Summer ends on Sunday, September 23rd, 2007 with the Autumn Equinox.  The temperature has been very pleasant over the past week or two, and while it will warm up a bit over the next few days as some clouds roll in at night, keeping nighttime cooling to a minimum, it still isn’t even what most would consider warm.  We’ve definitely seen the last of the 90’s, and before long the 80’s will be over with too.

If you’re so inclined, the myth about being able to balance an egg on an equinox isn’t so far fetched.   Something fun to try this Sunday at noon!

Rain chances come back into the picture around the first of the next week, so enjoy the clear skies for your weekend.

The Muscle Shoals Airport, the official weather reporting station for the Shoals Area, reported almost 2 inches of rain from Humberto, bringing our monthly total to over 3.5 inches, which is a bit above normal. We need every inch above normal we can get to help make up for the deficit of rainfall we’ve experienced. Our deficit for the year now stands at 13.35 inches, which is better than it was during the summer. It may be almost impossible to completely make up for the drought this year, but we do seem to have some momentum towards achieving at least part of that goal.

Once the remains of Humberto cleared, a cool front came in, bringing some cooler temperatures. Lows tonight are expected to reach 49 degrees. Looks like fall is here!

Remnants of Hurricane Humberto will be filtering in today and strengthening through end of day Friday.  You can expect showers and possibly thunderstorms over the next  24-48 hours in most western Alabama counties.  We are expected to pick up at least a couple of inches of rain from this event, which is much needed in the area due to drought, even despite the recent rains.

A voluntary recall was issued for Oregon Scientific weather radios due to a potential failure of some of the models to receive weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service.  Models WR103NX, WR108, WRB308, and WRB308J are affected by the recall.  Not receiving alerts of severe weather can put lives and property at risk.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has created a web page with more information on this recall. Consumers with affected models can also visit the recall section of the Oregon Scientific website for further information.

While this blog has typically been filled with bad weather news (storms, drought, extreme temperatures, etc.), I’ve got good news to report in this post.  For the past several days (and it seems for the next few days to come), we’ve had absoultely beautiful weather here in the Shoals!  The temps haven’t really gone much over the low 90’s, a gentle breeze is in the air keeping things nice and comfortable, and the rain we had lately has made a dent (albeit small) in the drought.

The great weather is just in time for our 3-day Labor Day weekend as well!  There’s not any excuse not to have a great time outdoors today.  Enjoy!