Friday Afternoon Forecast Discussion – 4:15 PM Update

 

A good Friday afternoon to you! Nice weather has now taken over Alabama, as a cold front has pushed into the Gulf of Mexico. A cool north wind will continue through today, tonight and on Saturday. A deep eastern US trough is what’s responsible for bringing the cooler air to the deep south. This front is really strong for this time of the year, in-fact, a mix of rain and snow is expected for parts of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia over the weekend. Meanwhile, we’re located on the dry side of the trough, so don’t expect any clouds or rain around here through the weekend and early next week.

Friday night football: If you have plans to the local high school football games, take a coat or long sleeve with you. Temperatures will start off in the upper 60s at the 7pm kickoff and could reach the upper 50s to lower 60s during the final play. A cool north wind will make it feel a little more uncomfortable for the fans, but the players will enjoy this weather.

Temperatures will get downright cold late tonight and each night through Monday night. Look for lower 40s Sunday and Monday morning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few spots reaching the upper 30s. This will happen in places like Hamilton and Haleyville, but we will stay just above the light frost criteria.

There is no sign of rain over the next 7 days, as we’ll continue under a dry and comfortable airmass. Highs will gradually warm back into the upper 70s and lower 80s early next week. Temperatures at night will remain fairly cool.

Be sure to scroll down for the latest on Hurricane Ophelia and your football Saturday forecast…

Don’t forget to come out to the West Alabama State Fair this week. The event gets kicked off today and lasts through all of next week. I’ll be there today and on Friday between 6pm and 9pm, and all of next week between 6pm and 9pm. I hope you’ll come out and say hello. The weather is looking great for the event, with lots of sun. Cooler temperatures arrive this weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 70s and lows in the upper 40s. So far, there is no sign of rain through much of next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Football Saturday Forecast… Friday Update 3:50 PM

Alabama takes on Florida in Gainesville this weekend. Kickoff is at 8pm eastern time, or 7pm central time. Look for a kickoff in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Temperatures will fall quickly during the game, to a temperature near 62 by the final play. The cold front that has brought the change locally is pushing much cooler and drier air well down into Florida. Alabama fans will catch a nice break at this game. Take a long sleeve with you because once the sun sets, conditions will get cool pretty fast.

Don’t forget to come out to the West Alabama State Fair this week. The event gets kicked off today and lasts through all of next week. I’ll be there today and on Friday between 6pm and 9pm, and all of next week between 6pm and 9pm. I hope you’ll come out and say hello. The weather is looking great for the event, with lots of sun. Cooler temperatures arrive this weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 70s and lows in the upper 40s. So far, there is no sign of rain through much of next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Major Hurricane Ophelia! Tropical Update Friday 3:30 PM

OPHELIA HAS DEVELOPED A DISTINCT EYE SURROUNDED BY A CIRCULAR CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST. THE EYE WAS ALREADY CLEARLY OBSERVED ON EARLIER MICROWAVE IMAGES. T-NUMBERS FROM TAFB AND SAB WERE 5.0 ON
THE DVORAK SCALE THIS MORNING. SINCE THEN…THE EYE HAS BECOME EVEN MORE DISTINCT…AND THE ADT OBJECTIVE ESTIMATES FROM UW-CIMSS HAVE BEEN AVERAGING NEAR 5.5 WITH RAW NUMBERS RECENTLY REACHING 6.0.  ON THIS BASIS…THE INITIAL INTENSITY HAS BEEN INCREASED TO 100 KNOTS…MAKING OPHELIA A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON A SAFFIR SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE…THE THIRD MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON.

THERE IS A STRONG LIKELIHOOD THAT OPHELIA HAS ALREADY REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY…AND ONLY SMALL INTENSITY FLUCTUATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THEREAFTER…THE HURRICANE SHOULD BE MOVING INTO INCREASING SHEAR AND ENCOUNTER COLD WATERS RESULTING IN WEAKENING. OPHELIA SHOULD BECOME A POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE AS IT MOVES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 345 DEGREES AT 10 KNOTS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE FLOW BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC SUBTROPICAL HIGH AND A LARGE MID-LATITUDE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THIS PATTERN SHOULD FORCE OPHELIA TO MOVE ON A NORTHWARD TRACK DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO AND THEN RECURVE WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED…AS THE CORE OF THE CYCLONE PASSES EAST OF BERMUDA. THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE NHC FORECAST SINCE IT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TIGHTLY CLUSTERED GUIDANCE ENVELOPE THROUGH 48 HOURS. THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE ENVELOPE CONTINUES TO GRADUALLY SHIFT EASTWARD AWAY FROM BERMUDA.

