Good morning West Alabama! It is Thursday July 25, 2024.

So far this summer, the well above average predicted hurricane season has been a record one - for how little activity there has been so far. Only three named storms have occurred - Alberto, Beryl and Chris. But there is both good and bad news.

The good news is we have had the fewest named tropical weather systems to this point in a hurricane season since 1969. The bad news is 1969 was the year of one of the worst hurricanes in Gulf of Mexico history – Camille. It ended up as one of the most active seasons.

Camille originated as a tropical depression on August 14, south of Cuba, from a long-tracked tropical wave. It quickly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane before it struck the western part of Cuba before becoming a Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Camille made landfall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, with peak winds of 175 mph (282 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 900 mbar (26.58 inHg). It caused significant damage and fatalities, making it one of just four Category 5 hurricanes to hit the U.S.

1969 became one of the most active hurricane seasons on record at that time in history. There were 12 hurricanes, and three major hurricanes recorded that year. 539 people died and damages totaled $1.495 billion (that is the equivalent to $10.6 billion in 2024 U.S. Dollars).

So, as the National Hurricane Center advised today, now is not the time to let out guard down, there is still a lot of the tropical season ahead on the calendar. The peak of the hurricane season is not until mid-September, and it doesn't officially end until the last day in November.

As for today, checkout the NWS Southeastern Doppler Radar.

The Forecast:

Today
A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Saturday
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Saturday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Sunday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.

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Topping the News:

Northport’s planned University Beach Resort sparked some angry interaction during a Northport District 5 Council Town Hall last night. The contentious $350 million-dollar multi-use project has sparked a vocal opposition. Anwar Aiken, the appointed council member for the district says he opposes the project only because of the current location.


As projected, those NARCAN vending machines installed in Walker County are being used. ADPH reports in a post on the social media platform X (formerly twitter) that they have restocked the recently installed vending boxes with free Naloxone several times since they were installed last Friday. Naloxone is used for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. It blocks the effects of opioids for 30 to 90 minutes.


The mental health crisis centers across the state, including the new one in Tuscaloosa, seem to be accomplishing their goal according to figures released by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Between May 2021 and June this year, all of the crisis centers conducted 12,190 evaluations. 8,881 people were serviced who avoided emergency room admission. 2,040 people avoided jail admission. Law enforcement dropped 781 people off at facilities.


The proposed FY25 Alabama Department of Mental Health budget includes money for staff and support services at Tuscaloosa’s Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility. Improvements at Taylor Hardin are necessary to meet a settlement agreement with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program. The line item for Taylor Hardin is $18,239,145. The overall agency budget request amounts to $237,965,500.


Shelton State Community College will launch its new Quality Engineering Program this fall. In a YouTube promotional video from Shelton, Rhonda Simmons from SMP/Motherson calls the program a leg-up. She says the program will not guarantee a job but puts the graduate ahead of other candidates.  Students learn basic manufacturing principles and technical skills along with an intensive Quality Engineering education to establish careers.


 

Alabama prisons are among the deadliest in the world. Already in 2024 there have been more than 150 deaths and hundreds of injuries among countless acts of violence.

Betty Martin, the mother of a young inmate. read a letter to the legislative prisons oversite committee in which he warns her he has been beaten many times and does not expect to survive Alabama prison life.

Critics point to massive overcrowding, understaffing and a national low parole rate as contributing factors to the violence. They claim building bigger prisons will not resolve the issue.


 

Electric Vehicles are not the wave of the future as predicted by the Biden/Harris Administration, at least for now. Battery technology is expected to improve in the coming years with longer ranges and better battery lifespans, but motorists are skeptical at this point.

That skepticism has prompted General Motors to become the latest major automaker to roll back plans for its production of electric vehicles as the industry is seeing slower sales than anticipated despite hefty tax credits and other government incentives to get drivers to switch to electric.

Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to go all electric by the end of the decade, where market conditions allow. Mercedes is shifting from electric-first to electric-only.

Mercedes-Benz has launched production of the all-electric luxury EQS SUV at its Tuscaloosa County plant. A state-of-the-art factory in Woodstock supplies batteries for the all-electric EQS SUV and EQE SUV.



Topping Sports News:

With Southeastern Conference Media Days in the rearview mirror, the college football countdown clock has switched from weeks to days before the start of pre-season practice.

University of Alabama players will report to camp on Tuesday and Wednesday is the first day of practice.

The Tide opens the season on August 31st in a 6:00pm game against Western Kentucky on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.


 

Jacksonville State and UAB get the 2024 college football season off to the earliest start in the state this season. The Gamecocks host Coastal Carolina while the Blazers welcome Alcorn State on Thursday, August 29th.


 

Alabama Heisman Trophy candidate, QB Jalen Milroe got some positive national press this week. He traded memorabilia with Yankees superstar Aaron Judge ahead of the Yankees game against the New York Mets. Milroe gave Judge a No. 99 Alabama jersey, and Judge gave Milroe one of his bats.

Read More: Alabama QB Trades Memorabilia


 

Have a great Thursday and remember tomorrow is TGIF!

 

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