, but it has weakened some.

…..Winston/Walker County Line. More very heavy rain with this one. It is moving SE in the general direction of Sipsey and Jasper.

…..Coosa/Tallapoosa line. Pouring rain in that area and some of that downpour will affect NE Elmore County. There will be lots of heavy rain between Wetumpka and Dadeville.

…..East/Central and NE Alabama. Numerous showers and thunderstorms in those counties moving toward the SE.

…..The NWS has Significant Weather Alerts for a number of locations.

…..Lightning detection equipment shows that the most intense lightning and the most frequent is over North/Central Alabama from Coosa County northward to about Cullman and Etowah Counties. Don’t forget: lightning is frightening. There was 13-year-old girl killed by lightning yesterday while she worked in her garden. I do not know the location or even if it was in Alabama.

This is a general overview and, naturally, we could not mention every single storm.

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
422 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
NORTH CENTRAL CULLMAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…
SOUTH CENTRAL MORGAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 422 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOODING DUE TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LACON…
COLE SPRINGS…BALDWIN…SOUTH VINEMONT…FALKVILLE…FAIRVIEW AND
EVA.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR
OCCURRING. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY. RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

The ABC 33/40 Weather Watcher for Bessemer, Jeff Drake, reports 1.35 inches of rain in only an hour and 15 minutes from a thunderstorm, or maybe a combo of storms, which formed and built right over him and stayed over the Bessemer area over an hour before finally drifting off to the SE. Because of that downpour, the temperature plunged from 92 to 75.

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORIES
* Talladega and Shelby Counties until 5:30
* Calhoun County until 5:00 p.m.
* Southern St. Clair County until 5:15
* South Chambers County until 5:00 p.m.

Thunderstorms were finally going downhill across Alabama early tonight. But there are still several biggies:

…..South Tuscaloosa County south of the City of Tuscaloosa.
…..A line of intense storms from north of Troy east to Columbus, Ga.

Still loads of lightning. Updated rain amounts include 0.89 in Concord/Hueytown and 0.94 at Pleasant Grove

SELECTED HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY
91 Shelby County Airport
95 Anniston, Evergreen
93 Auburn
96 Birmingham, Montgomery
93 Dothan, Decatur
97 Huntsville
95 Mobile

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
727 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

ALZ023-070115-
TUSCALOOSA AL-
727 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY
UNTIL 815 PM CDT…

AT 727 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BRYANT
DENNY STADIUM TO LOW GAP…AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS…ALONG WITH
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE AND MAY
PRODUCE SOME MINOR FLOODING NEAR DUNCANVILLE TO NEAR ENGLEWOOD.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE…
FOSTERS BOAT LANDING…
ENGLEWOOD…
HAGLER…
FOSTERS…
RALPH…

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA…TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAIN…WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES…IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

UPDATED AT 7:15 PM FOR LATER REPORTS

* EMA reports power lines down one mile SW of Montevallo on White Street.

* Some very heavy rain around the area this afternoon. A few early reports:

1.38 McCalla (thanks to Lawrence Weedov)
1.35 Bessemer
1.00 Odenville
2.39 Shelby County Airport (NWS Office)
0.85 Pleasant Grove
0.78 Concord/Hueytown (still raining)

* John Talbot, 33/40 Skywatcher for Concord/Hueytown reports this thunderstorm was the worst that he has seen in a long time. He also reports that he is getting numerous reports of power out in Hueytown.