Don’t forget to come out to the West Alabama State Fair this week. The event started yesterday and lasts through all of next week. I’ll be there today between 6pm and 9pm, and all of next week between 6pm and 9pm. I hope you’ll come out and say hello. The weather is looking great for the event, with lots of sun. Cooler temperatures arrive this weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 70s and lows in the upper 40s. So far, there is no sign of rain through much of next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Thursday Afternoon Forecast Discussion – 4:15 PM

A good Thursday afternoon to you! It’s fairly warm this afternoon, with many folks returning into the middle 80s. This will be the last very warm day over the next 5 days, as cooler air takes over. A cold front is diving southeast right now, and should arrive tonight or early tomorrow. The front is coming in rain free, as moisture levels won’t be high enough to produce rain and clouds. Plus, the front is coming through during the coolest part of the day.

Expect a nice northerly breeze to take over early on Friday, as the cold front slips southward through Alabama. Skies will remain clear behind the front as low humidity and cool air takes over. We’ll still reach the middle to upper 70s on Friday, but lower to middle 70s are likely on Saturday and Sunday. The wind will stay up a bit Friday night, so we’re not going to get as cool as we could Friday night. Look for lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s. High pressure builds in on Saturday and Sunday. This will really drop our lows down as calm winds take over. Expect an average low of 44 degrees Sunday and Monday morning, but some of the cooler spots will reach the upper 30s. This will be the coolest air so far this season, in-fact, I consider 40s pretty cold. We’ll have plenty of sun through Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. There is no sign of rain anytime soon. October is usually the driest month out of the year for Alabama. The first day of October is on Saturday, so look for a typical dry start to the month.

Don’t forget to come out to the West Alabama State Fair this week. The event gets kicked off today and lasts through all of next week. I’ll be there today and on Friday between 6pm and 9pm, and all of next week between 6pm and 9pm. I hope you’ll come out and say hello. The weather is looking great for the event, with lots of sun. Cooler temperatures arrive this weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 70s and lows in the upper 40s. So far, there is no sign of rain through much of next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Come See Me This Week! West Alabama State Fair Starts on Thursday… Wednesday Update 9:30 PM

Don’t forget to come out to the West Alabama State Fair later this week. The event gets kicked off on Thursday and lasts through all of next week, and it’s located at Sokol Park in Tuscaloosa. I’ll be there on Thursday and Friday between 6pm and 9pm, and all of next week between 6pm and 9pm. I hope you’ll come out and say hello. The weather is looking great for the event, with lots of sun. Cooler temperatures arrive this weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 70s and lows in the upper 40s. So far, there is no sign of rain through much of next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Wednesday Afternoon Forecast Update / Football Forecast – 4 PM Update

A good Wednesday afternoon to you! The cold front has finally cleared our area, with an increase in sunshine this afternoon. Big storms moved across our southern counties lastnight and very early this morning, but the complex of storms is moving off the coast at this hour. Many of us recovered into the lower 80s this afternoon due to a quick increase in sun. We had some fog lastnight and I think there could be some patch fog again tonight.

A secondary cold front will push all of the moist air out of the area on Friday and Saturday. After one more warm day on Thursday, look for highs to remain in the 70s over the weekend. This next front will bring some of the coolest air so far this season. Highs could fall into the lower 70s on Saturday and Sunday, with lows well into the 40s Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of a few spots like Hamilton and Haleyville near 39 degrees by Sunday morning.

Temperatures will remain very nice through early next week. We’ll have a good supply of sun each day, with no chance of rain through Wednesday of next week. Lows will remain in the upper 40s to lower 50s through Wednesday morning.

