After one of the wettest Mays on record in Alabama, June also has started off rainy and the damp weather pattern will likely continue.
Hot, humid and stormy conditions are expected to grip the state at least through next week, forecasts predict. Temperatures will reach the lower 90s beginning June 18 and mid-90s for the weekend. Heat index figures, what the temperature “feels like,” are expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees.
Summer is here in Alabama
The average high temperature for Montgomery for June is 91 degrees, with the average low 72, National Weather Service data shows. Take off a few degrees from those numbers as you head north and add a few ticks if you go south.
The pattern will begin to shift toward hot and dry this weekend, said Gary Goggins, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Birmingham. High pressure will begin to form over the Ohio River Valley, which means Alabama will be on the hotter, drier side of the ridge, he said.
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Colson Stanley plays at the Pratt Park Splash Pad in Prattville, Ala., on Thursday July 11, 2024.
“We will still see chances for afternoon thunderstorms, but more in the 20 to 30% range,” he said. “They will be more isolated than they have been. The big news is the temperature. We will reach at least 90 for the next several days, with the weekend in the mid 90s. And it will be very humid.
“So, with days of high humidity and high temperatures people need to be aware of the risk of heat stress if you are outside working or doing outdoors activities.”
The wetter than normal period will pay dividends as the summer begins, with the first day of summer being June 20.
“We will have more soil moisture in place for the periods where we usually are in drought conditions or near drought conditions during the summer,” Goggins said.
Curtis Colman sips water and sits in the shade of an umbrea;la as he sells watermelons in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday July 10, 2024.
How wet was May in Alabama?
There were areas in Alabama for the month of May where 8 to 15 inches of rain fell, said Jim Stefkovich, meteorologist for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. There were three days in the month where no measurable rain fell, he said.
During May, Huntsville recorded 11.21 inches (normal is 4.78), the highest amount since at least 2000. Birmingham had 11.29 inches (normal is 5.18), the highest amount since 2003. Tuscaloosa had 14.46 inches (normal is 4.19 inches), the highest amount since at least 2000. Montgomery had 9.65 inches (normal is 4.20 inches), the highest amount since 2017. Mobile had 10.23 inches (normal is 5.62 inches), the highest amount since 2017.
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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Summer’s arrival brings more heat, humidity and more rain to Alabama