First Alert for drier conditions Thursday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Thursday! Yesterday was a very active weather day across Central Alabama thanks to rounds of showers and thunderstorms. We saw some impressive rainfall totals with many locations recording over five inches of rainfall. Birmingham ended up with 6.97″ of rain which broke the daily record rainfall for June 8th. The old record was 2.15″ set back in 1900. The good news is that we will have most of today to dry out a little bit. First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar still showing cloud cover with most of the storms pushing into south Alabama. Best chance for a couple of showers or storms this morning will likely remain south of I-20 and into parts of far northeast Alabama. All the showers and storms are drifting to the southeast. Temperatures this morning remain warm with most of us in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Fog has been developing this morning, so take it easy if you must be on the roads this morning. Visibility could be reduced to a half mile or less. Any fog that develops should dissipate by 9 AM. The good news about today’s forecast is that drier air is forecast to move into Central Alabama from the north as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. We’ll hold on to a 20% chance for an isolated shower or storm today. Best chance to see rain will be this morning and mostly for areas along and south of I-20. Plan for a mostly cloudy to partly cloudy sky with highs climbing into the mid to upper 80s. Winds will be out of the northwest at 5-10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. If you plan on attending the Barons game this evening, we should remain dry. It might not feel as muggy either. They will pick up their suspended game from yesterday at 4:30 PM against Pensacola. Plan for a partly cloudy sky with temperatures in the 80s. It’ll cool into the upper 70s by 8 PM.

Next Big Thing: We have another threat to see organized clusters of showers and storms tomorrow. The Storm Prediction Center is highlighting a low-end threat for a few strong or severe storms for parts of Greene, Hale, Bibb, Tuscaloosa, and Pickens counties Friday. Main concerns will be damaging winds, hail, and frequent lightning. Flash flooding can’t be ruled out, but it won’t be as likely as it was yesterday. Northwest flow will continue tomorrow, but the orientation of the storm track may shift farther to our southwest. We’ll likely start tomorrow morning off dry and cooler with temperatures in the low to mid 60s. It should feel nice. Cloud cover will likely increase tomorrow afternoon giving us a mostly cloudy sky. Storms will likely develop to our west and sweep to the southeast. The greatest risk for showers and storms will likely remain west of I-65 tomorrow. Areas farther north and east will trend drier. We will hold on to a 40% chance for scattered showers and storms tomorrow with highs in the mid 80s. Winds will come from the west at 5-10 mph. I think our greatest chance to see showers and storms will likely occur in the afternoon and early evening hours. Isolated showers or storms can’t be ruled out Friday evening.

Widely Scattered Storms Possible Saturday: We will hold on to a 30% chance for widely scattered showers and storms Saturday. We’ll likely start the weekend off with a partly to mostly cloudy sky with temperatures in the mid 60s. We should see a partly cloudy sky Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Humidity levels will likely increase a little, so it might feel a little muggy. When you factor in the humidity levels, it could feel like it is in the low to mid 90s. Any storm that forms Saturday could become strong, but not expecting any organized severe storms. Just monitor the WBRC First Alert Weather App for weather updates if you plan on being outside.

Drying Out Sunday: The weather pattern will likely change as we head into next week. We think the pattern will trend drier and hotter. Sunday will end up hot with humidity levels on the increase. We’ll likely start the day with a partly cloudy sky with temperatures in the upper 60s. Highs Sunday could climb into the lower 90s with a partly cloudy to mostly sunny sky. With plenty of heat and humidity around, we will hold on to a 20% chance for an isolated shower or storm, but most of us will end up rain-free.

Heat Builds Next Week: The big story next week is the heat and the humidity. Models are hinting that temperatures could climb into the mid 90s. A few of our models are even hinting upper 90s for parts of Central Alabama for the middle and end of next week. Overnight lows will also end up very warm with most of us cooling into the low to mid 70s. The European model keeps us mostly dry for the first half of the week with afternoon showers and storms possible by next Wednesday and Thursday. The GFS model continues to trend wetter, but it continues to show high heat values. Just plan for a very hot and muggy week. The A/C will likely be on full blast. Stay hydrated and take several breaks if you work outdoors.

Tropical Update: The tropics remain quiet for the next five days across the Gulf, Caribbean, and the Atlantic. If you plan on going to the Gulf Coast this weekend, we will likely end up with a chance for scattered showers and storms with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Rip current threat will end up moderate stage, so you might want to avoid the water if you aren’t a good swimmer.

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