INTERMITTENT SHOWERS & STORMS LIKELY TODAY… Keep that rain gear close by today as another batch of showers and thunderstorms is likely across south Alabama and northwest Florida. High temperatures are slated to be in the upper-80s again today. Kirk is back, this time as a tropical storm moving toward the Lesser Antilles. We’re also looking ahead to your Friday Night Lights forecast that could be a bit wetter than previous weeks. Here are the details…
STORMS LIKELY TODAY & FRIDAY… Pop-up thunderstorms are expected to form again later this morning into the afternoon hours as our area remains in a moist, unstable airmass ahead of a cold front. This pattern will continue into Friday as well. Unfortunately, the cold front to our northwest likely will not be able to pass all the way through our region, meaning temperatures will remain at or above average into next week.
TRACKING TROPICAL STORM KIRK… Kirk has streghthened once more into a tropical storm as the system approaches the Lesser Antilles. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for several of the Windward Islands as Kirk approaches. Kirk will likely cross the Lesser Antilles into the eastern Caribbean as a strong tropical storm before rapidly weakening as we get into the latter half of the weekend. This will be because of the increasing amounts of hostile shear that will rip the system apart. This rapid weakening is expected to occur when the system is south of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
OTHER TROPICAL UPDATES… I wouldn’t be shocked to see what is left of Subtropical Storm Leslie streghthen into a tropical storm in about 3 days. The system is far, far away from land in the middle of the Atlantic – about 1,300 miles northeast of Bermuda. Even if redevelopment does occur, no land impacts are expected due to Leslie. The area of low pressure off the North Carolina coast has weakened and tropical storm formation is now not expected. The Gulf of Mexico remains quiet.
I’ve got all the details for you in the Thursday #rzw forecast video that will be available shortly in the RZWeather app… Enjoy the day!