WBRC First Alert Weather

Heat Advisory, Air Quality Alert & Future Heat Relief Info

A heat advisory is effective through Monday evening and includes a large portion of the Fox 6 viewing area except for east Alabama. Highs in the middle and upper 90s are likely. The most intense feels like readings set up across the advised area and will range from 105° to 110° for several hours this and Monday afternoon. Being exposed to that kind of heat for a long period of time can increase the risk for heat related illnesses.

There is also an air quality alert in effect for Jefferson and Shelby counties. Code orange means that ozone levels are unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Follow these actions during air quality alerts:

• Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperatures.
• Limit driving and combine errands.
• Use the bus or car pool to work.
• Avoid use of gasoline power lawn and garden equipment.
• Refuel cars and trucks after 6pm.
• Limit engine idling.
• Use household, workshop and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation at a minimum or try to avoid them.
• If breathing becomes difficult then move indoors.

It's going to feel very uncomfortable outside today through Tuesday.  After that, drier air filters in and that will mean cooler temperatures and good feeling air.  It's going to be noticeable especially during the morning hours on Thursday and Friday.

Rain chance remains low today through Monday morning and then increases to 30% on Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.   Anticipate widely scattered showers and storms developing after 1PM on Monday through the early evening hours and then another round of showers and storms moving in during the overnight hours.  A few of those storms could be strong to severe as they enter the northern portion of the Fox 6 viewing area.   If this materializes, storms will have the potential of producing damaging wind gusts.  We'll keep you updated!  Rain chances drop off significantly the rest of next week.

Stay cool,

Jill Gilardi Fox 6 Meteorologist

@jillgilardi

www.facebook.com/JillGilardiMeteorologist

jgilardi@wbrc.com

Heat Advisory & Air Quality Alert & Heat Activated Storms

Temperatures will be in the 90s and feeling like it's in the lower 100s for several hours today.  A heat advisory is in effect this entire weekend.  Take it easy outside and drink plenty of water if you are going to be out there for a long period of time. 

Going to Sloss Music and Art Festival?  Expect temperatures in the 90s and feels like readings in the lower 100s through 7pm.  Temperatures during the overnight hours will fall back into the 80s but it will continue to feel very sticky.  Keep an eye to the sky just in case a shower or storm pops up and passes by.

Heading to Pelham Palooza?  It's going to feel the best early on but after 10AM temperatures will rise into the 90s and stay there for the duration of the event.  Drink plenty of water and find shade when you can.  Don't forget to apply sunscreen even though it will probably sweat off of you. ;)

There is also an air quality alert in effect today.   Code orange means the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, like children with asthma are most at risk. 

THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS DURING AN AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE:

CONSERVE ELECTRICITY AND SET YOUR AIR CONDITIONER AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE.

LIMIT DRIVING AND COMBINE ERRANDS.

USE THE BUS OR CAR POOL TO WORK.

AVOID USE OF GASOLINE POWER LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT.

REFUEL CARS AND TRUCKS AFTER 6 PM.

LIMIT ENGINE IDLING.

USE HOUSEHOLD, WORKSHOP AND GARDEN CHEMICALS IN WAYS THAT KEEP EVAPORATION TO A MINIMUM OR TRY TO AVOID THEM WHEN POOR AIR QUALITY IS FORECAST.

IF BREATHING BECOMES DIFFICULT, MOVE INDOORS.

We'll see heat activated showers and storms pop up today.  Track the activity using the WBRC Weather App.   The storms can knock down temperatures some 10 to 20 degrees.  The threat for severe storms is low but not zero with this kind of heat in place.

Rain chances remain low but not zero over the next 7 days. 

Stay cool,

Jill Gilardi Fox 6 Meteorologist

 

 

There's a reason why it's hazy outside - Saharan dust

What?  You might be asking.  From where? Yup, dust all the way from Africa has made it to our sky.  This means the dust traveled almost 5,000 miles.  This isn't uncommon, especially this time of year.  Dust moved from the African coast and was picked up by the trade winds and sent westward.  This is why the sky looks so hazy today.

Interesting, huh?

That's your science lesson for today! ;)

Jill Gilardi Fox 6 Meteorologist

High "Frizz Factor" Today

Dew points are in the 70s and that makes for a bad hair day and if you have long hair, you might just want to put it up in a ponytail.

Dew point temperature is a measure of moisture in the air and is much more reliable than relative humidity.

When dew points are that high it makes it feel much hotter than the actual temperature.  How hot it makes our body feel is known as the heat index.  Dew points in the 70s make it hard for the body to cool off and you'll find yourself sweating a lot more on a muggy day than on a non-muggy day.

