Heat index up to 105+ in Birmingham following week of downpours and lightning

Need evidence that Birmingham-area weather can be wacky?

After a week full of downpours and lightning storms, Birmingham is under a severe heat advisory. Read on to learn more + what you can do to stay cool. 

Torrential rainfalls and lightning

Why is this happening? We asked our good friends from the National Weather Service (NWS) Birmingham Office for some answers.

“When these storms formed yesterday, they were very efficient rainfall producers. The torrential downpours that occurred were on the order of two to two-and a-half inches in an hour of rainfall. We had some areas in southern Jefferson County in particular, and northern Shelby County that received up to four inches of rain.”

Gary Goggins, Meteorologist, National Weather Service Birmingham Office

NWS did issue a flash flood warning, on Saturday evening. Downtown Birmingham and Cahaba Heights were some of the most affected communities. Interestingly, some places got less than an inch.  See how varied the numbers are:

Goggins told Bham Now the region has been experiencing a very wet pattern for over a week. Check out the rainfall amounts from this map post by NWS from last night’s storm.

Flipping a switch to much hotter Birmingham weather

What should we expect this coming week? Much hotter weather especially during the beginning of the week.

“We’re going to have heat indices rising above 105 for several days in a row. It’s like we’re flipping a switch from a very moist air mass with not a whole lot of heat, to a lot of heat and scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. So rain chances will go down and the heat will start turning up.”

Gary Goggins, Meteorologist, National Weather Service Birmingham Office

Because it has been rainy in the Birmingham metro area for over a week, temps have been lower. Goggins urges people to prepare for much warmer weather.

Be prepared for floods and hot weather

Need some flash flood and hot weather tips?

Bham Now has published several guides. Check out:

• Be ready Birmingham for flash flood warnings. Here are tips to stay safe.
• Dangerous heat is coming, Alabama– Here’s how to prepare

Did you experience the downpour and lightning show? Tell us how bad it was for you on social media by tagging us at @bhamnow!