How about this one from Mungo Jerry?

“In the summertime when the weather’s high,
you can stretch right up and touch the sky,
when the weather’s fine,
you got women, you got women on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive,
go out and see what you can find.”

SUMMER DAYS: A classic case of widely scattered showers and storms on radar this afternoon; underneath them, the rain is heavy for a brief time, and temperatures quickly drop into the low to mid 70s. But, away from the showers, we are looking at temperatures mostly in the 88 to 92 degree range with a mix of hazy sun and clouds. As I write this, the strongest storm is down in Chilton County, not moving much.

TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND: The upper air ridge to the west will nose in here gently, meaning the weather really won’t change too much. Most of West Alabama will be dry with only isolated showers; the best chance of a passing afternoon shower or storm will remain over East Alabama, and even there they should be widely spaced. Afternoon highs will remain right at average levels for mid-July, mostly low 90s.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: Nothing to suggest our weather changes much next week. The hottest part of the ridge will remain west of Alabama, around here expect the typical July heat (low 90s) with a few isolated popcorn showers or storms each afternoon.

AT THE BEACH: Almost every afternoon along the Alabama/NW Florida coast, there will be about a 20% chance of a thunderstorm. When you first hear that thunder, immediately get out of the water and get in a safe place. High temperatures will be consistently around 88 along the edge of the water. The Tropics are quiet. Ana is nowhere to be seen.

AIR QUALITY ALERT: A code orange air quality alert is in effect for the Birmingham metro tomorrow (Jefferson and Shelby Counties) due to the potential for ground level ozone.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

I had a great time today speaking to the Oxford Kiwanis Club; we also had a big group of kids there with the Oxford PARD summer program; look for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

* East Shelby County near Wilsonville

* North Chilton County NE of Jemison

* Along Clay-Tallapoosa County line near Goldville

Movement almost due south. Others were also south of Montgomery.

El Niño Arrives; Expected to Persist through Winter 2009-10

NOAA scientists today announced the arrival of El Niño, a climate phenomenon with a significant influence on global weather, ocean conditions and marine fisheries. El Niño, the periodic warming of central and eastern tropical Pacific waters, occurs on average every two to five years and typically lasts about 12 months.

NOAA expects this El Niño to continue developing during the next several months, with further strengthening possible. The event is expected to last through winter 2009-10.

“Advanced climate science allows us to alert industries, governments and emergency managers about the weather conditions El Niño may bring so these can be factored into decision-making and ultimately protect life, property and the economy,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

El Niño’s impacts depend on a variety of factors, such as intensity and extent of ocean warming, and the time of year. Contrary to popular belief, not all effects are negative. On the positive side, El Niño can help to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity. In the United States, it typically brings beneficial winter precipitation to the arid Southwest, less wintry weather across the North, and a reduced risk of Florida wildfires.

El Niño’s negative impacts have included damaging winter storms in California and increased storminess across the southern United States. Some past El Niño’s have also produced severe flooding and mudslides in Central and South America, and drought in Indonesia.

An El Niño event may significantly diminish ocean productivity off the west coast by limiting weather patterns that cause upwelling, or nutrient circulation in the ocean. These nutrients are the foundation of a vibrant marine food web and could negatively impact food sources for several types of birds, fish and marine mammals.

In its monthly El Niño diagnostics discussion today, scientists with the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center noted weekly eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures were at least 1.0 degree C above average at the end of June. The most recent El Niño occurred in 2006.

El Niño includes weaker trade winds, increased rainfall over the central tropical Pacific, and decreased rainfall in Indonesia. These vast rainfall patterns in the tropics are responsible for many of El Niño’s global effects on weather patterns.

NOAA will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation in the tropical Pacific, and will provide more detailed information on possible Atlantic hurricane impacts in its updated Seasonal Hurricane Outlook scheduled for release on August 6, 2009.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

OK… you know we are slipping into the summer doldrums when I begin pulling up old song lyrics. Remember this one from Sly and the Family Stone?

“End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi Hi Hi Hi there
Them summer days, those summer days
That’s when I had most of my fun, back
high high high high there
Them summer days, those summer days
I “cloud nine” when I want to
Out of school, yeah
County fair in the country sun
And everything, it’s true, ooh yeah
Hot fun in the summertime”

SUMMER DAYS: We are lapsing into a pretty uneventful summer pattern through the weekend; highs in the low 90s along with some risk of an afternoon shower or storm each day. With the upper ridge just to the west, the best chance of a shower will be east of I-65, and even in that part of the state they will be rather widely spaced. Days will be partly sunny, and nights mostly fair. Another words, just what you expect in mid-July.

VOODOO LAND: About the most exciting thing showing up on the GFS during the next 16 days is a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico in the July 22-24 time frame, but we all know that is voodoo. For now the tropics are very quiet. The core of the westerlies remain up north, where they should be.

FOLLOW ALONG: Connect with us on the social networks! Here is your invitation to follow me on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also get all Alabama warnings on Twitter via E-Warn.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left.

Today I am headed to Calhoun County to speak to the Oxford Kiwanis Club… I will be back in the office by early afternoon, and the next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 3:30 or so. Enjoy the day!

* High temperature was only 77 in New York City this afternoon, so the Big Apple has still not reached the 85-degree mark so far in 2009!

* Hottest in the USA today was 116 in Death Valley. A few other highs this afternoon:

104 in San Antonio
105 in Wichita Falls and Austin
110 Needles, Calif.
109 Gila Bend, Ariz. (ponounced, Hela Bend)
107 Phoenix

A cluster of intense thunderstorms over the south portions of Coffee and Dale County was moving SE generally toward Dothan and Geneva.

These storms are overloaded with lightning. Also torrential rain.

The NWS in Tallahassee had a Severe Thundersrtorm Warning for some of that area.

However, there was a lone stray storm in Central Alabama moving slowly southward along the Chilton-Coosa County line. However, it was past its peak.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
437 PM EDT WED JUL 08 2009

..TIME… …EVENT… …CITY LOCATION… …LAT.LON…
..DATE… ….MAG…. ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. …SOURCE….
..REMARKS..

0130 PM LIGHTNING CLERMONT 28.55N 81.76W
07/08/2009 LAKE FL BROADCAST MEDIA

*** 2 INJ *** LIGHTNING STUCK TWO MEN AT A LANDFILL NEAR
LOGHOUSE ROAD IN CLERMONT, KNOCKING ONE OF THEM
UNCONSCIOUS. BOTH WERE TAKEN TO NEARBY HOSPITALS. REPORT
OBTAINED FROM THE ORLANDO SENTINEL.

* At 3:20 pm, public reported hail half-dollar size in the Friendship community which is five miles west of Tallassee in Elmore County

“Here is some pictures of a good downpour near Desoto Caverns Park in Childersburg today around 3:05pm. There was no hail with this thundershower just your good old fashion summer thunderstorm. What a beautiful sight to be getting much needed rain.”