First Alert Weather: Patchy dense fog Monday morning

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Monday! We had a round of showers and storms push through Central Alabama yesterday giving us some much-needed rainfall and cooler temperatures. Behind the rain, we are noticing some dry air that is moving in from the north.

Dense Fog Advisory(WBRC)

Temperatures this morning are starting out in the lower 70s. We want to give everyone a first alert for patchy fog this morning. The National Weather Service has issued a dense fog advisory for areas along and south of Interstate 20/59. It includes Pickens, Sumter, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Jefferson, St. Clair, Calhoun, Talladega, Clay, and Coosa counties. Fog could reduce visibility to a quarter of a mile or less. Any fog that develops should dissipate by 8 a.m.

First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar is showing us mostly clear and dry. We are watching a disturbance producing showers and storms in Arkansas, but it will likely remain to our west. High pressure is in place, and it should keep us dry this afternoon.

First Alert Poolside Forecast(WBRC)

We are forecasting a mostly sunny sky this afternoon with highs in the low to mid 90s. Winds are forecast to come in from the north at 5 to 10 mph. With dew points dropping into the 50s, it should feel comfortable for this time of the year. If you have any evening plans, we will likely remain dry and mostly clear with temperatures cooling down into the low to mid 80s by 7-8 p.m.

Increasing Clouds Tuesday: We will likely start tomorrow morning off dry with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Tomorrow morning should start out with a mostly sunny sky. Temperatures will remain close to average tomorrow with highs in the low to mid 90s. Winds will continue from the north at 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. I think most of us will remain dry tomorrow, but some of our weather models are hinting that some activity from Tennessee could slide into northwest Alabama Tuesday evening.

We’ll hold on to a 20 percent chance for a few showers mainly for far northwest Alabama tomorrow. Any activity that pushes in will likely be weakening as it encounters slightly drier air.

Wednesday will end up the same as tomorrow. We’ll likely see temperatures cool into the low to mid 70s with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wednesday will end up partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance for an isolated shower or storm. We’ll have to watch northwest flow Wednesday afternoon. If clusters of storms form to the north and move into our area, we may have to adjust rain chances Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Next Big Thing: The big story by the end of the week is the chance to see higher coverage in showers and thunderstorms. The ridge of high pressure that will keep us relatively dry for the first half of the week will likely weaken. It will allow complexes of showers and storms to develop to our north and sweep into Alabama. We will likely see a partly sunny to mostly cloudy sky Thursday and Friday with scattered storms likely at any point during the day.

Storms Return Thu-Fri(WBRC)

I’ve increased our rain chances to 50 percent, but we may adjust these rain chances as we gain confidence on the overall pattern. Strong storms can’t be ruled out by the end of the week. Damaging winds, small hail, frequent lightning, and heavy rainfall will be possible. With increasing rain chances, temperatures may trend a little cooler with highs in the upper 80s and lower 90s. The stormy pattern by the end of the week will likely increase our dew points making it feel a little muggier.

Weekend Outlook: The first weekend of August is shaping up to be hot and muggy. We are forecasting high temperatures to climb into the low to mid 90s this weekend with a 30 to 40 percent chance for widely scattered storms. With plenty of humidity over the weekend, the heat index could climb into the triple digits. Sunday will likely end up as the hottest day of the weekend with highs in the mid 90s with a heat index near 105.

First Alert Muggy Meter(WBRC)

Rainfall Potential this Week: We will likely stay dry through Wednesday, but rainfall totals could add up around 0.5″ to 1.5″ over the next seven days. The Weather Prediction Center is highlighting higher chances for rainfall in east Alabama vs west Alabama. We’ll take all of the rain we can get because rainfall totals normally decrease as we head into August, and especially in September and October. Fall is normally our driest months of the year.

Tropical Update: We are monitoring two areas of low pressure in the Atlantic. The first area is located off the Mid-Atlantic coast. It has a 30 percent chance to develop into a tropical depression or storm in the next couple of days. It will likely slide out to the northeast and move away from the United States as it gets picked up by a trough. This low will likely stay northwest of Bermuda.

Tropical Update(WBRC)

The other area of low pressure is located in the Central Atlantic and has a high chance to become our next tropical depression or storm in the next 48 hours. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be called Emily. This system will likely stay in the Central Atlantic and shouldn’t impact the United States.

Hurricane season normally ramps up in August and September. It ends on November 30.

Make sure you download the WBRC First Alert Weather App on Android and Apple devices for the latest weather information. Have a great Monday!

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