James Spann: Dry air settles into Alabama

DRY PATTERN: An unusually dry air mass has dropped into the Deep South this morning. There’s no rain across Alabama at daybreak, and we expect no rain through tonight. It is very hard to find a July day around here without at least a few afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Today’s high will be close to 90, and with lower dewpoints the humidity levels will drop this afternoon.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Expect partly to mostly sunny days, fair nights and highs between 90 and 95 degrees. While a small shower or two can’t be totally ruled out during the afternoons and evenings, the chance of any one spot getting wet is only 10% Friday and Saturday and 15-20% Sunday. You couldn’t ask for better weather for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

NEXT WEEK: Showers will remain hard to find over the first half of the week, but we expect an increase in the number of showers and thunderstorms by Thursday and Friday as moisture levels rise and the air becomes unstable. Highs will be in the low 90s through Wednesday, followed by upper 80s Thursday and Friday.

TROPICS: An area of low pressure is forecast to develop along a weakening frontal boundary near Florida or the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States by early this weekend. Environmental conditions appear only marginally conducive for some slow development, but a tropical or subtropical depression could form in this region over the weekend or early next week while the system drifts northward or northeastward.

Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible across portions of the southeastern U.S., particularly across the west-central Florida coast. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 50% chance of development in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

This feature will not affect the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach), where the weather looks very favorable for the holiday weekend. The rest of the Atlantic basin remains very quiet.

ON THIS DATE IN 1975: Up to 3 inches of rain caused flash flooding throughout Las Vegas. The main damage occurred to vehicles at Caesars Palace, with approximately 700 damaged or destroyed and several cars found miles away. North Las Vegas was hardest hit, with $3.5 million in damage. Two people drowned in the flood waters.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.