Alabama Football on Saturday: Alabama plays Florida in Gainesville. Expect temperatures in the lower 70s at the 8pm Kickoff. Don’t forget its 8pm eastern time, or 7pm central time. Temperatures will fall into the middle 60s at the end of the game under a clear sky. The front that will bring us nice weather, will make it well down into Florida, so expect low humidity in Gainesville.

Auburn Football: Auburn plays South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday. Kickoff time is at 3:30 pm eastern or 2:30 central. Conditions will be great during the game with a good supply of sunshine. Temperatures will start in the lower 70s and fall into the upper 60s at the end of the game.

The West Alabama State Fair starts on Thursday. I hope you’ll join WVUA-TV at the event. I’ll be there between the 6 and 10pm news each weeknight. The forecast for the event is looking great through the weekend, with lots of sun and cool nights.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Storms Increasing South of Tuscaloosa…Dry On Wednesday… Tuesday Update 9:40 PM

Storms are increasing in east Mississippi and are expected to continue to increase tonight. Much like lastnight and this morning, a complex of storms are expected to develop. This may be happening now. The storms will increase in coverage and push east at 20 to 30 MPH. These storms will produce lots of lightning, but the chance of severe weather is very low. One storm could grow near or to severe limits, but that isn’t likely. The best chance of storms will happen south of Tuscaloosa. As the front gradually pushes south, the rain chances will push south as well. Storms will be out of the area by tomorrow morning.

Dry air sets up for the rest of the week and weekend. Much cooler air moves in this weekend, with highs in the middle 70s. Lows could reach the upper 40s over the weekend as well.

The West Alabama State Fair starts on Thursday. I hope you’ll join WVUA-TV at the event. I’ll be there between the 6 and 10pm news each weeknight. We’ll start a special forecast for the event first thing next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

5 Months Ago, Tuscaloosa Tornado, My Story… Updated Tuesday 4:45PM

Today, 5 months ago, a horrible tornado outbreak changed my life. It’s a day that affected so many people on so many ways. Not only did a powerful tornado hit the city of Tuscaloosa, Alberta City and Holt, but numerous tornadoes tracked across the state. Many people lost their home, including myself. I lived in a neighborhood behind Big Lots and Hobby Lobby. I was so fortunate because all of my friends and family made it through the storms fine.

The days leading up to the big outbreak were more than concerning, they were downright frightening. We had a dangerous squall line move through that morning, which left many without power. When the sun came out early that morning, many folks though the severe weather was over, but the worst was yet to come. The sun added to the instability. The instability was a disastrous ingredient thrown into strong wind shear. Shear and instability are the ingredients that aren’t good to have together.

Every storm was producing large tornadoes, and the chance of tornadoes in one area was higher than I’ve ever seen before. Since the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham tornado affected me personally, I’ll focus on that tornado. Understand, there were numerous tornadoes that day that led to the largest single day tornado outbreak in Alabama’s history and nearly the most deadly.

At about 4pm, we started eyeballing a storm that was located in east Mississippi. This storm had a path directly towards Tuscaloosa. It was producing a tornado as it crossed the state line. Once it moved into Tuscaloosa County, we got the report of a wedge tornado with this storm. That was frightening! We knew this would become a disaster for the city of Tuscaloosa, Holt and Alberta City. We got the first glimpse of the tornado from our Tuscaloosa towercam when it was 20 miles away. It was at 5:13pm, when the tornado moved into the southwest side of Tuscaloosa. The warning system was as good as it gets for the storm, yet the tornado was so large, it was simply un-survivable in spots. Be sure to watch the video above from our severe weather coverage. It’s amazing that we stayed on air as long as we could. The main thought going through my mind at the time was warn as many as we can before we get hit. I thought the tornado was going to make a direct hit on our TV station. We were very close! Fortunately, the tornado just missed us to the south by 0.90 miles. Aka. Less that one mile…

After the tornado hit and we and lost power, I knew we had no way to broadcast on television. My main concern was getting to my house, where my roommate and WVUA Director, Jonathan Newman, was at the time. I had no idea what to expect, but I feared the worst. I parked my truck on the side of McFarland BLVD less than 10 minutes after the tornado hit. Rescue personal wasn’t even on the scene just yet. The sound of store and car alarms and police sirens filled the air. The smell of mud, tree sap and natural gas was so strong, it would nearly choke you. The sight of people climbing out of a pile of wood and brick was a sight I’ll never forget. When I got to my house, Jonathan was standing in the front yard. I was so relieved when I saw he was ok and so were my neighbors. Some of my neighbors had injuries, but they were not life-threatening. Unfortunately, that was a different story only 200 yards away, where several people didn’t survive the storm. More than 50 people died in the Tuscaloosa area alone and nearly 250 people died in the state of Alabama, making it one of the most deadly tornado outbreaks in US and state history. Below is a picture of my house the day after the tornado hit.

