Dangerous Weekend Heat

DANGEROUS HEAT: It began to heat up Thursday and the temperatures continue to rise today as heat advisories span across most of Alabama. The thermometer will peg out in the triple digits as we move into the weekend. Not only will there be the 100° temperatures, but modest levels of humidity will combine with the heat to force heat indices into the danger range. Expect it to feel like we’re in the 108-115° range during the peak daylight hours Saturday and 106-112° Sunday. It’s a slow “cool down” in the evenings and we only drop into the mid 70s for lows at night. Record highs on Saturday (102°-1954), Sunday (100°-2007), and Monday (101°-1969) will be in jeopardy. Rain will be hard to come by too thanks to strong high pressure.

HOW TO COPE: We’ve all dealt with this blistering heat in the past, but every time your body is exposed to this excessive heat, it can behave a bit differently. The easiest thing to do is spend a good part of your day in air conditioning. It’s sound advice. Malls, the movies, restaurants are all great places to stay cool if it’s just not chilly enough at home. Drink plenty of water. Yes good ole’ quality H2O. It’s better than carbonated or alcoholic beverages for hydrating your body. If you drink those, make sure you supplement with water.

If you must work outdoors, take frequent breaks and try to get the work done in the morning and evening, closer to sunrise and sunset. Make sure elderly and kids are in good shape too, because they don’t always handle heat as well as healthy adults. Check on the pets too. Bring them indoors if you can. If they must be outside, make sure they have plenty of shade and water. The beach, pool, lake are all great places to cool off, but make sure you bring the sunscreen. Stay safe and stay cool.

THE HOLIDAY WEEK: The heat continues into next week. We’ll slowly fall back into the mid 90s for highs by the time we get to the Independence Day holiday, but make no mistake it’ll still be hot. Rain chances will squeeze back into the forecast during the afternoon hours next week at 20-30%, so most of us will continue to stay dry.

BEACH FORECAST: It’s a good looking beach weekend. Despite the heat in central Alabama, some heat relief will come from southwesterly and onshore flow along the Alabama/Florida gulf coast. Expect beach temperatures to range from 87-90° with water temperatures around 82°. The rip current risk looks low in most spots and the sun should shine with very limited chance to see any rain. Enjoy your trip.

SPACE STATION: You have one more night to check out the space station tonight. It rises in the northwest at 8:25 P.M., it’s overhead at 8:27 P.M., and fades into the southeast horizon at 8:29 P.M. Enjoy.