At 1:15 pm, we have a few showers over the extreme southwestern and extreme southeastern parts of Central Alabama, while the rest of the area is dry and hot at this point. Temperatures at this point were in the mid-80s to the lower 90s across the area. Birmingham was at 90 degrees. Uniontown was the hot spot at 93 degrees. Haleyville and Tuscaloosa were the cool spots at 86 degrees.
The above HRRR simulated radar animation shows that much of the activity will remain isolated to scattered in nature across the area, with the higher rain probabilities in the southwestern parts of the area. With an area of high pressure just off to the southeast in the southwestern parts of Georgia, I believe that we may have a few more scattered thunderstorms across the area than what the HRRR shows as we have a southerly flow over the area. May have more activity transition to the northwestern parts of the area as there will be a few outflow boundaries present. And with dewpoints in the lower 70s as an average, it will feel rather muggy outside. Highs will top out in the lower to mid-90s. Rain chances across the area will be in the 30-40% range from east to west with most of the activity occurring from roughly 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. All activity should have come to an end by midnight and we’ll stay dry through the overnight hours. May have a few areas of patchy fog especially where rain has fallen. Overnight lows will be in the lower to mid-70s.
Not much change in the forecast for Thursday as the ridge will keep up in a hot and humid pattern. We’ll continue to have the risk of scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms across the area with highs reaching the lower to mid-90s.
Tropical Storm Chantal continues to move eastward across the Atlantic Ocean with maximum sustained winds at 40 MPH. Gradual weakening is expected as it will begin to get caught up in the periphery of a mid-level anticyclone over the middle of open water. No threat to the Alabama Gulf Coast or the rest of the United States.
Closer to home, we have a disturbance very close to the Bahamas that we’ll need to watch over the next several days as it will make its way northward along the Atlantic Coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Some slow development is possible over the next five days, but the NHC is only giving this disturbance a 20% chance of becoming a depression or storm in that time period.
Central Alabama Weather 