* The 33/40 Skywatcher for Odenville had similar remarks about the intensity of the lightning a little earlier.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
641 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

ALZ024-070030-
JEFFERSON AL-
641 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL
730 PM CDT…

AT 641 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR SYLVAN SPRINGS…OR NEAR HUEYTOWN…MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM…ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE…
FAIRFIELD…
BESSEMER…
HOMEWOOD…
VESTAVIA HILLS…
HOOVER…

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA…TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAIN…WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES…IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
639 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

ALZ023-034-070030-
BIBB AL-TUSCALOOSA AL-
639 PM CDT FRI AUG 6 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN TUSCALOOSA AND WESTERN
BIBB COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT…

AT 639 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF LOW GAP…OR 13 MILES SOUTH OF
HOLT…MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM…ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE…
LOW GAP…
EOLINE…
HAGLER…
PEARSON…
HARMON…

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA…TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAIN…WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES…IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

This evening’s storms put down some very impressive rainfall totals and some incredible lightning around Central Alabama. We are just left with a few isolated showers from Pickens, Greene, and Hale Counties into Bibb, Perry, and Chilton. A few sprinkles are still ongoing in Cherokee, Etowah, and Cleburne Counties.

Here are some of the rainfall totals collected today:

Springville – 0.08″
Bessemer – 2.15″
Weaver (Michelle Miklik) – 0.13″
Weaver (Mike Calloway) – 0.22″
Hueytown- 0.89″
Pleasant Grove – 0.94″
Near Collinsville – 0.05″
Coker – 0.20″
Shelby County Airport – 2.83″
Coaling – 0.92″
Taylorville – 3.20″
Helena – 2.12″
Broomtown – 0.43″
Moundville – 0.05″
Fayette – 0.31″
Muscadine – 0.22″
Cottondale – 0.82″
Argo – 0.13″
Odenville – 1.00″

We expect fewer storms and a rebound to much hotter weather again this weekend and into next week, but there is hope ahead! Tropical moisture could help knock temperatures down a little (to near normal), and it could also bring several days of numerous thunderstorms to Alabama starting Wednesday evening lasting through Friday or Saturday.

James is back on the night shift and the normal internet shift starting Monday. Have a great weekend!

-Jason
Follow me on Twitter: @simpson3340

At 8 o’clock tonight, the NWS issued a Flash Flood Warning for South Tuscaloosa County until 10 pm. It was a very timely warning.

We appreciate this email note from James Cain sent at 9:28 pm. He writes…

“My mom, Rosa Holloman, had 3.20 inches of rain in her rain gauge down south of Hinton Place in Taylorville. Our power just came back on after being out for two hours!”

Those storms, now much weaker, have pushed southward into the south parts of Hale and Perry County.

Sure wish I knew how many lightning strokes we had in Alabama today. I am sure the number would astound us all!

SCROLL DOWN to Jason’s report which included a number of rain reports…

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. Just like one of Arnold Schwarzeneger’s famous lines, “I’ll be back,” the heat will be back after a short respite. I was thinking as I was [...] - [Read more]

After weakening near Haiti and Jamaica, Hurricane Allen was again strengthening on this date in 1980.

A minimum pressure of 899 millibars (26.55 inches) was recorded by a NOAA aircraft at 12:42 p.m. CDT on the 7th when it was off the Yucatan Peninsula.

Only Hurricane Gilbert with the all time low pressure reading of 888 mb in 1988, and the infamous Labor Day hurricane of 1935 with a central pressure of 892 mb, were stronger than Allen’s 899 mb central pressure.

Emergency management officials all along the Gulf Coast were preparing for a possible onslaught from Allen’s destructive winds and forecasters were desperately trying to calculate which way the monster storm would go when it entered the Gulf of Mexico. 250,000 people were being evacuated along the Texas coast. Offshore oil rigs were shuttling workers to safety via helicopters. One of the choppers crashed into the Gulf, killing 13 people.

Allen would lose strength again near the Yucatan Peninsula but regained it over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico before eventually moving into Texas north of Brownsville.

Here is the current top ten;
1 Wilma, 2005, 882
2 Gilbert, 1988, 888
3 “Labor Day”, 1935, 892
4 Rita, 2005, 895
5 Allen, 1980, 899
6 Katrina, 2005, 902
7 Camille, 1969, 905
8t Mitch, 1998, 905 and Dean, 2007
10t “Cuba”, 1924, 910 and Ivan, 2004

A few showers and storms have formed over West Alabama this afternoon.

