August did end with high tempreatures near average highs, and unexpectedly so. The forecast was for 82, and the high was 86. Tuesday’s forecast is for 83, as is Wednesday’s. If this weather pattern is to comtinue, it may well end up warmer than those forecast numbers, since forecast TRENDS should be weighted higher than what computer models frequently try to forecast.
So because of THIS very discussion I am raising the forecast highs above what numbers I have suggested above.
The numbers in your mirror ARE larger than they appear. But don’t you LOVE the warm weather accompanied by the low humidities.
Check the 7-Day forecast for details and follow Storm Force31 on Twitter @ stormforce31, and on Facebook, Storm Force 31.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
As a couple upper level storms move across the Tennessee Valley, we’ll see a few waves of shower and thundershower chances across the area on Saturday, as a cool front passes across very slowly. The rain chances will end in the Shoals by early afternoon Saturday, Southern Middle Tennessee by mid-afternoon, but lingering in the mountains of Northeast Alabama into the evening, then returning Sunday as another upper level wave slips overhead, delivering the wind flow pattern that will deliver the coolest air of this weather pattern.
Sunday will see sunny skies and nice weather in the Shoals, most of North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee, while parts of Northeast Alabama will languish in a few low clouds and some light rain.
By Monday, ALL of us will see morning lows in the low to middle 50s and will stay in the 70s during the afternoon.
Some VERY pleasant weather coming our way for most of the week next week!
Check the 7-Day forecast for details and follow Storm Force31 on Twitter @ stormforce31, and on Facebook, Storm Force 31.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
Surface Storms Plus Upper Level ‘Waves’ Equal Scattered Showers
While it is becoming less and less possible to specifically forecast the timing of showers and storms until the cool front passes across the Tennessee Valley, there will be showers and storms timed out along with surface features left over from previous outflow boundaries. When moisture laden air is pushed upward by these existing boundaries or slightly cooler air passes above the warm air, then the warm air rises, produces clouds, and eventually showers and t-storms. And THIS, in a nutshell, is what makes forecasting the timing of specific areas of showers and t-storms virtually impossible.
THEREFORE (as a preacher said several years ago, in the Bible, when you see the word ‘THEREFORE’, find out what it is ‘there for’…) there remain chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms at times mostly during the heat of the day, but, please remember that the timing of these storms will remain suspect until the cool front clears the Tennessee Valley, putting us in drier and cooler air for several days.
Check the 7-Day forecast for details and follow Storm Force31 on Twitter @ stormforce31, and on Facebook, Storm Force 31.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
I COULD go into deep explanations about how this and that will combine to make for higher humidities and diminishing air qualities through Saturday, and how this and that will combine to make for increasing chances for daily thunderstorms and showers every afternoon, but I don’t always want my doctor to explain to me why Nexium stops my GERDS or my lawn mower maker the science of mixing air and fuel to make an especially dangerous blade whir at such a speed as to cut then pulverise organic matter. I just take the pill and pull the cord.
Check the 7-Day forecast for details and follow Storm Force31 on Twitter @ stormforce31, and on Facebook, Storm Force 31.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
Another tropical storm is making its way toward the Eastern Seaboard this week as Tropical Storm Danny forms in the western Atlantic. This storm will raise the danger level of waves and rip currents along eastern beaches this final non-holiday weekend of the summer, and all who are traveling to the East Coast need to remain aware of the danger spread shoreward by the increases surf and wave action.
The western track of the National Hurricane Center forecast places this storm either on or very near the Mid-Atlantic coast late this week and keeps the surf at dangerous levels through the weekend. As far as the weather in the Tennessee Valley is concerned, the cyclonic wind flow around the Tropical Storm will help to pull a cool front across the area this weekend, helping to assure a very pleasant end to August 2009.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
As is POSSIBLE, the link below gives a map where the shuttle is viewable from the Southeastern part of the United States. If the shuttle launches on time, the map gives the part of the sky toward which to look to see the shuttle rocketing into orbit.
On this space shuttle will be the Materials Science Research Rack. A rack of instruments and equipment developed at Marshall Space Flight Center, that will be delivered to the International Space Station.
Please take a few minutes to read about what our friends and neighbors are working on to advance the world’s understanding of science.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
So, last week, why WAS it so terribly humid so suddenly? Three words… Tropical Strom Claudette. Once that storm moved ashore and into the Tennessee Valley, underneath an upper level wind flow pattern that was very stagnant, the humidity just SAT and SAT right on top of us.
This week, the weather pattern is a bit more ‘progressive’, meaning as the humidities rise much slower than the temperatures. As the afternoon highs climb back into the upper 80s to near 90, it will feel uncomfortable, but the dew points will not be rising into the MIDDLE 70s, where they were at times last week.
