Area of interest in the Atlantic

Tropical Storm Erika could very well form over the next 48 hours. The NHC in Miami has sent Hurricane hunters to investigate it and into Hurricane Jimena (a major cat4)as well. Jimena is still forecast to strenthen a little more before it makes landfall sometime Wednesday morning alon the Baja Pennisula. The area of concern in the Atlantic is around 500 miles east of the leeward Islands and showing signs of getting more and more organized and could very well be Erika soon.

Sad night in Alabama High School Football

This is not weather related but since I am a highschool official I wanted to pass this along to everyone. We had 2 Tragedies in Alabama high school footbal on Friday night as the 2009 season got under way. Head Football Coach, Keith Howard from Lincoln High School left the game at halftime with chest pains. He also passed away at the local hospital. His team was notified with four minutes left in the game as the game was concluded.Howard had coached at Lincoln since 2004. In last year's season, his team compiled an 11-2 record after securing a 9-0 start. The team received a number-one ranking for the first time in school history.

In 2007, Lincoln went 9-4. In both of the last two seasons, the Golden Bears went to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. Howard's teams went 34-23 in his five-plus years at Lincoln.

Before coaching at Lincoln, Howard served at Ragland where, over three seasons, he led the Purple Devils to a record of 27-7. Including Lincoln's victory over Etowah Friday night, Howard's coaching record was 61-30.

Howard's top running back at Lincoln, D.J. Howard (no relation), committed to Auburn earlier this year.

Lincoln players and fans did not learn of Howard's death until after Friday night's game. Once they learned the news, they gathered on the Etowah field and said a prayer for Howard's family.

Howard also served as Lincoln's athletics director and taught physical education and weight lifting at Lincoln High.

Lets keep his family in our thoughts and prayers as well.And also Official James Parrish from Dothan died tonight from a heart attack. He collapsed during the second quarter as he was delivering a penalty. Later he was pronouced dead at the hospital after numerous efforts to revive him. According to his friends, he will leave a mark for both his humanity and his professionalism.
Please keep these Families in your prayers as well as the offciating crew who lost a co-worker and for the players of Lincoln High who lost their coach and mentor. Be safe in all you do.

Could Danny Be On The Horizon?

The NHC is watching an area in the Atlantic with a 30-50% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone. And another area of interest with less than 30% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone1. UPDATED...A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA IS PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY. ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BE SLOW TO
OCCUR DUE TO PROXIMITY TO LAND. REGARDLESS OF DEVELOPMENT...HEAVY
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE OVER NICARAGUA...COSTA RICA...AND PANAMA
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS THE LOW MOVES WESTWARD AT 20 TO 25 MPH.
THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM
BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

2. DISORGANIZED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS A FEW HUNDRED MILES EAST OF
THE LEEWARD ISLANDS CONTINUE IN ASSOCIATION WITH A TROPICAL WAVE
INTERACTING WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW. SOME SLOW DEVELOPMENT OF THIS
SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS IT MOVES TOWARD
THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT 20 TO 25 MPH. THERE IS A MEDIUM CHANCE...30
TO 50 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING
THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

Here is a radar look at the main area of interest. If it does become Danny it is forecast to turn right up the easten seaboard and follow near same path as Bill.

Bill, Weak But Strong Now CAT 3

Well the weather around here in Alabama is now quiet. I had 0.35" of rain since 6:00am yesterday. me and the family went on a small trip yesterday and got caught in some heavy rain near Rogersville and took a few photos before and after the storm here are a few. Notice the post storm sunset from Wednesday.

Well as you can see from the above SAT photo Bill's eye is still visible but not as defined as it was yesterday morning. It is still pretty visible in the infrared photo.

...LARGE HURRICANE BILL ON A STEADY NORTHWESTWARD TRACK...RAINBANDS
ALREADY AFFECTING BERMUDA...

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR
BERMUDA.

INTERESTS ALONG THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND AND IN THE CANADIAN
MARITIMES SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF BILL.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 1100 AM AST...1500 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 66.3 WEST OR ABOUT 335 MILES...
540 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 755 MILES...1215 KM...
SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA.

BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR. A
GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST AND THEN NORTH IS EXPECTED
LATER TODAY AND SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CORE OF
HURRICANE BILL IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER THE OPEN WATERS BETWEEN
BERMUDA AND THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES ON SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY TODAY AND
SATURDAY.

BILL REMAINS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES...465 KM. RADAR
FROM BERMUDA INDICATES THAT SOME RAINBANDS ARE ALREADY AFFECTING
BERMUDA.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 958 MB...28.29 INCHES.

BILL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3
INCHES OVER BERMUDA...WITH MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 5 INCHES.

THE BERMUDA WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST THAT THE STORM TIDE WILL RAISE
WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL ALONG THE
COAST...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IN ADVANCE
OF BILL.

LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY THIS HURRICANE ARE AFFECTING PUERTO
RICO...HISPANIOLA...THE BAHAMAS...AND BERMUDA...AND SHOULD BEGIN
AFFECTING MOST OF THE U.S. EAST COAST AND THE ATLANTIC MARITIMES OF
CANADA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THESE SWELLS WILL LIKELY CAUSE
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SURF AND LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS.

...SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...27.6N 66.3W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 325 DEGREES AT 18 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...958 MB

Bermuda Beware

Here comes Bill. The projected path of Bill will bring the eye 240 miles from the island but they will not escape the fury of Bill. Bill is LARGE. Hurricane-force winds extend 105 miles from the center while TS-force winds extend 260 miles from the center. MAn I wish I was in Bermuda.

Watching Bill And Here At Home

Well lets start with the weather here at home. The SPC has issued their slight risk area that stretches from Texsas to the Great Lakes and it just clips the NW corner of Alabama it could shift eastward as the day goes on but right now it is just the Shoals. Use the links on the right of the page to follow the SPC convective outlook areas all day. Yesterday was a busy day in the Midwest from 1:30 until 7:30pm central their were 68 tornado warnings in 7 states, Illinois,Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Maryland,Missouri, and Indiana all had tornado warnings in that span. One tornado hit a large metropolitan city in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(photo above). Now back to Bill he has weakened s little since last night down to a CAT 3 but still very dangerous. Here is the latest advisory from the NHC.
...BILL WEAKENS SLIGHTLY TO A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE...

INTERESTS IN BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF BILL. A
HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WATCH WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR
BERMUDA LATER THIS MORNING.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 21.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 60.3 WEST OR ABOUT 325 MILES...
525 KM...NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 790 MILES
...1270 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.

BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...AND
THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO WITH A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST BY LATE FRIDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 125 MPH...
205 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE
ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING
THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND BILL COULD REGAIN CATEGORY FOUR STATUS
LATER TODAY OR FRIDAY. A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS
CURRENTLY ENROUTE TO INVESTIGATE BILL.

BILL IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES...370 KM. DURING
THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS...NOAA BUOY 41044 REPORTED 1-MINUTE MEAN
WINDS OF 77 MPH...124 KM/HR...AND A PEAK GUST OF 92 MPH...
148 KM/HR...AS THE CENTER OF BILL PASSED ABOUT 75 MILES...
120 KM...TO THE SOUTHWEST.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 949 MB...28.02 INCHES.

LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL WILL BE IMPACTING THE ISLANDS OF
THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA...THE BAHAMAS...AND BERMUDA DURING THE
NEXT DAY OR TWO. LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL SHOULD ALSO
BEGIN TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

...SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...21.6N 60.3W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...125 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 305 DEGREES AT 18 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...949 MB

Update on Bill

Bill continues to grow at a rapid rate the pressure is now down to 947 MB and is now moving NW at 20 mph. Here is the latest advisorie from NOAA.
...BILL REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE...NOW
MOVING NORTHWESTWARD...

INTERESTS IN THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR
THE PROGRESS OF BILL.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 19.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 57.6 WEST OR ABOUT 335 MILES...
535 KM...NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 970 MILES...1565
KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.

BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 20 MPH...32 KM/HR...AND
THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO WITH A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST FORECAST BY LATE FRIDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH...215 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS.

BILL IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES...370 KM.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 947 MB...27.96 INCHES.

LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL WILL BE IMPACTING THE ISLANDS OF
THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. LARGE
SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO AFFECT BERMUDA AND
PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY.

...SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...19.8N 57.6W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...135 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 305 DEGREES AT 20 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...947 MB

Big Bad Bill Is Getting Stronger

Above is the latest photos of Bill. As you can see the storm is well organized. The eye is getting tighter and is only 20-30 miles across and the storm itself is over 325 miles across. The one photo is the first full dusk thermal image from our newest weather satellite. Even though Bill will not hit Bermuda head on, the tropical paradise is in trouble.

HURRICANE BILL ADVISORY NUMBER 16
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009
500 AM AST WED AUG 19 2009

...BILL STRENGTHENS TO A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE...

INTERESTS IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF BILL.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 18.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 54.9 WEST OR ABOUT 460 MILES...
740 KM...EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.

BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH...26 KM/HR...
AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT
24 TO 48 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THIS DANGEROUS
HURRICANE WILL BE PASSING WELL TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS LATE TODAY AND EARLY THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH...215 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT
24 HOURS. A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS CURRENTLY ENROUTE TO
INVESTIGATE BILL.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES...75 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO
175 MILES...280 KM.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 948 MB...27.99 INCHES.

LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL WILL BE IMPACTING THE ISLANDS OF
THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. LARGE
SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO AFFECT BERMUDA AND
PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY.

...SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...18.0N 54.9W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...135 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WEST-NORTHWEST OR 295 DEGREES AT 16 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...948 MB

Bill Getting Stronger

Hurricane Bill is now 1MPH below CAT 3 strength.
NASA's TRMM Satellite Sees Wide-Eyed Hurricane Bill Strengthening

The TRMM satellite noticed a wide-eyed Hurricane Bill's rainfall is intensifying indicating he's getting stronger. Satellite images have also shown Bill's eye is widening.

NASA and the Japanese Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite flew over the center of Hurricane Bill on August 18, 2009

TRMM rainfall images are false-colored with yellow, green and red areas, which indicate rainfall between 20 and 40 millimeters (.78 to 1.57 inches) per hour. Red areas are considered moderate rainfall.

The TRMM rainfall analysis from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments reveal that hurricane Bill has an eye. This feature isn't apparent on the TRMM Infrared image (VIRS) but is evidence of Bill becoming a stronger category two hurricane with wind speeds increasing to about 85 knots (~98 miles per hour). In fact, satellite imagery shows that Bill's eye is quite large, between 35-45 nautical miles in diameter!

Big Bad Bill

Well with the latest forecast track (and it will change again) it looks as if the center of circulation will miss the island of Bermuda. The residents and tourists there should still take head as Bill is getting more organized(well defined eye) and starts its quest in their direction. Bill is a large system, about 300 miles across, so Bermuda faces a potential threat even if the Atlantic island avoids a direct hit. What began as Tropical Storm Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened into a tropical depression and then dissipated altogether as it swept past the Leeward Islands, U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, apparently moving too quickly to cause more than minor flooding.
Along the Florida Panhandle, Tropical Storm Claudette quickly weakened after it made landfall at Fort Walton Beach. By late Monday, much of the rain and storms had ceased and all flood watches and warnings had expired. Milligan and Crestview, Fla., saw the most rain with about 4.5 inches. Other areas in Florida, Alabama and Georgia got 1 to 4 inches. Some forecast models are calling for Bill to be a CAT 5 by the time it passes Bermuda.
And closer to home the HPC is predicting that north Alabama could get around 3" of rain within the next 5 days with the bulk of that coming when a cold fron pushes through on Friday. We cannot rule out a few strong storms in here on friday as the front comes in even though there is no organized outlokk for severe weather expected as of yet on Friday.

Updated Tracks On Bill And Ana

Well with the last update Ana has disapated for now. There is now current track but some models are showing Ana regenerating into the Gulf of Mexico and becoming a CAT 2 storm and striking the Gulf coast sometime by next Friday. Here is the Latest on Hurricane Bill along with the final Ana track and an ifrared picture of Bill. Some forecasts for Bill shows it growing into a Cat 5 by the time it reaches Bermuda.

