Heat advisory kicks off warm weekend

Published 3:04 pm Friday, July 13, 2018

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Chilton County has been included in a heat advisory issued by National Weather Service Birmingham for most Central Alabama counties on July 13 until 7 p.m.

“Heat indices could reach 105 degrees or above within that advisory area, so it’s very important for those who are outside doing outside activities to take precautions and [stay] hydrated and then come inside for the air conditioning and everything,” meteorologist Meredith Wyatt of NWS Birmingham said.

Initially, only western counties in Central Alabama were advised to take precautions. However, as the heat encroached southeastward, Chilton County and its neighboring eastern counties were included around 11 a.m.

High dew points are to blame.

“There’s just a lot of moisture in the atmosphere, and it’s just very sticky and very hot outside — quite uncomfortable,” Wyatt said.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day, winds reaching 35-45 miles per hour at their strongest.

Chances for thunderstorms will advance into the weekend, increasing to 60-70 percent Saturday and Sunday afternoons but otherwise dropping to 30 percent at night.

Temperatures are expected to simmer in the 90s, cooling only to mid- to upper-70s throughout the weekend.