Rain At Times Through The Weekend… Friday Update at 9:15 PM

After many of us got a good soaking this evening, the rain is starting to die out a bit. There’s still some light rain falling in Greensboro, Tuscaloosa Sumiton, Jasper, Eutaw and Reform, but the rain is about to end. I have noticed a few showers and storms trying to get organized over northeast Mississippi tonight. Some of that could spread in here later tonight. With the pattern we’re in right now, rain is possible at just about any time, but the best chance of rain through the weekend and early next week is during the mid to late afternoon hours. Keep in mind that storms will become numerous during the afternoon and evening hours. All storms will produce lots of lightning, so use lightning safety rules when outdoors.

It sure looks like clouds will hang tough for much of the night, so the  extremely rare Aurora Borealis probably won’t be seen anywhere around here. Be sure to scroll down for a discussion on the slight chance of an Aurora locally. They are very rare this far south, but a unique setup has given us atleast a slight chance of seeing one in the south. The best chance of seeing the Aurora would be for places in the far northern US and Canada.

Check us out on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. Plus, if you have any weather pictures you’d like to send us, send them to weather@wvuatv.com.

Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

 

A Very Rare Auroras in The Deep South Tonight??? Friday Update at 6 PM

The statement below is talking about a major geomagnetic storm that will be impacting us tonight. This could bring an extremely rare Aurora Borealis to the skies above Alabama. Look up after sunset tonight through midnight. It’s possible that you see the northern lights around here. I know this is something that doesn’t usually happen south of the Canadian border, but there’s a chance that could happen at all latitudes tonight. Wow!

GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS: A major geomagnetic storm is in progress following the impact of a CME on August 5th around 1800 UT. Sky watchers at all latitudes should be alert for auroras after nightfall. Tip: the best hours for aurora sightings are usually around local midnight.

Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say that the CME impact may have strongly compressed Earth’s magnetic field, directly exposing satellites in geosynchronous orbit to solar wind plasma. Stay tuned for updates on this aspect of the storm.

The arriving CME left the sun on August 4th, propelled by an M9.3-category eruption in the magnetic canopy of sunspot 1261. Click on the image to view a movie of the expanding cloud recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory:

Source: Spaceweather.com

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Radar Update… Storms Coming… Friday Update at 5:30 PM

We’re watching some healthy storms moving through northwest Alabama this evening. Right now, the heavier storms are over southern Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Pickens and northwest Tuscaloosa County. These storms are producing lots of ligtning, gusty winds and heavy rain. The storms should reach the Tuscaloosa area by 6:30pm. The are moving south to southeast at 20 to 30 MPH. Many of us will get atleast some rain this evening, but most of the rain will be out of here by midnight.

Be sure to join us on WVUA-TV at 4, 5, 6, and 10 for the latest on your forecast. Also, check us out on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. Plus, if you have any weather pictures you’d like to send us, send them to weather@wvuatv.com.

Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Big Storms Moving In… Friday Update at 4:15 PM

We’re watching a batch of strong thunderstorm develop in northwest Alabama this afternoon. These storms could grow to severe limits in spots as they move south at 20 to 30 MPH. There are more isolated cells developing over west Tuscaloosa County and northern Greene County, but the main storms are just north of Fayette at this time. Many of us will get a shot of heavy rain and storms this evening and early tonight.

Be sure to join us on WVUA-TV at 4, 5, 6, and 10 for the latest on your forecast. Also, check us out on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. Plus, if you have any weather pictures you’d like to send us, send them to weather@wvuatv.com.

Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Friday Afternoon Forecast Discussion… Updated 3:30 PM

 

A good Friday afternoon to you! Much of yesterday afternoon and evening included a nice soaking rain. Today, things are a little quieter starting off. Conditions are about to change, as a complex of storms moves in from the northwest. Some strong storms are developing in northeast Mississippi and northwest Alabama. The storms are moving southeast at about 20 MPH. Rain is falling over parts of Marion, Lamar and Fayette Counties. While many of us will get showers and storms later this evening, some of us will not get any rain. Storms will produce a lot of lightning, so go indoors if a storm moves your way. The chance of rain is at 50% through midnight tonight.

Since we’re under a northwest flow aloft, and there’s a deep layer of tropical moisture in place, we could see rain at just about anytime. This is due to the small scale upper air disturbances that rotate around the outer edge of a ridge. These disturbances often spark the development of a mesoscale complex, which can produce lots of lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds. Unfortunately, they are also very hard to predict. Keep in mind that these storms could move in here at anytime this weekend or early next week. If you have outdoor plans, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check on a radar every once in a while. Also, have a plan incase strong storms move into your area.

Highs will remain in the middle 90s through the end of next week, but rain at times will cool temperatures off. Expect a partly to mostly cloudy sky through the weekend, with a slight increase in more sun by the middle of next week. Lows at night will continue mild and muggy, as temperatures approach the middle 70s. I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks wake up to a thick blanket of fog. If you have travel plans in the morning or late at night, give yourself a little extra time to drive. The best chance of fog will happen in areas that has seen rain the same day.

The tropics have quieted down a bit, as Emily has faded away. The wind shear and dry air was simply too much for the storm to handle. This feature will be heading out to sea over the coming days.

Be sure to join us on WVUA-TV at 4, 5, 6, and 10 for the latest on your forecast. Also, check us out on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. Plus, if you have any weather pictures you’d like to send us, send them to weather@wvuatv.com.

Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com