CHANCE OF STORMS THIS AFTERNOON; MORE STORMS INTO THE WEEKEND… Isolated showers and thunderstorms will form in the heat of the day across south Alabama and northwest Florida as the “dog days of summer” continue on this first day of August. See more about the “dog days” phrasing below! We continue to keep an eye on multiple tropical waves in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean that have a potential of developing into tropical storms in the days ahead.
HOT, SEASONAL SUMMER DAYS SET TO CONTINUE… Today, tomorrow, and the upcoming weekend look seasonal in that there will be plenty of heat, humidity, and a chance of pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours each day. High temperatures will be in the mid-90s with morning lows around 71° for the foreseeable future. Severe weather is not expected today or in the next 5 days, but the pop-up storms that form can produce very heavy downpours of rain, cloud-to-ground lightning, and gusty winds.
70+% CHANCE OF TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IN ATLANTIC… The tropical wave that emerged from the western coast of Africa earlier this week continues to move westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. NHC suggests there is an increasing (70-80%) chance that this system will become a tropical storm as it moves west-northwest this weekend when the system is just to the east of the Leeward Islands. Interests in Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands should closely monitor the progress of this developing system. It’s far too early to know exactly where this system will end up. We’ll keep you posted.
INVEST 95L STILL UNORGANIZED… The National Hurricane Center still pins the development probabilities for INVEST 95L, the tropical wave now located over the Turks & Caicos islands, at 0-10%. I’m not seeing any development happening on any of the major global models at this point, and I still believe that odds are such that formal development WON’T happen. The system brought heavy rain to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Heavy rain will be possible at times in The Bahamas this weekend because of this system. Formal development looks unlikely. The tropical wave will continue to meander off the east coast of Florida this weekend before turning out to sea by early next week. No direct local impacts will happen in south Alabama or northwest Florida because of this system regardless of if formal development happens.
DOG DAYS EXPLAINER… I must confess, I learned something new this morning. Turns out the phrase “dog days of summer” has been around for thousands of years. The phrase can be attributed to Ancient Greece. “Dog days” refer to the hottest, most uncomfortable weeks of summer. You can read all about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_days
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See all the graphics and details in your Thursday #rzw forecast video… Have a great day!