Hurricane Bill is now CAT 2 Storm.AT 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 15.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 48.3 WEST OR ABOUT 865 MILES...
1395 KM...EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.

BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR...
AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO WITH
A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY.

SATELLITE IMAGES INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE
INCREASED TO NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND
BILL COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES...45 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 150
MILES...240 KM.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 967 MB...28.56 INCHES.

...SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...15.0N 48.3W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WEST-NORTHWEST OR 285 DEGREES AT 17 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...967 MB

Tropical Storm to Hit Gulf Coast Late Tonight

Well it sure looks like an unsettled pattern for us here in the Souteastern United States next week. We have 3 tropical systems out there Ana, Bill, and a tropical Depression in the gulf ( that could become Claudette within the next few hours.) The main one we are keeping our eyes on right now is in the Gulf of Mexico just off of the west coast of Florida. The current forcast track shows it making landfall as tropical storm Claudette anywhere from near Eastpoint Florida to Gulfshorea Alabama sometime tonight and the center of the circulation in Central Alabama by Monday afternoon near Tuscaloosa. Ana is forecast to travel the length oc the island of Cuba and stay over land the whole time and re-emerge into the gulf again as a depression by next Friday and could re-intensify into a tropical storm again an d pose a threat for the Gulf states as well. Bill will inensify into a hurricane but forecast models have it still out in the Atlantic by next Friday it should not pose threa to the US coastline for 10-14 days if it does at all. Above is the forecast tracks of Ana and What will become Claudette and a Satellite image from the NASA GOES EAST satellite of What should become Claudette.

Scud Clouds Not a Tornado

Well it was a very interesting day today as the storms started to roll in. There were just a couple Severe thunderstorm warnings today just alot of heavy rain. I have registered 0.87 inches of rain so far at my home. As the storms rolled in I loaded up and headed north on I-65 to intercept a storm with damage reported coming out of Lauderdale County Alabama moving into Limestone County. I exited of the interstate and pulled over on Elkton Road. As I started to take some photos people came running out and pointing to the sky and saying TORNADO. I looked to my north and crossing the interstate was what to an untrained eye might resemble a tornado but was actually a scud cloud.( This part of the county is a little wary. an unwarned tornado touched down a couple weeks ago) Scud clouds are low, detached, irregular clouds found beneath cumulonimbus clouds. These clouds are often ragged or wispy in appearance. When caught in the outflow beneath a thunderstorm, scud clouds will often move faster than the storm clouds themselves. When in an inflow area, scud clouds tend to rise and may exhibit lateral movement ranging from very little to substantial.
Scud clouds are formed as the cooler (and often more moist) downdraft of a thunderstorm lifts the relatively warm air near the surface. These clouds condense as the warm, moist air saturates through ascent and is pushed outward from the storm. Scud clouds are very commonly found on the leading edge of a storm front. In this area of a storm, scud are commonly associated with shelf clouds.

Scud clouds may also form when an updraft ingests precipitation-cooled air from the updraft. Scud forming in this region of the storm, if moving laterally, will tend to move inward towards the dominant updraft. Rising scud may condense and organize into a wall cloud.

Slight Risk For North And Parts Of Central Alabama Today

Well the SPC has issued a slight risk for severe storms for all of north Alabama and most of central Alabama for today. It looks like it will be a very active weather pattern the next couple days as well. If the weather breaks and as storms erupt I will be in the field. I will update the blog as I can with photos and video, as well you can follow my Twitter updates as well. I am the twisterchaser.

Rain And Storm Chances Return

Well it looks as if the rain chances are going up a little and the heat will be going down a little.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
422 AM CDT MON AUG 10 2009

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-101830-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
422 AM CDT MON AUG 10 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL REACH NEAR 90 DEGREES WITH
SOME AREAS IN THE LOWER 90S. THIS COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY
LEVELS WILL PRODUCE AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES ONCE AGAIN NEAR 100
DEGREES. AREA RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO TAKE THE NECESSARY
PRECAUTIONS WHEN INVOLVED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.

THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS...COUPLED WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE...WILL ALSO LEAD TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS.
A FEW STORMS MAY BE STRONG WITH THE PRIMARY THREATS BEING BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

A STRONGER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM IN COMBINATION WITH A COLD FRONT
WILL BRING INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN THREATS ONCE AGAIN WILL BE STRONG
WIND GUSTS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

A BRIEF DRYING TREND APPEARS LIKELY FOR THE THURSDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY TIME PERIOD.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL
IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

Hot Weather Expected This Weekend

Hot Weather Expected This Weekend

Strong high pressure will exert its influence over the Tennessee Valley this weekend. Daytime high temperatures will warm into the lower and mid 90s at most locations...with afternoon heat indices near 100F.

Those involved in outdoor activities this weekend are urged to follow the heat safety rules below.

From the Southern Region's Page on Heat Safety Rules

Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.

Dress for summer. Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.

Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool.
Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets, or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician. Persons on salt restrictive diets should consult a physician before increasing their salt intake.

Spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air conditioned environment affords some protection.

Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.

Heat Disorder Symptoms First Aid
Sunburn Skin redness and pain, possible swelling, blisters, fever, headaches. Take a shower, using soap, to remove oils that may block pores preventing the body from cooling naturally. If blisters occur, apply dry, sterile dressings and get medical attention.
Heat Cramps Painful spasms usually in leg and abdominal muscles. Heavy sweating. Firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue.
Heat Exhaustion Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Weak pulse. Normal temperature possible. Fainting, vomiting. Get victim to lie down in a cool place. Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air-conditioned place. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
Heat Stroke
(Sun Stroke) High body temperature (106+). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Victim will likely not sweat. Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 or emergency medical services or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. Move victim to a cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature. Use extreme caution. Remove clothing. Use fans and/or air conditioners. DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS.

Huntsville County Warning Forecast Area

Heat Advistory Criteria

Heat index temperatures are forecast to be between 105F and 110F

Hurricane Felicia Is A Monster

Hurricane Felicia's days are numbered as you can see from the infrared photo from our GOES West satellite she looks very mean. The huuricane could very well become a CAT-5 before the end of the day but will start to encounter alot of shear and will actually start to weaken ( should be a Tropical Storm by late Friday Night). It is forecast to be a tropical depression by the time it reaches the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday. That is alot of shear to destroy a near CAT-5 hurrricane down to a Tropical Storm in 2 days and to a depression in another 2 days.

Slight Risk Now Includes The Huntsville Metro

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0804 PM CDT TUE AUG 04 2009

VALID 050100Z - 051200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE MID MS/TN
VALLEYS......

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER THE HIGH PLAINS OF ERN WY
AND INTO SWRN SD/WRN NEB...

...MID MS/TN VALLEYS...
A CLUSTER OF CONVECTION -- INCLUDING A FAST-MOVING/BOWING BAND OF
STORMS NOW MOVING INTO NWRN TN -- CONTINUES SHIFTING SSEWD INTO AN
AXIS OF MODERATE INSTABILITY. WITH NWLY MID-LEVEL FLOW ATOP A WSWLY
LOW-LEVEL JET...EXPECT STORMS TO REMAIN VIGOROUS AS THEY SHIFT SEWD
ACROSS TN TOWARD NRN MS/NRN AL. WHILE HAIL REMAINS
POSSIBLE...GREATEST SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THE
THREAT SHOULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS...AND MAY BUILD WWD ACROSS
MO WITH TIME AS LOW-LEVEL JET INCREASES COINCIDENT WITH AN AXIS OF
2500 J/KG MIXED-LAYER CAPE.

Mesoscale Discussion Issued

The atmosphere is ripe for severe storms.

Severe Thunder Storm Watch Issued

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for all of the state of Tennessee all the way to the Alabama line. A line of severe thunderstorms are pushing SSE out of Kentucky and should make it through Tennessee into Alabama in the early morning hours. It does not look likely that a watch will be issued for the Huntsville area at this time, but that may change according to the intensity of the line later tonight.

Derecho Shaping Up In The Mid-West

Heads up if you live in Illinois or Indiana a Derecho is shaping up and leaving a path of destruction in its wake. 50 to 70 MPH winds are conatantly being reported with this line it is now in Illinois and will be in Indiana soon.