Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
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767 FXUS64 KBMX 221058 AFDBMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 558 AM CDT Sat Jun 22 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today through Sunday) Issued at 1233 AM CDT SAT JUN 22 2024 The trend continues to show a lack of moisture through Sunday afternoon. Have backed off of the slight chance for this afternoon in the far southeast and will now go with a dry forecast. Looks like the ridge is going to win out of the weak disturbance that is currently in southeastern Georgia. A weak boundary will approach the north late Sunday afternoon, but looks like it will hold off entering the area until after sunset. Will go with some low end chances for rain but remain below 20 percent, so will stay dry with this forecast. Biggest issues for the weekend will be the heat. Highs will be in the mid 90s today and mid to upper 90s on Sunday. We should remain below advisory criteria of 105 heat index, but it will be close. 16 && .LONG TERM... (Sunday night through next Friday) Issued at 310 AM CDT SAT JUN 22 2024 Key messages: - Hot conditions continue into early next week with heat indices at or above 105 possible, especially Tuesday afternoon. - One or more complexes of showers and storms may provide some temporary respite from the heat Wednesday but also gusty winds. However, details remain uncertain this far out. Subtropical ridging will be centered over the Southern High Plains to start the period, while a trough amplifies over the Northeast CONUS. This will place Central Alabama under weak northwest flow aloft. A weak cold front will become diffuse across Kentucky and Tennessee Sunday night, while a lee trough will be located along the East Coast. A pre-frontal axis of PWATs near 2 inches will move into our northern counties Sunday night. This may result in a couple showers and storms moving into our northern counties from the north Sunday night into Monday morning, though mid-level lapse rates will be poor with weak shear and limited forcing/convergence. As is typical this time of year, there won`t be any cool air with the front but there will be a pronounced moisture gradient, with the better moisture shifting to the southern counties by Monday afternoon. Widely scattered showers and storms will be possible though models seem to be backing off on coverage. With less coverage, temperatures will warm up. Dew points will mix out some in the afternoon, but not quite as much as previous days given the increased moisture, so heat indices may reach 105 degrees in spots. The moisture boundary will become oriented northwest to southeast by Tuesday with diurnal convection possible along and southwest of it under weak ridging/flow aloft, though there is some spread in the placement of this boundary. Prior to convection, temperatures will warm into the upper 90s. The placement of the moisture boundary will determine where dew points mix out the most, but with the hotter temperatures a heat advisory appears likely for at minimum the southern and western counties. A shortwave in northwest flow aloft will result in troughing temporarily developing over the Southeast CONUS Wednesday and Thursday. One or more MCSs could move through during this time with increasing moisture. Wednesday will see the highest rain chances of the period with potential for a brief respite from the heat depending on the timing of the MCS(s). Nothing really jumps out too much in the convective environment just yet, but will keep an eye out for the potential for gusty winds with any cold pools. It`s too far out for any details on these MCSs. Ridging builds back into the area by the end of the week causing the heat to return, though some troughing and associated rain chances may linger near our southeast counties. 32/Davis && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 557 AM CDT SAT JUN 22 2024 VFR conditions dominate the period. It looks as though winds will be light and variable throughout. Not much in the way of cloud cover with a few cumulus around 070-090 and some cirrus. 16 && .FIRE WEATHER... Dry conditions will continue through Sunday. 20 foot winds will be light and variable today, and become westerly Sunday at 4 to 8 mph. Afternoon RH values should range from 30 to 40 percent each day through Sunday. Overnight RH values will be above 80 percent. Scattered rain chances return on Monday and Tuesday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 95 70 97 73 / 10 0 10 30 Anniston 94 72 96 74 / 10 0 10 30 Birmingham 96 74 98 76 / 10 0 10 20 Tuscaloosa 95 72 97 75 / 0 0 10 20 Calera 96 73 98 75 / 0 0 10 20 Auburn 93 73 96 74 / 10 0 0 10 Montgomery 97 72 98 76 / 0 0 0 10 Troy 97 71 98 74 / 10 0 10 10 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...16 LONG TERM....32 AVIATION...16