Heat indices will range from the middle and upper 90s this afternoon and even the lower 100s especially west of I-65.  If you are going to be working outside in this kind of heat there are precautions you should take.  Remember to drink plenty of water, take many breaks in the shade and pay attention to your body because heat related illnesses might set in if you exert yourself too much on a hot and humid day.

Heat-Related Illness Symptoms and First Aid

HEAT CRAMPS

• Symptoms:
  • Painful muscle cramps and spasms usually in legs and abdomen
  • Heavy sweating
• First Aid:
  • Apply firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm.
  • Give sips of water, if nausea occurs, discontinue water

HEAT EXHAUSTION

• Symptoms:
  • Heavy sweating
  • Weakness
  • Cool, pale, clammy skin
  • Weak pulse
  • Possible muscle cramps
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fainting
  • Normal temperature possible
• First Aid:
  • Move person to a cooler environment
  • Remove or loosen clothing
  • Apply cool, wet cloths
  • Fan or move victim to air conditioned room
  • Offer sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue water. If vomiting continues, seek immediate medical attention.

HEAT STROKE (or sunstroke)

• Symptoms:
  • Altered mental state
  • Possible throbbing headache, confusion, nausea, dizziness, shallow breathing
  • High body temperature (106°F or higher)
  • Skin may be hot and dry, or patient may be sweating
  • Rapid pulse
  • Possible unconsciousness
• First Aid:
• Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Summon emergency medical assistance or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal.
• Move the victim to a cooler, preferably air-conditioned, environment
• Reduce body temperature with a water mister and fan or sponging
• Use fan if heat index temperatures are below the high 90s
• Use extreme caution
• If temperature rises again, repeat process
• Do NOT give fluids

 

*NEVER LEAVE ANYONE INSIDE A VEHICLE, INCLUDING PETS ON HOT AND HUMID DAYS, EVEN IF YOU CRACK THE WINDOWS IT CAN GET VERY HOT AND QUICKLY.*

Stay cool, this is just the beginning of what's to come this summer! 

-Jill Gilardi Fox 6 Meteorologist

Twitter:  @jillgilardi

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/JillGilardiMeteorologist

jgilardi@wbrc.com

 

 

Tree Pollen Levels Back On The Rise This Week

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
Twitter @weswyattweather
Facebook.com/weswyattfox6
wwyatt@wbrc.com

Ever Wondered What Causes The Colorful Sunsets?

(Green Pond, AL)

I’ve received lots of emails about the colorful sky that we witnessed Friday afternoon. Most viewers have described a dark red and orange colored sky over the horizon. These colorful scenes are caused by the scattering of light. This scattering of light is linked to the colorful sunrises and sunsets we witness on clear dry days. It is also the reason our sky is blue. 

So if you wondering what object is scattering the sunlight, its actually the small targets suspended in the atmosphere. The light produced by our sun produces a visible spectrum of different colors, blues, greens, and reds. Blue colors are associated with the shorter wavelengths on this visible spectrum while reds are associated with the longer wavelengths. When the suns light strikes the tiniest molecules in our atmosphere (air molecules) the short blue wavelengths are scattered more effectively, producing the blue sky we see on a daily basis. This scattering is known as Rayleigh Scattering after British Physicist Lord Rayleigh. In the late afternoon the light has to travel further through our atmosphere resulting in more scattering of light and we are left with the beautiful yellow and red colors. This is also the reason a full moon may appear red when it is low on the horizon. 

There is another type of scattering named after German physicist Gustav Mie. When light interacts with particles larger than the wavelengths in the visible spectrum the result is a white color. This scattering is associated with particles like water droplets and dust. It is also the reason clouds are white and the reason for hazy conditions on humid summer days in Alabama. Both types of scattering are not exclusive but often occur together to provide colorful scenes like the one witnessed on Friday. If you capture a colorful sunrise or sunset pic please share. There are several ways you can submit your pictures. You can email them to us at pix@wbrc.com, through our free Fox 6 Weather App, or you can share them via facebook or twitter. 

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
Twitter @weswyattweather
Facebook.com/weswyattfox6
wwyatt@wbrc.com

Severe weather update 153 am

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MISSISSIPPI...

....WIND ADVISORY FOR ALABAMA THURSDAY...

A strong cold front is located in Arkansas early this morning, and is moving southeast rather quickly.  Southerly flow ahead of the front has started to bring warm, moist air at the lower levels into Mississippi and west Alabama (see Wes's post below), and as the front gets closer, winds will increase this morning, possibly gusting to 30 mph in valleys and 40 mph or more on ridgetops. 

