Central Alabama Weather = Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Just in the first three days of this work week, we’ve seen our fair share of changeable weather. As a cold front approached from the north on Monday, a line of severe storms moved through central Alabama. These storms carried with them strong winds, torrential rain and lots and lots of lightning. Here’s video of the storm as it rolled through Hwy 280 near I-459:

We had some reports of trees down and a few power lines fell, but overall the damage was minor and very sporadic.

Tuesday, we returned to hot and muggy conditions, but the rain stayed isolated, without many thunderstorms. Wednesday, the cold front moved through and things started drying out quickly. Dew points will continue to drop and things will feel very nice around here in coming days. This stretch of weather will be very similar to what we had a couple of weekends ago, where the mornings are dry and cooler than normal, and afternoons are free of that icky-sticky humidity we’re used to during the summer. Highs will also be near or just below normal, with some spots seeing upper 80s for highs! Enjoy it while it lasts because we do have a few more weeks of summer left. But, we aren’t too far away from welcoming in Fall!Yes..It’s Still Hurricane Season

The 2015 Hurricane Season has been an uneventful one so far for most people living along the Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Bill moved onshore in Texas then continued moving north through the Midwest. Tropical Storms Ana and Claudette impacted the east coast of the U.S. and Canada, but didn’t cause any major problems. And recently, the National Hurricane Center reaffirmed it’s position that this hurricane season will be quiet by average standards. They calculate a 90 percent chance that this season will end with a below average number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes. The 90 percent probability of a below-normal season is the highest confidence level given by NOAA since seasonal hurricane outlooks began in 1998. Not only is the confidence high, the numbers of storms predicted by the NHC is lowered too.

We say all this and remind everyone that it only takes ONE storm to make it a bad year for you. One of the most devastating storms of all-time, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 happened during a hurricane season when only four named storms occurred, a quiet year by any standard, but one that not many meteorologists or people living in South Florida at the time, will forget.The Dog Days of Summer Come to an End

“Dog Days” is the name most use for the hottest period of summer, from about July 3 to August 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the time was figured from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun. It was even noted that dogs sometimes acted erratically during this time (probably because they were hot, and using their wagging tongues to cool themselves, they looked a little crazy).

You could definitely call this time period the Dog Days for us in central Alabama. We had a stretch of 23 days in July with temperatures at or above 92 degrees, and the hottest day so far this summer occurred on August 4. It’s only fitting cooler, drier air has moved in as the dog days wrap up.This Week in Weather History: August 10-16

August 10, 1882 – Sandusky, OH noted a four minute snow squall during the morning, frost was reported in the suburbs of Chicago, and a killing frost was reported at Cresco, IA.

August 12, 1778 – A Rhode Island hurricane prevented an impending British-French sea battle, and caused extensive damage over southeast New England.

August 14, 1936 – Temperatures across much of eastern Kansas soared above 110 degrees. Kansas City, MO hit an all-time record high of 113 degrees. It was one of sixteen consecutive days of 100 degree heat for Kansas City. During that summer there were a record 53 days of 100 degree heat, and during the three summer months Kansas City received just 1.12 inches of rain.

*Historical weather information provided by WeatherForYou.com

Copyright 2015 WIAT 42 News