First Alert Weather Day: More sweltering heat around for Friday & Saturday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - First Alert AccuTrack shows just a few lingering sprinkles along and south of I-20 this evening after a few thunderstorms managed to nudge their way into our area over the past few hours. Rain chances will stay low tonight with any clouds gradually fading away. Winds will be light of the southeast tonight, keeping us mild and muggy and setting us up for another hot day on Friday.

More Sizzling Heat: An Excessive Heat Warning will once again be in place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, now including more areas along and west of I-65. In these areas, afternoon highs will likely approach 100°F with heat index values up to 110°F. Far east Alabama will be under a Heat Advisory from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. In these areas, afternoon highs could climb into the mid to upper 90s with heat index values up to 105°F. Please avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the late morning and afternoon hours. Stay hydrated and take several breaks if you have to work outdoors. Tomorrow will likely end up as our hottest day of this heatwave. A few storms will be possible again on Friday evening as disturbances ride down the northeastern periphery of the ridge. It all depends on if storms to our north hold together. I’ve added a 20% chance for isolated storms mainly for areas to our north.

Code Orange Air Quality Alert: The Alabama Department of Environment Management has once again issued a code orange air quality alert for Jefferson and Shelby Counties on Friday. Ground level ozone concentrations are forecast to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups. Children and people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses are most at risk under these conditions. You’ll want to limit your time outdoors during the late morning and afternoon hours.

First Alert Weather Day Continues Saturday: Heat levels will remain elevated Saturday. Morning temperatures will likely start out in the mid to upper 70s. We are forecasting highs in the upper 90s Saturday afternoon with a heat index around 105°F-110°F. We will likely see a partly cloudy sky Saturday afternoon. Models continue to show clusters of storms move around the high pressure that’s helping to produce this extreme heat. We could see storms move into northeast Alabama Saturday afternoon/evening. We are holding on to a 40% chance for storms Saturday, but there’s a chance our rain chance could go up as we gain confidence on this setup. Any storms that develop over the next few days could end up strong and severe. The main threats will be damaging winds and large hail.

Increasing Storm Chances: The heatwave will likely break down Sunday and into next week as disturbances begin to develop and impact Alabama. We will likely end up mostly cloudy Sunday afternoon with highs in the mid 90s. Rain chances increasing to 40%. We’ll increase our storm chances for next week at 50-60% Monday through Thursday. Each day will likely end up mostly cloudy with temperatures closer to average. We are thinking highs could end up in the upper 80s and lower 90s with a heat index around 100°F-105°F. Storms that develop next week could end up strong or possibly severe. Hopefully the weather will cooperate Tuesday for Fourth of July fireworks. Remember that when thunder roars, go indoors.

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