The heaviest is near Eldridge on the Fayette/Walker County line. Another was near Brookwood in eastern Tuscaloosa County. This one is going to move toward Coaling and Vance.

Another growing showers was near Kennedy in southern Lamar County. It is going to move toward southern Fayette County.

Additional showers and storms will continue to form from areas over West Alabama as well as South Central Alabama this afternoon. Temperatures are around 93-95F.

CHECKING ON COLIN: Tropical Storm Colin has held on by a thread today, despite wind shear. The storm remained stationary much of the day, before resuming a northward motion this evening. Tropical storm force winds will reach the island early Sunday morning. Colin is expected to gain slightly in intensity as it moves north and then northeast, but shouldn’t exceed a maximum strength of 50 mph. It will pass south of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland over the next two and one half days.

ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS: The disturbance 1,500 miles east northeast of the Lesser Antilles continues to look good on satellite pictures and will likely become a tropical depression soon. It has achieved a fairly high latitude now, and recurvature into the open Atlantic looks likely.

The disturbance in the western Caribbean moved onto the Yucatan earlier today. It will emerge into the southwestern Gulf, but significant development looks unlikely.

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. As expected, most of the showers were confined to South Alabama yesterday. Today I expect to see a nearly perfect photocopy of yesterday as showers will [...] - [Read more]

Thunderstorms are starting to form across North and Central Alabama this afternoon, thanks to a very warm and moist atmosphere and a weak eastern wedge over the eastern part of the state.

Some of the most formidable storms early on are over St. Clair County just east of Birmingham.

Storms that do form this afternoon will feature torrential rains and lots of lightning.  There will also be a chance of strong gusty winds.  Be alert as storms form or move into your area and go inside until they pass.

It was up to 95F at the Birmingham Airport. The mercury at Tuscaloosa had fallen back to 88F, thanks to nearby showers.

Even with the extended hot spell, we have been seemingly luckily that there have been few air quality alerts. I don’t know if mitigation efforts are working, or if we have had less in the way of stagnant conditions, but there seem to have been fewer.

But there is an air quality alert for Monday for Jefferson and Shelby Counties. There is also one for the Huntsville/Decatur area.

A few tips from the Alabama Partners for Clean Air:

• Carpool or take the bus
• Combine errands into one trip – Postpone unnecessary travel
• Limit idling-avoid drive thru’s
• Mow the lawn another day
• Don’t burn leaves or trash
• Don’t fill your gas tank until after 6 p.m.

Thanks to George Ponder for these images… he writes:

“James…

I took these last night about 10:30pm when a thunderstorm came across the mouth of Mobile Bay and ran just off shore from Ft. Morgan. A lot of the strikes were rain wrapped and oddly put off a blueish purple hue.”

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: Most places will see a high in the 95 to 99 degree range today; it will be the 36th consecutive day with a high [...] - [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. THIS AFTERNOON: Most Alabama communities are in the mid 90s at mid-afternoon… 3:00 observations include 96 at Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, 95 at Anniston, and 88 [...] - [Read more]

It is interesting how so far in 2010, we have had a historically long cold snap, but the lowest temperature was only 12 degrees, and now we have had a long heat wave, but the highest temperature has been 101.  Not that 12 is not cold and 101 is not hot, but most severe cold waves see nights below 10, and most heat waves see highs of 103 or 104, at least.  For more on the January cold wave, see Cold wave.

Taking a look at this summer’s heat wave so far statisically, a caveat is necessary. Taking a look at 60-day moving averages, this summer doesn’t even make the top 5 hottest in average daytime high temperature, but it is number 1 in warmest average morning low (74.4 degrees).  Also note that 3 of the top 5 warmest morning low periods have occurred since 2005.  That is likely, in part, due to the urban heat island around the airport at night (it is sometimes 5 degrees warmer at the airport than in Pinson, Sylvan Springs, or McCalla).  So, the overall average temperature gets artificially inflated slightly.  However, the daytime temperatures are affected little by the urban effect, since mixing occurs. 

