WBRC Weather

End of Meteorological Summer?

What in the world is meteorological Summer?  There are two kinds of seasons - meteorological and astronomical.  Meteorologists keep it simple.  Meteorological Summer begins June 1st and ends August 31st.  Not too surprisingly, September, October, and November are "meteorological fall", December through February are meteorological winter, and March through May are "meteorological spring".

So why the difference?  It's basically for record-keeping purposes and keeps things simple.

By the way, if you're looking at the calendar the last day of astronomical Summer is September 23.

James-Paul Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
james.dice@wbrc.com

PM Forecast Update

After a couple of cloudy and damp days, we are finally heading into a drier weather pattern.  The "pesky" low that was spinning across the state has finally drifted to the west.  High pressure will move in from the Northeast and this will keep Alabama mainly dry through the rest of the week.  We are expecting a few showers a weak cool front slides into the state on Friday.  I think the front will be moisture starved so don't expect much in the way of rain or thunderstorms.  If you have plans for a high school football, I'd expect no more than an isolated shower or storm. 

The weekend looks generally mild with highs Saturday reaching only the mid 80s.  Sunday will feel "fallish" with lows Sunday morning around 58.  As we move into next week, expect mainly dry conditions with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s.

 
Have a great evening!

James-Paul Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
james.dice@wbrc.com
 

Lots of Sunshine in Oneonta

Yo Yo Yo

I'm testin' dis microphone!

What are the three all-time greatest summer songs?

Test...test...tEst...teSt...tesT....TEST. Yep, this is pretty much a test.

TypePad Conversations » Answer this question!

Rainbow Over Shelby County

Monday Afternoon Forecast Discussion

This afternoon we’ve dealt with a cloudy sky and a steady light rain in many spots. The wet weather will gradually taper off overnight as an easterly flow takes over across Alabama. We will have some lingering showers and clouds during the evening, with lows in the upper 60s tonight. A broad surface high to our northeast will send a surge of dry air in tomorrow, with morning clouds giving way to sunshine.  Highs will be reaching the lower 90s during the afternoon, with a light east-southeast breeze for the final day of the month.   The weather for the rest of the work-week will be quite seasonal across our area. We will enjoy pleasant mornings, with lows near 70-degrees and rather hot afternoons. It will feel increasingly humid throughout the week, with highs back in the middle 90s by Friday afternoon. A cold front will approach the area late on Friday and this will bring a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms Friday night. A stray shower can’t be ruled out on Saturday, mainly early on, with a mix of clouds and sun in the afternoon.  Highs for the first big college football Saturday will reach the low 90s in Auburn, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham. Some slightly cooler air will drop in for Sunday and Monday, with highs back in the lower 90s. Earl developed into a major hurricane this afternoon. The cyclone passed about 60 miles northeast of St. Thomas and at last check was positioned about 120 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Earl is a category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph and the system may grow stronger. The good news is that Earl is curving northward and should not reach the Gulf of Mexico. The same goes for newly formed Tropical Storm Fiona, which is expected to turn northwest over the next 48 hours. Danielle in the meantime has pulled well away from the United States and this system continues to track into the northern Atlantic. Wes Wyatt Fox 6 Meteorologist wwyatt@wbrc.com Twitter: weswyattweather

Fiona Develops; Earl Getting Stronger

Dry but Not So Hot

East Alabama and West Georgia are in for a bit of a dry spell this week and probably beyond. High pressure at both the surface and aloft will take over the eastern U.S. and its influence will extend deep into the southern states. With more sunshine, the heat will be back. It won't be as extreme as what we experienced through the month of August, but will put us above 90º most days. The lows will be a bit more seasonable, with some areas falling into the 60s for morning lows. This high in the East will affect the activity coming this way out of the tropical Atlantic, as it helps to recurve Hurricane Earl north. Current projections have Earl just brushing past some of the easternmost portions of the coast, including the Outer Banks of North Carolina and possibly Cape Cod further north. The system following Earl - now Tropical Storm Fiona - might ultimately be more of a threat, but that's at least a week away. kschmitz@wtvm.com

Nice Break Sunday

Sunday's rain and "cooler" weather we're a welcome change after such a hot and at times dry summer. We picked up .76" of rain at Huntsville International Airport and it didn't all come in a 15 minute deluge. For much of the area the rain was steady and lasted for several hours. The high of 80 was our lowest since May 21st! Summer is not over yet though...I see more 90s in our future...but at least over the last week we have been seeing those hints of fall in the air! Jeff Castle WAFF 48 Storm Team