This event changed my life, and I’ll never look at storms the same way. Severe weather will continue to happen at times, and that’s a part of life we will have to live with. I don’t think we will ever see an event nearly the magnitude of this one. I sure hope so!!!

The West Alabama State Fair starts on Thursday. I hope you’ll join WVUA-TV at the event. I’ll be there between the 6 and 10pm news each weeknight. We’ll start a special forecast for the event first thing next week.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV news at 4, 5, 6 and 10pm weekdays for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can like us on facebook by searching our new page WVUA-TV Weather. Also, send us your weather pictures by e-mail to weather@wvuatv.com. Have a great day!

WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com

Storm Spotting Class Tonight at Bryant Conference Center…Tuesday Update 2:45 PM

If you want to get your storm spotter training and you live in the Tuscaloosa area, now is your chance. Plan on being a part of the Basic Storm Spotter class on Tuesday, September 27^thfrom 6:30pm until 9pm. Below is more information….

(TUSCALOOSA) – The National Weather Service will conduct a Basic Storm Spotter class for Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday September 27, 2011.

The class will be held in the Sellers Auditorium at The University of Alabama Bryant Conference,  240 Paul Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.   The class is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. and will be over by 9:00 p.m.

The Storm Spotter class is free and pre-registration is not required.   However participants are urged to call the EMA office at 349.0150 or e-mail dhartin@tuscaloosa.com or bgreen@tuscaloosa.com so we can provide the National Weather Service with a count for their printed material. 

The classes will be taught by National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist John DeBlock.  Classes are open to anyone wishing to take them. No previous experience is required.  Current spotters are urged to take the course to update their knowledge base and capabilities.

This program deals with severe, violent and unusual weather. This highly informative and timely seminar will cover such topics as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, downbursts, flooding and other severe weather events that frequent our area.  The program will also cover such topics as recognizing cloud formations, flash flooding and protective actions that should be taken.

Participants will be given the opportunity to sign up as a storm spotter and receive instructions on
reporting criteria and how to report severe and unusual weather events to Tuscaloosa County EMA
and the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service uses real-time reports that meet the reporting criteria to verify what
is actually happening on the ground. These reports from trained spotters help to verify the
accuracy of weather warnings, and may help to save lives.
Storm spotter training is offered in the Fall and Spring annually. More information
can be found at 
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=skywarnschedule


WVUA Chief Meteorologist Richard Scott
rscott@wvuatv.com

Heavy Rain is Gone… Some Storms Still Possible…Tuesday Update 11:30am

The heavy rain is out of here now, but some spots picked up over 1 inch of rain. I’ll admit, the storms were further north than expected today. I had the best chance of storms south of Tuscaloosa, but much of west and central Alabama got in on this one. The old cold front is nearly stationary across central Alabama. An MCS developed along the boundary and tracked right across our area, producing heavy rain, lots of lightning, and gusty winds.

There are still a few spotty thunderstorms along the Alabama/Mississippi state line, but the majority of the rain is over. Keep the rain gear handy for the rest of the day incase a storm moves over your area. The storms are weakening in east Mississippi, so they souldn’t provide much more rain as they move into west Alabama. The best rain chances will gradually shift southward through the day as the front sinks south. Another MCS is possible tonight or tomorrow in south Alabama, but the rain will likely stay well south of Tuscaloosa on this one.

Look for highs to reach the upper 70s today, but lower to middle 80s are possible on Wednesday and Thursday. Much cooler air takes over by the weekend with plenty of sun.

Be sure to join me on WVUA-TV today at 4, 5, 6 and 10 for the latest on your forecast. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com. You can also like our new facebook page: WVUA-TV Weather.

WVUA Cheif Meteorologist Richard Scott

rscott@wvuatv.com