Just like with the cold wave in January, it has not been the extremity of the heat, but the duration.  Including today, we have already had 32 days with high temperatures at or above 95, putting us in 15th place in 110 years.  We only need 7 more days above 95 to make it into the top 10 in that category.  We have had 6 days with highs above 100 degrees.  However, as you can tell from the chart at the top of this post, most days have had above normal temperatures.  65 of the 69 days so far this summer (since June 1) have been hotter than normal!  The last time the low was in the 60s was July 5, and the last time the high was in the 80s was July 4.  Over the past 30 days, it’s been at least 95 on 25 days.

Also, we’ve had a lot of hot days, but the temperatures have generally stayed below 100, due to the soil moisture.  This has made it feel a lot hotter, and has kept nighttime temperatures higher.

Overall, our average temperature this summer is 83.7.  If that continues, this will be the warmest summer ever in BHM.  We’ll see.

In the heat and humidity that is covering Alabama like a wet blanket, scattered thunderstorms were developing over extreme north and NW this afternoon. The strongest storms were over NW Alabama over Colbert and Franklin Counties. Plenty of lightning with these and also heavy rain.

Because the storms are moving SE at a mere 5 mph, they have time to dump heavy rain on the communities in their path.

NWS/Huntsville posted a Significant Weather Advisory for those two counties. That is short of a severe thunderstorm warning.

Other storms were located near Decatur and north of Ft. Payne.

A SAMPLING OF 2:00 P.M. TEMPERATURES
…..97 Gadsden with a heat index of 103.
…..95 Huntsville, heat index 102.
…..95 Tuscaloosa, heat index 101
…..95 Birmingham, heat index 99
…..98 Maxwell Air Force Base (Montgomery), heat index 106.

The weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report issued each Monday afternoon by the U.S Department of Agriculture, Alabama Field Office, Montgomery had this analysis of the current top soil moisture:

TOP SOIL MOISTURE
…..21% of the state reported very short moisture
…..52% was rated as short
…..27% was adequate
…..0% of the state had surplus

The scattered showers and thunderstorms across the state last week provided little relief from the increased dryness. The last U.S. Drought Monitor on August 5 listed Alabama as being 64 percent abnormally dry, 22.5 percent moderately dry leaving 35.8 percent of the state with no drought.

LIVESTOCK
Only 6% was in poor condition, none very poor, 86% was fair to good and 8% in excellent condition.

PASTURE AND RANGE LAND
5% very poor condition
27% poor condition
37% fair condition
27% good condition
4% excellent condition

Listen/watch live as we produce WeatherBrains 237. This is our weekly Internet show all about weather!

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. WATCHING THE GULF: Not much weather change for Alabama in the short term; hot humid weather continues today and tomorrow with highs in the mid [...] - [Read more]

WeatherBrains Episode 237 is now online (August 9, 2010). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you! Back on February 14th, Micah Maziar dropped us a line and in it he said: One of my coworkers at Toledo Air Traffic Control Tower in Northwest Ohio is an absolute weather [...] - [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. THIS AFTERNOON: Another day of heat and humidity across our state. Observations at 3:00 include 94 at Anniston, 97 in Birmingham and Gadsden, and 99 [...] - [Read more]

Thanks to ABC 33/40 Skywatcher Kristie Calvin for these images… she writes:

“Hi James:

I hope you have had a wonderful summer and are staying cool! Here in the Interior of Alaska we have had a rather cool, wet summer. On rainy days, highs have been in the 50’s. On dry days, we manage to make it into the 60’s. Our lows have been ranging from the low 40’s to low 50’s.

We did have a rather warm streak last week. We hit the 80’s for three straight days. People here were complaining about the heat and wished for a quick cool down. I was included in the long line of complainers! Houses do not have air conditioners up here. So, it got rather warm, especially in the evenings.

I know fall must seem like it is eons away for you down in the Lower 48. However here in North Pole, we are starting to see the first signs of color. We have a few trees that are starting to turn yellow. Some of the ground color is starting to turn red.

