Monday afternoon, June 21, 2021
Forecaster: Ryan Stinnett 

ACTIVE AFTERNOON RADAR: A cold front is dropping into Alabama the next 24 hours, and is bringing showers and thunderstorms to Alabama today, tonight, and into tomorrow. Some of these storms could be strong and locally severe later this evening and into the overnight hours and the SPC has defined a “marginal risk” for severe thunderstorms north of a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Gadsden. Heavier storms will be capable of producing small hail and strong, gusty winds. Also, just keep in mind, with the recent rains from Claudette, the ground is saturated and we could see some isolated areas of flash flooding due to tropical downpours.

REST OF THIS WEEK: The front will push down into South Alabama tomorrow, and drier air moves into the northern half of the state by tomorrow afternoon. Rain and storms will continue across the southern half of the state the rest of the week as the frontal boundary stalls out. For North and Central Alabama, we should see a mix of sun and clouds these days, with highs in the mid to upper 80s.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Moisture returns northward, and routine summer weather is expected these three days with “scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms”. Partly sunny days, mostly fair nights otherwise. Much of Alabama will stay below 90 degrees into early July as temperatures remain below average for this time of the year.

IN THE TROPICS: Claudette regained tropical storm strength over eastern North Carolina this morning, but will move into the Atlantic later today, and away from the U.S. 

Elsewhere in the tropics, a well-defined tropical wave located about 900 miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some development of this disturbance will be possible during the next couple of days before upper-level winds become less conducive for further organization by Thursday. The system is expected to move westward to west-northwestward at around 15 mph. Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.

BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Fort Morgan to Panama City on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region that you are interested in visiting.

WORLD TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: Over the last 24 hours, the highest observation outside the U.S. was 117.7F at Nuwasib, Kuwait. The lowest observation was -102.8F at Vostok, Antarctica.

CONTIGUOUS TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: Over the last 24 hours, the highest observation was 124F at Death Valley, CA. The lowest observation was 31F at Mackay, ID.

WEATHER ON THIS DATE IN 2005: A slow-moving thunderstorm dumped up to a foot of hail in southeastern portions of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Snowplows had to be used to clear a route through a major thoroughfare in the city. Heavy rainfall from the storm left up to 4 feet of water in city streets, trapping dozens of motorists.