ISOLATED STORMS TODAY; SIGNS OF COOLER WEATHER… No cool weather today as high temperatures will again be in the mid-90s, but there are some early indications that some cooler shots of air may be headed our way in early October. Just like previous days, I expect another round of scattered showers and thunderstorms to fire up across south Alabama and northwest Florida this afternoon into the evening hours. Let’s look at forecast details…
TROPICS NOW QUIET… Whew! What an active first half of September. We had 5 tropical systems (Florence, Gordon, Isaac, Helene, and Joyce) happen in the first two weeks of the month, compared to the previous five systems happening over the course of three months! Good news is that the tropics are finally quiet across the Atlantic basin, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. No new tropical activity is expected to form over the next 5 days.
COOLER TEMPS ON THE WAY?… Not so fast. Several models point to the potential for some cooler air to sneak in from the north around the October 1 timeframe. That is obviously several weeks out, and as I often caution, model signals like this can and will change. Models suggest the potential for highs in the 80s with lows in the 60s. I’m optimistic, at least, that there is a potential for cooler air. We’ve had several weeks of temperatures that are slightly above climatological norms. Even if this model scenario doesn’t verify or barely verifies, it will be helpful. I’ll keep watching trends and certainly keep you posted.
SCATTERED STORMS OVER NEXT FEW DAYS… Our typical summertime pattern is set to continue in full force over the next few days with high temperatures in the 90s with at least some chance each day of seeing pop-up showers and thunderstorms. These storms will produce heavy downpours of rain, lightning, and perhaps even gusty winds. Severe weather, however, is not expected as the tornado risk remains at virtually nil.
I’ve got all the details for you in your Wednesday #rzw forecast video that will be posted here in the RZWeather app… Let me know if you have any weather-related questions. Have a great day!