Yesterday, while driving, we found a hillside covered in fireweed. Fireweed is a flowering plant that blooms from the bottom of the plant to the top. Native Alaskans have a saying that goes something like this, “When the fireweed is blooming at the top, it will be six weeks until the first snow.” Well, the fireweed bloomed at the top over two weeks ago and now all the blooms are completely gone! This did not happen last year until the first of September. I have included a picture of fireweed in bloom so you can see the comparison.

Many things are several weeks early this year. Blueberries which are usually not ready to pick until the first of September were ready almost 4 weeks ago. Raspberries were ready 3 weeks early. And, the leaves are starting to turn about 3 weeks early. Also, the low bush and high bush cranberries are almost ready to pick, which is unheard of this time of year. It will be interesting to see what this winter has in store for us!

Of course, the days are getting shorter. We are loosing almost 7 minutes of daylight each day. The sun officially rises at 5:21 a.m. and sets at 10:28 p.m. That is only 17 hours and 7 minutes of daylight, a far cry from the 22 hours we received on June 21st.

I hope you cool off very soon. If I had a way, I would ship some of our cool air to you!

God bless!”

**Tropical Storm Warning now in effect from Intracoastal City, LA to Destin, FL. This includes all of the Alabama Gulf Coast** 000 WTNT35 KNHC 102336 TCPAT5 BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 1 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL052010 730 PM EDT TUE AUG 10 2010 …TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF [...] - [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. STILL HOT TODAY AND TOMORROW: Not much change in the short term; our weather stays hot and muggy with highs in the 95 to 99 [...] - [Read more]

From NASA…

You know it’s a good night when a beautiful alignment of planets is the second best thing that’s going to happen.

Thursday, August 12th, is such a night.

The show begins at sundown when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon pop out of the western twilight in tight conjunction. All four heavenly objects will fit within a circle about 10 degrees in diameter, beaming together through the dusky colors of sunset. No telescope is required to enjoy this naked-eye event…

The planets will hang together in the western sky until 10 pm or so. When they leave, following the sun below the horizon, you should stay, because that is when the Perseid meteor shower begins. From 10 pm until dawn, meteors will flit across the starry sky in a display that’s even more exciting than a planetary get-together.

The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every 133 years the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. When Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus.

Swift-Tuttle’s debris zone is so wide, Earth spends weeks inside it. Indeed, we are in the outskirts now, and sky watchers are already reporting a trickle of late-night Perseids. The trickle could turn into a torrent between August 11th and 13th when Earth passes through the heart of the debris trail.

2010 is a good year for Perseids because the Moon won’t be up during the midnight-to-dawn hours of greatest activity. Lunar glare can wipe out a good meteor shower, but that won’t be the case this time.

As Perseus rises and the night deepens, meteor rates will increase. For sheer numbers, the best time to look is during the darkest hours before dawn on Friday morning, Aug. 13th, when most observers will see dozens of Perseids per hour.

Read the whole article, and get more details here.

NOTE: Based on this advisory, the center should make landfall on the SE Louisiana Coast. By 7 am Saturday, the center should be over Central Mississippi and by 7 am Sunday over NW Alabama. If this holds true, we could see some beneficial rain! ————————————————————————- BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE ADVISORY NUMBER 4 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE [...] - [Read more]

There will be an increasing number of posts on this weather BLOG over the next several days concerning the potential across the Gulf of Mexico and along the coast. At mid-morning, the Tropical Depression was passing close to 200 miles south of Apalachicola, Florida. It was centered over the East/Central Gulf. It is too early to tell if this will become a named tropical storm. If it does, it will be named Danielle. Regardless, there will be some changeable weather all along the Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Warnings have already beeen posted from Destin on the NW Florida coast to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Here are some spot forecasts, excerpts from the NWS official forecasts:

GULF SHORES, ORANGE BEACH, DESTIN
A Tropical Storm Warning through 6:00 p.m. Thursday. East winds should increase with gusts to 30 mph this afternoon and as high as 50 mph by Thursday. Showers and thunderstorms will become numerous after midnight tonight and through much of Friday.