As is often the case with winter time systems, there is a lot of wind shear with this one.  Winds at the surface are blowing out of the SE at 20 mph or so, but at 3,000 feet, winds are blowing out of the SW at 60 mph, producing spin in the atmosphere.  Helicity values, that represent the spin in the atmosphere necessary for storm rotation, are between 200 and 400 m2/s2 in MS this morning, and these values will spread over Alabama by 6 am.  This means that storms can survive in a more stable environment than normal, and also that storms that do form may rotate.

However, the air is not that unstable for thunderstorms, and is not expected to become very unstable today in areas north of I-20.   Even with some warm air at the ground, temperatures aloft are not too cold, therefore storms do not have much energy.  However, we will have to watch closely, as there have been some reports of wind damage with the storms in Arkansas and Texas last evening, and with winds of 60 mph just above the surface, it will not take much of a downdraft in a storm to bring some of those winds down, producing scattered wind gusts of 50 mph around central Alabama and maybe some power outages.  This should not be a major storm for Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, or Anniston.  Farther south, where the air will be more unstable, a few more storms may be severe, and there is a small chance of tornadoes.   You can never rule anything out as we learned last week in the storms that came through and produced a tornado on Finley Avenue that lasted 2 minutes, but most of us will see wind and rain.

It will get much colder after the front goes by Alabama, with temperatures dropping into the 40s by this afternoon, and wind chill near 30 by 5 pm.  Friday morning will be very cold with temperatures near 30 and wind chills near 20.

More later, as we will be watching this situation carefully at WBRC.

On the northern end of this winter storm, snow is falling tonight, and thundersnow, much like we had in the Blizzard of 1993, is occurring over parts of Iowa.  Check out this video.

(madridiowaweather.com) 

Dr. Tim Coleman

Research Meteorologist

Fox 6 Severe Weather Expert and Blogger

Twitter at timbhm

 

NWS Issues A Dense Fog Advisory-Low Visibilities Expected Tonight

FROM NWS...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST SUNDAY...(FOR COUNTIES HIGHLIGHTED IN GRAY)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST SUNDAY.

* TIMING...WILL LAST THROUGH 9 AM SUNDAY MORNING.

* VISIBILITIES...WILL BE LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS...DUE TO FOG WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. DRIVERS
  SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE
REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS. IF DRIVING...SLOW DOWN...USE
YOUR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS...AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

Dust Plume Reaches Alabama-Poor Air Quality This Afternoon

We are dealing with some very hazy conditions across the area today and this is being caused a large dust plume. High winds over the nations midsection created a large dust storm over the states of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma yesterday. The dust associated with the storm has managed to migrate eastward and settle over Alabama. Most of the dust is concentrated below 5,000 ft (roughly below the 850 MB pressure level). The air quality across the area should gradually improve by the evening hours as the dust plume continues eastward. Those sensitive to poor air quality can expect these conditions to linger this afternoon.

Fox6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt

wwyatt@wbrc.com

Twitter @weswyattweather

Facebook.com/weswyattfox6

Air Quality Alert For Today

...CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
JEFFERSON AND SHELBY COUNTIES...

THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (ADEM) HAS ISSUED
A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR JEFFERSON AND SHELBY COUNTIES
FOR THURSDAY...AUG 18, 2011.

UNDER CODE ORANGE CONDITIONS...GROUND LEVEL OZONE CONCENTRATIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO REACH LEVELS THAT ARE UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE
GROUPS.  CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA...ARE INDIVIDUALS MOST AT
RISK UNDER THESE EXPECTED CONDITIONS.

ADEM RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS DURING AN OZONE ALERT DAY...

CONSERVE ELECTRICITY AND SET YOUR AIR CONDITIONER AT A HIGHER
TEMPERATURE.

LIMIT DRIVING AND COMBINE ERRANDS.

USE THE BUS OR CARPOOL TO WORK.

AVOID USE OF GASOLINE POWERED LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT.

REFUEL CARS AND TRUCKS AFTER 6 PM.

LIMIT ENGINE IDLING.

USE HOUSEHOLD...WORKSHOP...AND GARDEN CHEMICALS IN WAYS THAT KEEP
EVAPORATION TO A MINIMUM...OR TRY TO AVOID USING THEM WHEN POOR AIR
QUALITY IS FORECAST.

IF BREATHING BECOMES DIFFICULT...MOVE INDOORS.