BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Hi all!
THIS EVENING: Happy Saturday and Labor Day weekend y’all! It’s been another scorcher across Central Alabama today. The high temperature for Birmingham got up to 102 degrees! A Heat Advisory stays in effect through 8 pm tomorrow, with heat index values up to 109 possible. If you’re spending any time outside the rest of this evening, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and taking breaks from the heat! We’re continuing to track some isolated showers and thunderstorms across the area this afternoon. The better chance for storms will mostly stay along and south of I-20/59, but a few storms could sneak into parts of northeast Alabama later this evening. Any storm could bring heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds. If you’re heading out for any Saturday evening plans, keep the WBRC First Alert Weather App nearby. Storms will be hit-or-miss so not everyone will see rain. Any lingering storms should fizzle out tonight, with temperatures falling into the 80s this evening and the mid 70s by tomorrow morning.
FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY: We have one more day of dangerous heat to get through! We’ve extended Sunday to be another First Alert Weather Day, with the Heat Advisory continuing through the evening tomorrow. Temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 90s with heat index values potentially reaching up to 109 again. We’ll be watching a boundary moving into Central Alabama from the north and northeast. This will help trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon and evening. The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of our southern counties under a Marginal Risk (Level 1 out of 5) for severe storms Sunday. The main concern will be gusty winds, along with frequent lightning and localized heavy rainfall. Storms will be scattered, so this won’t be an all-day washout and not everyone will see rain. The better opportunity will be across the southern half of our area where that low risk is. If you have outdoor plans Sunday, you’ll want to keep an eye on both the heat AND the radar.
THIS WEEK: We finally get a little bit of improvement for Labor Day! NWS is holding off on extending the Heat Advisory into Monday for now. The boundary moving through the southeast should knock temperatures down a couple of degrees while also letting some slightly drier air slide into Central Alabama. Don’t get too excited though…it’s still going to be hot! Highs will reach the low to mid 90s Monday, but heat index values should stay below the Heat Advisory criteria. I can’t rule out a stray afternoon shower or storm. The upper-level ridge responsible for our stretch of extreme heat should finally begin breaking down around midweek. Highs will still run above average in the low to mid 90s Tuesday through Friday, but humidity levels should become a little more manageable.
Most of next week looks fairly dry with only isolated rain chances. By later this week, another front could approach the Southeast and may eventually bring our next opportunity for more widespread showers and storms. Safe to say we’re not exactly getting a taste of fall just yet, but at least the extreme heat should start backing off after Sunday!
Have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend & stay safe friends!…