BILOXI, GULFPORT, BAY ST. LOUIS, PASCAGOULA, OCEAN SPRINGS
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for all of the Mississippi coast. Additionally, a Flash Flood Watch is posted for late tonight through Friday evening. Expect a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms today. They will become even more numerous after midnight and east winds will be up to 30 mph. Rain and thunderstorms will continue Thursday with heavy rain at times along with thunderstorms. East winds will increase to 25 to 45 mph Thursday afternoon with winds up to 50 mph expected Friday night. Still a good chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday.

NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA COASTAL AREAS
A Tropical Storm Warning and also a Flash Flood Warning from late tonight through Friday evening. Showers and storms becoming numerous after midnight and continuing Thursday and Friday. Still a good chance of showers and storms Saturday and Sunday. It will become very windy with 60 mph gusts possible Thursday night.

SPOT REPORTS
…..A buoy report in the East Gulf some 140 miles SE of Pensacola: water temperature 87, SE wind of 15-20 and 6-foot waves
…..12 miles south of Orange Beach: water temperature of 87, S wind gusting to 20-25 mph, 5-foot waves.
…..East Gulf of Mexico: water temperature 87, SW wind gusts to 27
…..East Dauphin Island: 82 degrees air temperature, NE wind gusts 20-25
…..Pensacola Bay: water temperature 88
…..Mobile Bay: water temperature 90

You can see from those reports there is not much going on at the moment but tropical systems could not ask for better water temperatures. We will follow this story through the weekend with updates as needed. It does appear that this system will give much of Alabama some much needed rain. The center may go ashore in SE Louisiana and then curve north and finally NE. This will set up a SE wind flow across much of Alabama.

BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 4A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL052010 100 PM CDT WED AUG 11 2010 …DEPRESSION REMAINS DISORGANIZED…COULD DISSIPATE LATER TODAY… SUMMARY OF 100 PM CDT…1800 UTC…INFORMATION ———————————————- LOCATION…28.0N 87.0W ABOUT 175 MI…280 KM S OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA ABOUT 150 MI…240 KM ESE OF THE MOUTH OF THE [...] - [Read more]

**Scroll down for the afternoon Weather Xtreme video and discussion… we still are looking at enhanced rain opportunities for Alabama by Friday and the weekend** ZCZC MIATCPAT5 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE ADVISORY NUMBER 5 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL052010 400 PM CDT WED AUG 11 2010 …DEPRESSION DISSIPATES…THIS IS [...] - [Read more]

This image was captured August 6 at the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida East Coast… read more about the event here.

Thanks to Marti Aldridge for passing this along…

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. TD5 STRUGGLING: The tropical depression in the Gulf is struggling to stay alive, but there is a clear stacked low (aloft down to the surface) [...] - [Read more]

Thanks to John Hicks for these images… he writes:

“After much procrastination, the outer edge of Tropical Depression Five finally arrived in Ft. Walton Beach about 3:45 this afternoon, along with big waves, and wind strong enough to blow sand in faces. I’d estimate about 25 MPH. It pretty much ran everyone off the beach. I’ve attached a couple of shots, plus one of actual surfing, and it wouldn’t be a complete picture set without an Acid Reign sandcastle from earlier in the week! I hope you can use ‘em.”

Ttropical depression 5 has weakened to a low pressure area now, with scattered thunderstorms in the Gulf and wind gusts mainly less than 25 knots.  However, the low will likely still move up into Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama.  With the low to our southwest, southerly winds will increase moisture over Alabama over the next several days.  Atmospheric precipitable water will increase from 1.5 inches over Alabama today to over 2 inches by Friday and Saturday.  This will increase the chance for scattered thunderstorms, and some of these may produce heavy rainfall.  The clouds and rain will likely cool it off around here, too!

