Hot Weather Here…Watching Tropics Close…Wednesday Afternoon Forecast 5:40pm Update

Good Wednesday afternoon to you! Summer begins today at 6:09pm, which marks off the longest day and shortest night across the Northern Hemisphere. This will actually be the shortest day and longest night in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s felt a lot like summer today, with highs in the lower 90s across much of the area. Temperatures will actually heat up a bit over the coming days.

If you have plans outdoors to dinner tonight, there are no worries with rain and storms. Temperatures will remain mild through this evening, but a light breeze will make conditions feel a little more comfortable after sunset this evening. Look for temperatures to reach the middle 80s by 8pm and upper 70s around 10pm. Overnight lows will fall into the middle 60s areawide. Skies will remain mostly clear tonight and mostly sunny tomorrow. The risk of rain through the weekend is very low, but the chance is only about 10% or less. There is higher chance for a few isolated to scattered storms along the Alabama Gulf Coast over the weekend, but the chance there should remain pretty low. Highs will warm into the upper 90s on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Look for lows to reach the lower 70s over the weekend as moisture levels increase. Humidity will become rather intense in time for your weekend plans.

There are signs that temperatures could get a little cooler by the middle of next week, with highs in the upper 80s to around 90 and lower humidity. This is as a deep eastern US trough develops and allows for slightly cooler temperatures to reach Alabama.

 We are watching the tropics, due to a spike in activity. Tropical Storm Chris is strengthenting this evening and could become a hurricane this evening. This storm is moving out to sea and will not become a problem for the US. Another developing storm we’re watching is in the southern Gulf of Mexico. This system has a chance to become Tropical Storm Debby over the next few days as is meanders around the gulf. As of now, there are no computer models that bring this system into central Alabama due to the ridge/trough pattern. If you live anywhere along the gulf coast or have a trip planned, you need to keep an eye on this system late in the weekend and early next week. While there are no indications of a developing hurricane, these tropical lows can spin up quick. At this point, it looks like Florida will get most of the impacts from this storm.

Send us your weather pictures! Send them to weather@wvuatv.com. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter. Like us on facebook by searching facebook.com/wvuaweather or WVUA-TV Weather. You can find us on twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com or WVUA-TV Weather. Great way to get weather updates! Plus, facebook is a great way to send us weather pictures. Simply tag us!

Also, join us live on WVUA-TV weekdays at 4, 5, 6 and 10 pm and weekends at 10pm for the very latest on your news, weather and sports.

Richard Scott

WVUA Chief Meteorologist

rscott@wvuatv.com

Tropical Storm Chris Is Stronger… Watching Gulf Close…. Tropical Update Wednesday 4pm Update

Good Wednesday afternoon to you! The tropics have become rather active, with a tropical storm and a developing tropical low. First up is tropical storm Chris. Here’s the latest from the National Hurricane Center. Chris will have no impacts on the US…

ALTHOUGH ONLY A FEW BANDING FEATURES ARE SEEN IN INFRARED SATELLITE PICTURES…VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS ROTATING AROUND THE CENTER.  IN FACT…A RECENT SSMI MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALED A RING OF CONVECTION THAT WRAPPED A LITTLE MORE THAN HALFWAY AROUND THE CENTER.  AN ASCAT PASS THAT ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY HAD A COUPLE 40-KT WIND VECTORS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN QUADRANT.  GIVEN THE LOW BIAS OF THAT INSTRUMENT AND THE IMPROVED STRUCTURE IN MICROWAVE IMAGERY SINCE THAT TIME…THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS INCREASED TO 50 KT.

IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT CHRIS WILL STRENGTHEN ANY FURTHER AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE SINCE IT WILL BE MOVING OVER COLDER WATER WITHIN 12 HOURS.  THE GLOBAL MODELS CONTINUE TO PREDICT THAT THE CYCLONE WILL MAINTAIN ITS INTENSITY OR PERHAPS STRENGTHEN A LITTLE AS A BAROCLINIC SYSTEM ON THURSDAY.  AFTER 36 HOURS…GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED…AND THE SYSTEM IS LIKELY TO MERGE WITH A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL LOW IN ABOUT 3 DAYS.

CHRIS IS MOVING EASTWARD OR 085 DEGREES AT 18 KT. THE CYCLONE SHOULD TURN NORTHEASTWARD…THEN NORTHWARD AS AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH TO ITS NORTHWEST CUTS OFF.  THE POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE IS FORECAST TO ROTATE CYCLONICALLY AROUND THE UPPER-LOW BEFORE THE MERGER TAKES PLACE.

The second area we’re watching is an area of low pressure to near western Cuba. This system is moving northwest and could become a tropical storm over the next few days in the Gulf of Mexico. As of now, data keeps this system away from Alabama. Here’s the latest on that system from the National Hurricane Center…

 A LARGE AREA OF CLOUDINESS…SHOWERS…AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WESTERN CUBA AND ADJACENT WATERS NORTHWARD TO SOUTHERN FLORIDA IS ASSOCIATED WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE.  UPPER-LEVEL WINDS COULD BECOME A LITTLE MORE CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AS THE AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO.  THIS SYSTEM HAS A LOW CHANCE…20 PERCENT…OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ACROSS WESTERN CUBA…SOUTHERN FLORIDA…AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

Send us your weather pictures! Send them to weather@wvuatv.com. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter. Like us on facebook by searching facebook.com/wvuaweather or WVUA-TV Weather. You can find us on twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.com or WVUA-TV Weather. Great way to get weather updates! Plus, facebook is a great way to send us weather pictures. Simply tag us!

Also, join us live on WVUA-TV weekdays at 4, 5, 6 and 10 pm and weekends at 10pm for the very latest on your news, weather and sports.

Richard Scott

WVUA Chief Meteorologist

rscott@wvuatv.com