The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Jefferson County Department of Health have declared an air quality alert for Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Central Alabama due to a projection of high ozone levels in the area.
The air will be unhealthy for sensitive groups due to a ridge of ozone directly over the Birmingham area, according to an e-mail blast.
The ridge axis moves slightly eastward to almost be directly over the area, so temperatures will still get into the upper 90s. Winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph, slightly stronger than the wind speeds on Thursday, which will create a bit more atmospheric mixing and slightly less hazy conditions. Scattered clouds will develop during the afternoon and evening hours, and there is a slight chance of a few small afternoon thunderstorms in the area.
Ozone will continue to be at alert level in the orange range, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. PM2.5 will rise into the upper yellow range. ML
The alert has been extended to Saturday and Sunday, since the ridge will remain in firm control of the weather over the weekend. As a result, hot, humid, and hazy conditions will persist. Temperatures will be in the upper 90s with scattered clouds during the daytime. There is very small chance that an isolated shower or two develops on Sunday afternoon with a bit more instability present and a weaker cap on shower development.
During the day, winds will be northerly at 5-10 mph. However, winds will be calm during nights through mid mornings, which will allow PM2.5 to build up at the surface for extended periods. Ozone is expected to be in the orange range on Saturday, which is at alert level, and lower into the yellow range on Sunday. PM2.5 is expected to be in the mid to upper yellow range over the entire weekend. ML
So, you’ve lived in the Southeastern United States your entire life, and you’ve never seen it so hot on the first day of June, ever? You ask yourself — why?
It couldn’t have anything to do with climate change due to human induced global warming, right, because your local newspaper, the local weatherman, Fox News, the Republican Party — and the Tea Party — all say there is “no such thing” as global warming. They say it as if it was a matter of belief, like the things you learn in Sunday School, instead of a matter of science, where evidence matters.
Or, maybe the average global temperature of the earth is a few degrees warmer than it was when the Baby Boomers were born in the 1950s, but there must be “no such thing” caused by humans, because so many people on the radio and television say it’s not so?
All this above average heat must just be part of god’s plan, maybe even his wrath, since people are such sinners? Or, conceding the global warming part but not the industrial causes, you might say perhaps it’s simply part of a natural cycle of nature?
The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.
Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting 12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, projected weather patterns and computer modeling indicates 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), and 3 to 6 could become major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).
Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
“The United States was fortunate last year. Winds steered most of the season’s tropical storms and all hurricanes away from our coastlines,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “However we can’t count on luck to get us through this season. We need to be prepared, especially with this above-normal outlook.”
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Jefferson County Department of Health have declared an air quality alert for Thursday in Central Alabama due to a projection of high ozone levels in the area.
The air will be unhealthy for sensitive groups due to a ridge of ozone directly over the Birmingham area, according to an e-mail blast.
An upper ridge will remain in place from Texas to the mid-Atlantic coastline. While a weak boundary will get near the area, a capped atmosphere and subsidence of the ridge will limit development to a stray storm or two. Temperatures will continue in the upper 90s with winds being very light.
While survivors of Alabama’s April tornadoes work nonstop to recover from the devastation, many may also need to recover emotionally during trying times. Individuals often seek counsel from their family, friends or church during emotional distress.
While these support networks are very beneficial, survivors should be aware that additional help is available for those who feel mentally overwhelmed, exhausted or unable to cope.
The Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal, state, and local agencies have partnered to reactivate Project Rebound in the tornado affected parts of the state. Project Rebound is a federally funded initiative that groups in Alabama have instituted when a natural disaster occurs. Project Rebound Teams provide free crisis counseling for an extended time after a disaster.
After April 27, the whole world seemed to change, according to Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen. For many it would never be the same, he says.
“The tornado that smashed through (Tuscaloosa) Alabama came right over my house and left it in pretty bad shape,” he says. “Many others were much worse. Some lived. Some died. None would ever look at a tornado in the same light again.”
It did what over 100 years of history could not, he says. It took down the oldest and longest rail road bridge in the Southeast. Built in 1909 it was an historic icon in our community.
Thousands of volunteers have helped pile debris, cut trees, and burn materials since the killer tornadoes hit the South in April.
With all the clean up efforts going on, the air is full of dust, dirt and particles from insulation that homeowners and volunteers are dealing air full of dust, standing stagnate water, and mold on the walls, carpet and ceilings, according to experts.
Doctor Jason Smith, a Pulmonary Physician with Huntsville Hospital, said it’s enough to make anyone sick.
“With the storms you have to think about it like the ozone. Pollution will bring the ozone down,” Dr. Smith said. “A normal person will become short of breath.”
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Jefferson County Department of Health have declared an air quality alert for Friday in Central Alabama due to a projection of high ozone levels in the area.
The air will be unhealthy for sensitive groups due to a ridge of ozone directly over the area, according to an e-mail blast.
Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 80s, with mostly clear skies and just a few clouds developing during the afternoon. Winds will be out of the south at an average of about 5 mph.
UA Local 91 Business Manager John Eaves on the ground in Pleasant Grove leading the effort to help residents clean up after the worst outbreak of tornadoes in the area’s history (watch a video here)
Within hours after the worst tornadoes in recent U.S. history tore through Alabama and across the South in April, union members mobilized and organized to help people in need.
Local union halls set up to become relief centers for the entire community — with hundreds of local union members donating their time and energy. Volunteers from building trades unions from throughout the region turned out to clean up and provide support and relief.
Union volunteers are still on the ground every day. On a recent weekend, more than 150 union volunteers showed up with a backhoe, a boom truck, chain saws, axes and strong backs to continue cleaning up the damage.
“I’ve been in the labor movement since 1998 and seeing more than 150 of my union brothers and sisters come together to help one another and their communities is the proudest moment of my union life and one of the proudest of my life,” said Terry Davis, the AFL-CIO Community Services liaison for central Alabama.
During the Bush years, we specialized in covering the politicization of the U.S. justice system as much as any news organization. Our archives are about the most comprehensive for anyone researching the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and the original case against Richard Scrushy, which Glynn Wilson covered for The New York Times.