Since this system is so weak and disorganized, I don’t expect it to produce tropical rains of 5 to 10″ over a wide area or anything.  Most likely, we’re looking at average rainfall amounts of 1-2″, and it won’t rain all the time, either.

Simple answer is, “It was plenty hot” Here is a roundup of high temperatures this afternoon. This is not an all-inclusive list:

THE 100-DEGREE CLUB
Birmingham
Decatur
Muscle Shoals
Pinson
Fort Payne
Jasper
Moundville

OTHERS
96 Anniston
95 Auburn
98 Shelby County Airport, Springville and Northport
101 Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery
92 Dothan
93 Evergreen
94 Troy
96 Guntersville, Russellville, Scottsboro, Cullman
105 Wichita
103 Tulsa
102 Waco

USA EXTREMES
37 this morning at Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
111 this afternoon, Death Valley
(Yep, the high and low both in the same state)

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. STILL HOT TODAY: Don’t look for much change in our weather today; hot and steamy with highs in the 95 to 99 degree range. A [...] - [Read more]

…..5,000 is the number of lightning strokes in the Washington-Baltimore area in only one hour early this morning as unusually severe thunderstorms rolled through the area. Based on lightning detection equipment. The NWS issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings..

…..7.42 inches is the rain deficit this year so far for Tuscaloosa. Yesterday’s high of 101 surely does not help.

…..100 degrees is the average daily high for the first 11 days of August at Huntsville. (99.8 to be exact)

…..0 is how many days that the temperature has reached 100 in Anniston so far this month. The east side of the state has been a little cooler. The hottest in Anniston so far this month, 97 on the 3rd and 4th.

…..6 of the first 11 days of August had highs of 100 or 101 in Birmingham.

…..0% is how much of the Lower 48 states had a snow cover this morning. However, some places in the high mountain west still sport a good snow pack. Example, 182 inches at Sand Lake, Wyo., elevation over 10,000 feet.

…..2.75 inches is now much rain Daytona Beach got in the last 24 hours as the tropical depression moved westward. That depression wanted so badly to become a named tropical storm but it was not to be..

…..111 in Death Valley was the hottest temperature in the USA yesterday. That place has cornered the market so far this summer having that “honor.”

…..34 was the lowest temperature anywhere in the USA this morning. It was shared by Big Piney, Wyo., Yellowstone Lake inside Yellowstone National Park and Truckee, Calif. That was three degrees (cooler) (colder) than the lowest in Alaska at Barrow. Very cool yesterday in Alaska, the highest temperature was 70 at Eagle and Fort Yukon.

…..92 was the average daily high so far this month in Orlando–an amazing eight degrees cooler than Huntsville!

…..8,000 is how many people lost their lives in the great Galveston hurricane in 1900. (A category 4) However the total deaths could be more like 10,000to 12,000. Many bodies were washed out to sea and numerous drownings occurred inland.

0.10 is the average annual rain amount at Wadi Halfa, Sudan, making it the driest spot in Africa where there are weather records. However, it blows my (little) mind when I read that some adults in the Sahara Desert have never seen it rain! (I wonder if there are some adults in South Florida that have never seen it snow???

…..24 feet is how much it is estimated that the world-wide sea level would rise if all the ice in Greenland melted!

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: Yet another sweltering summer day for Alabama; Birmingham has reached 100 degrees at 2:00. We have been in triple digits on 6 of [...] - [Read more]

In some parts of Alabama, this is one of our hotter days so far.

Late this afternoon there were scattered showers and thunderstorms (actually widely spaced) over the south half of the state and also some in the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama. The north Alabama storms were moving east and the one in South Alabama toward the west and northwest.

Later this evening, we will post a list of high temperatures around the state today including those from official reporting stations and also the wide network of 33/40 Skywatchers.
Here is a sample of temperatures at 4 o’clock this afternoon:

101 Huntsville, heat index 106
99 Gadsden and Decatur
102 Tuscaloosa, heat index 105
101 Birmingham, heat index 102
98 Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, heat index 105
96 Anniston, heat index 102 (Anniston still has not reached 100 this month)
79 Dothan, heavy rain (tropical moisture at work)

Most of you are too young to remember the Hit Parade on Sunday nights. It was a delightful way to end the week.

