First weather warning day for dangerous heat index values ​​this weekend

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Saturday! We’ve declared a First Alert Weather Day today and tomorrow due to high humidity and dangerous heat index levels. Highs could rise above 95 degrees Sunday afternoon, with a heat index above 104 degrees for most of central Alabama. Just make sure you stay hydrated and take multiple breaks. Check on your neighbors and make sure your pets are staying cool and drinking enough, too!

The morning will start out very warm with temperatures in the 24s. The dew point this morning is 21 degrees, meaning it’s very muggy outside. The mugginess will be a big factor for us over the weekend. The First Alert AccuTrack satellite and radar indicate mostly cloudy weather. We’re tracking some scattered showers. We’ve drawn a line that will bring scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across central Alabama this morning and into the afternoon hours. It might not be a bad idea to keep an umbrella in case a shower or thunderstorm brews. The biggest danger will be gusty winds and isolated heavy rain. This afternoon will likely be partly sunny to mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for the following counties today, effective from noon until 9 p.m. CDT: Marion, Winston, Cullman, Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Sumter, and Greene. Areas under a Heat Advisory are expected to see highs of 95 to 97 degrees F and a heat index of up to 104 degrees F. Areas outside the Heat Advisory are expected to see highs of 80 to 95 degrees F and a heat index of 97 to 103 degrees F. If you have plans for the evening, it’s expected to be mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain around 7 p.m. CDT. Temperatures are expected to drop to 80 degrees F and a heat index of 95 degrees F. Sunset is at 8:01 p.m. CDT.

Dangerous heat index values ​​on Sunday: Due to high humidity and dangerous feels like temperatures, we’ve declared a First Alert Weather Day tomorrow. Highs will likely rise above 95 degrees, with a heat index above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for most of central Alabama. When it gets very muggy, it’s harder for our bodies to cool down, and heat-related illnesses become more likely. It’s best to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and stay hydrated. Tomorrow morning, we’ll likely start with temperatures around 75 degrees and partly sunny skies. Tomorrow afternoon, it’ll likely get hotter quickly, with highs around 95 degrees. The good news about tomorrow’s heat is that we’ll have a better chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Thunderstorms will cool us down. I can’t rule out a strong storm tomorrow. The biggest danger will be heavy rain, damaging winds, hail, and frequent lightning. Remember: go indoors when it thunders! There’s a 60% chance of rain tomorrow. Hopefully we can get some much-needed rain across most of our region. Most of the state is unusually dry, and a moderate drought is developing in parts of central Alabama.

Drier air Monday: It looks like a weak cold front will move through central Alabama on Sunday evening. It won’t cool us down, but it will take some of the humidity out of the air. Monday morning we’ll likely see temperatures between 70 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Monday afternoon should be mostly sunny with highs in the 95 degrees Fahrenheit range. It will be a hot day, but it will be a dry heat with a heat index close to the actual air temperature.

Hot and humid start to July: It looks like the humidity will return on Tuesday and stick around for the rest of the week. Highs during the first full week of July will likely climb above 35 degrees, with overnight lows around 24 degrees. The heat index could reach 38 to 40 degrees for most of us next week. Isolated showers or storms are possible on Tuesday, but we could see widespread showers and storms again on Wednesday and Friday. Next weekend, the chance for showers and storms is higher. If you plan to be outdoors on Independence Day, be prepared for hot and humid weather with highs around 35 degrees and a 30 percent chance of rain.

Tropical Storm Beryl forms: Tropical Depression Two strengthened overnight and is now Tropical Storm Beryl. Winds are 50 mph as it moves west at 21 mph. A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados. Beryl is forecast to become a hurricane tonight into Sunday morning. The National Hurricane Center forecasts it to become a Category 2 hurricane, and it is possible it will develop into a major hurricane (Category 3+). Beryl will likely make landfall in the Leeward Islands as a hurricane on Monday. It will then move into the Caribbean, possibly reaching Jamaica by next Wednesday. It is too early to say if it will move into the Gulf of Mexico. Models suggest it may weaken as it makes contact with Jamaica/Cuba. I think the heat dome that is keeping us hot in the Southeast will keep this system to the south through next weekend.

We are also monitoring two other disturbances that may form. A low pressure system may form in the Bay of Campeche over the weekend. The probability of formation has increased to 40% in the next 48 hours. This system will not affect the United States, but it will bring wet weather to the Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Mexico this weekend and early next week.

The other system we’re monitoring is in the eastern Atlantic. It’s located several hundred miles south-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. It will likely follow a similar path to Beryl. Long-range models suggest this system has a good chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm in the next five to seven days. Unfortunately, this system could reach the Leeward Islands by the middle and end of next week. It’s very unusual for storms to form this far east in the Atlantic in late June/early July. It’s a pattern we’d normally see in late August. It could be a harbinger of what’s to come in hurricane season. The season typically peaks in September and officially ends on November 30th.

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