Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
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790 FXUS64 KBMX 021143 AFDBMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 643 AM CDT Tue Jul 2 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today through Wednesday) Issued at 255 AM CDT TUE JUL 2 2024 Currently the weak front has stalled near the Montgomery area (or just south) as depicted by dewpoint trends. Eufaula has a dewpoint of 75, Selma 73, Troy 72, and Montgomery 71. Just north of the Alabama River Prattville`s dewpoint is at 68. So somewhere in that that vicinity. Mid-level ridging to our north has allowed easterly flow to develop. This flow is escorting a trough in the east counties this morning. Am isolated shower and lower clouds are observed with this trough that is wedging into the area. As we move past sunrise, the frontal boundary actually move to the south of the area, but the trough will continue to slide west. Rain chances will increase from east to west through the day as well as possibly expanding to the north right along the trough axis in the afternoon. With the clouds and increase in rain there will be a temperature gradient across the state with upper 80s in the east to mid to upper 90s in the west. Enough concern over the heat levels in the west has warranted a Heat Advisory for the western zones today and will continue through Wednesday. Any shower or storm should quickly dissipate after sunset with the loss of the heating for the day. Clouds will remain and lower again overnight. We will begin to see an increase in the southerly winds overnight so more moisture will begin to work into the area. Lows will ,be in the low to mid 70s. For Wednesday, the added moisture means increased dewpoints. Temperatures will not be much different that today, so feel as though the heat concern will be for much of the same area on Wednesday. This is the reason for going ahead an going through Wednesday. We may need to expand on Wednesday, but we should see more coverage of showers and storms so confidence was not high enough to include any more counties for now. This is just the start of several days this week that Heat Advisories will be issued so plan now. 16 && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday night through next Monday) Issued at 243 AM CDT TUE JUL 2 2024 Key messages: - Heat indices at or above 105 degrees are expected across much of Central Alabama on Independence Day, along with scattered afternoon showers and storms. Make sure to stay hydrated and be prepared to move indoors if storms approach your outdoor activities. - A transition to a wetter pattern will take place Friday through the weekend, with an eventual decrease in heat indices depending on the coverage of showers and storms each day. Strong subtropical ridging initially over Central Alabama will gradually weaken and move eastward to the East Coast through the period, in response to a deepening trough over the north-central CONUS resulting in a weakness in the ridge developing in the south-central CONUS. Ridging remains in place on Independence Day, however, but moisture will increase enough for scattered afternoon showers and storms across all of Central Alabama. Some isolated showers and storms may linger into the evening, diminishing after sunset. Heat indices outside of convection should be at or above 105 across much of Central Alabama. On Friday a seasonally strong shortwave will be moving through the Midwest while a cold front sinks southeastward into the Mid-South. The southern fringe of the westerlies associated with the trough will move into the northern half of Central Alabama. In response to these features showers and storms should increase in coverage especially across the northern half of Central Alabama. Dew points will remain high but temperatures will be dependent on how quickly storms develop/move into the area, which will determine where heat indices reach 105 degrees. A pattern change will be in place by this weekend into early next week with southwest flow aloft ahead of troughing over the Central CONUS. A frontal boundary will remained stalled across the area with above average rain chances along and southeast of it. This should provide some relief from the higher heat indices, though they may still reach 105 in some of the southern counties depending on convection. Meanwhile Hurricane Beryl is forecast by NHC to weaken to a tropical storm by the time it reaches the southwestern Gulf on Saturday. There is quite a bit of ensemble spread regarding whether it will continue moving westward into Mexico, or get pulled northward by the trough into the northwestern Gulf. If the further east solutions happen to verify, it`s plausible that some tropical moisture could wrap around the ridge towards us. Regardless, a wetter and less oppressive pattern looks to be setting up by next week. 32/Davis && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 645 AM CDT TUE JUL 2 2024 The westward moving trough will help clouds move west this morning but should now only impact MGM, ANB, ans ASN before mixing out with the sun. Continued with the tempo for MVFR ceilings at those sites. Also continued added in prob30 for TSRA at MGM after 18z. Winds become variable 5 kts overnight, then shift east southeast behind the trough around 10 kts. Some MVFR clouds will once again try to slide in from the east overnight after 9z. 16 && .FIRE WEATHER... Warm and humid conditions are expected through the rest of the week. Scattered afternoon showers and storms will be possible especially across the southern half of Central Alabama today and Wednesday, and across all of Central Alabama by Thursday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 93 71 93 72 / 10 10 20 10 Anniston 89 73 91 75 / 20 10 30 10 Birmingham 93 75 94 76 / 20 10 30 10 Tuscaloosa 95 76 95 76 / 20 10 30 10 Calera 93 75 93 76 / 20 10 30 10 Auburn 88 74 90 75 / 30 10 50 20 Montgomery 92 75 92 76 / 40 20 60 20 Troy 91 73 91 73 / 50 30 70 20 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT Wednesday for the following counties: Autauga-Bibb-Chilton-Dallas-Fayette- Greene-Hale-Lamar-Lowndes-Marengo-Perry-Pickens-Sumter- Tuscaloosa. && $$ SHORT TERM...16 LONG TERM....32 AVIATION...16