This is not a Hit Parade, instead let us call it the Heat Parade.

Here is a list of high temperatures around the scorching Alabama countryside today:

90 Evergreen*
92 Dothan*
94 Troy*
94 Valley Head
95 Russellville, Auburn
96 Scottsboro, Cullman Airport, Anniston, Mobile
97 McCalla, Lookout Mountain near Collinsville, Courtland, Crossville, Guntersville, Selma
98 Shelby County Airport
99 Albertville, Springville

THE HONORABLE 100-DEGREE CLUB
100 Fort Payne, Muscle Shoals, Decatur, Pinson
101 Coker, Huntsville, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa
102 Northport, Birmingham
103 Huntsville

* More cloud cover and showers in the tropical air

…..the 102 at Birmingham tied the record for August 12 (2007)
…..the 103 at Huntsville a new record for August 12. Previous 101 in 2007

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. LOOKING FOR RAIN: Hopefully we will find some later today, but if you don’t get wet today, your chances will be even better tomorrow and [...] - [Read more]

A glance at the radar shows the trend we have been expecting is beginning…

The morning model runs are looking relatively wet for the weekend; not a total washout, of course, but a very good chance most communities will get wet at least a time or two through Sunday, with potential for heavy rain in spots. The complete afternoon discussion and Weather Xtreme video will be up by 3:30…

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: In the tropical air over Alabama, a number of downpours show up on radar this afternoon. Some of the heaviest rain at 3:15 [...] - [Read more]

WUUS54 KBMX 132038
SVRBMX
ALC009-055-132130-
/O.NEW.KBMX.SV.W.0266.100813T2038Z-100813T2130Z/

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
338 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
NORTHEASTERN BLOUNT COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…
NORTHWESTERN ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 333 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SARDIS CITY…OR
6 MILES SOUTH OF BOAZ…AND MOVING WEST AT 5 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
WALNUT GROVE…ALTOONA AND GALLANT.

THIS INCLUDES…
INTERSTATE 59 EXIT NUMBERS 181 THROUGH 183…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION…MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

Plenty of heat and humidity around Alabama on this Friday afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms have developed and they seemed to want to move toward the west.

Significant Weather Alerts were issued for a number of North Alabama counties. Some of the main storms (but not all) as of 3:40 pm

…..Between Gadsden and Guntersville
…..Extreme North Lamar County
…..Cullman and Winston County
…..West Jefferson County West and NW of Pleasant Grove.

Storms are also scattered across the south.

Look at these 3 pm temperwatures

101 Muscle Shoals, with heat index 108
100 Huntsville and Decatur, heat index 107
97 Gadsden
99 Tuscaloosa, heat index 109
98 Birmingham, heat index 106

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
518 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010

ALZ013-132300-
FAYETTE AL-
518 PM CDT FRI AUG 13 2010

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY UNTIL 600
PM CDT…

AT 514 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR GLEN ALLEN…OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WINFIELD…
MOVING WEST AT 10 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM…ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE…
FAYETTE…
GLEN ALLEN…
BLUFF…
HUBBERTVILLE…
RICHARD ARTHUR FIELD…

TORRENTIAL RAIN…WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES…IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

…..Blount County EMA reported at 4:20 pm that a house fire was caused by lightning in the town of Nectar.

…..Lightning caused a house fire on Cherokee County Road 77 five miles WNW of Gaylesville at 4:30 pm

…..In Etowah County, three miles NW of the Aurora Community, public reported a downburst at 3:45 pm with multiple trees down on Bluff Road at a residence. There was partial roof damage and a chicken house was damaged.

…..In Blount County, three miles SE of Snead, multiple trees were down on U.S. 278.