The tropics, after showing a quick explosion in activity, are back down to the recent quiet pattern, with one tropical wave heading toward the windward islands moving toward the Virgin Islands as a potentially developing tropical system, that is being monitored by the National Hurricane Center.
As August comes to an end (climinating with my birthday in one week, hint hint) there is a possibility of having an active tropical system threatening the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
As the moisture and instability from Tropical Storm Claudette have lingered in the Southeast, and as the moisture from once Tropical Storm Ana covers much of the Southeast, and as the VERY MUGGY air from the VERY WARM Gulf of Mexico all FINALLY GET PUSHED OUT OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY be a Friday Cool Front, the weather will be gorgeous!
However, until that time, we have a chance for showers and thundershowers at almost any hour of the day and night, with higher chances in the afternoons and early evenings.
But once the front passes through, the temperatures behind the front will be comfortable because the humidity will drop to levels not seen since the cool-down of July.
And since the hours of sunlight are getting fewer and fewer each day, any length of time we can feel lower humidities and cooler temperatures, the lesser the chances of seeing another string of hot and muggy weather. Only then can we start to look forward to the arrival of Fall.
Check the 7-Day forecast for details and follow Storm Force31 on Twitter @ stormforce31, and on Facebook, Storm Force 31.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
Appears that the left-overs of Ana will not redevelop into a tropical cyclone; however, until it completely moves out of the Gulf of Mexico will need to be monitored. It will enhance the tropical airmass over the Southeastern U.S. and that will continue to allow for daily tropical showers and thunderstorms to be possible. This will come to an end with the passage of a strong cold front early this weekend.
Hurricane Bill continues to churn in the Atlantic and is beginning to turn more north-northwesterly. This should keep Bill away from the Eastern U.S. coastline but it still may be a threat for the Canadian Maritimes. For a complete update on the tropics simply watch the below tropical update.
Tropical Storm Claudette will move ashore early Monday and continue to head NNW through Alabama. By evening it will move into the southwestern portions of the Tennessee Valley. With its arrival, tropical showers with some heavy downpours are expected. In addition, it will turn breezy with some wind gusts between 20-30 MPH. A complete look at the tropics is included in the below video update:
Janet Anderson, who works in the Media Relations department at the Marshall Space Flight Center, was kind enough to send me this information regarding the Persieds for Wednesday Night. Thankfully, we’ll see clearer skies tonight than most of last night.
Brad Huffines, Chief Meteorologist / Storm Force 31
Celestial Fireworks’ from Perseid Meteor Showers to Light Up the Sky Aug. 12!
Wednesday, Aug. 12, is the best period to observe the annual Perseid meteor shower — when tiny bits and pieces of the Comet Swift-Tuttle “shower” Earth’s skies.
Wednesday, Aug. 12, is the best period to observe the annual Perseid meteor shower — when tiny bits and pieces of the Comet Swift-Tuttle “shower” Earth’s skies.
Perseids appear each August as Earth passes close to the comet’s orbit around the Sun. Swift-Tuttle is a large comet — its nucleus is about 10 miles across — and dumps considerable dust and debris, creating meteors near Earth.
The Perseid shower is one of two “showy” annual meteor showers — the other is the Geminids shower in December — that has meteor rates high enough to capture the attention of even the most casual sky watcher.
Astronomers say people all around the world can expect to see the “celestial fireworks,” which will hurl pieces of meteors at a rate of nearly 80 per hour on the nights of Aug. 11/12. At its peak in 1993, the Perseid meteor shower had rates over three times normal – about 350 meteors per hour.
Optimum viewing occurs under clear skies, after the Moon sets. England and western Europe will be the best places to observe the maximum shower. However, the shower will not disappoint those on the other side of the Atlantic, where sky watchers with good, clear skies may see as many as 80 meteors per hour.
Over the past couple of days I have been able to capture some neat weather pics using our tower cameras. The first image I captured Tuesday morning as a thunderstorm complex approached the Shoals. This was the seen from our Jerry Damson Honda of Florence towercam.
What is seen is a shelf cloud. These occur along the front edge of cooler, out-flowing air from a thunderstorm and in some cases may appear to be rolling towards you. Often, shortly behind shelf clouds it becomes breezy and sometimes windy as outflow winds from the thunderstorm passes by. Several of you may have seen something very similar Tuesday evening across Madison county as another well defined shelf cloud passed through the region as thunderstorms moved through.
This morning I captured these images from our towercam on top of Monte Sano mountain. When I started my last weather hit out in the backyard water garden it was rather foggy. When I was completed with the weathercast I noticed it was clear! This first image was taken at the time the weathercast began.
And this second image was taken just 1 minute later. Notice how much clearing occured in such a short time period. You can also see that the top of the mountain was above the clouds/fog down in the Valley.
So as the old saying states, “Just wait a minute and the weather will change.” How true?
