MORE RAIN & STORMS TODAY; UNSETTLED WEEKEND AHEAD… After a very wet Thursday across south Alabama and northwest Florida, we’ll have more scattered showers and thunderstorms today. The overall amount of rain will likely be less, in terms of coverage across the area, but we still will need to keep the rain jackets handy. We note the Storm Prediction Center has included part of our area in their Level 1 (out of 5) low-end, marginal severe weather risk today as some of the storms this afternoon could produce gusty winds and hail. The overall tornado risk remains near zero for most spots. This weekend will be warm and wet at times with high temperatures around the 80 degree mark. We’re also looking ahead to Monday when we could have our next round of strong storms. Plenty to discuss in the weather department this morning… Let’s go.
AFTERNOON & EVENING STORMS POSSIBLE… Showers and thunderstorms that happen today will likely be scattered in nature. Unlike yesterday when we had a massive shield of continuous rain that lasted for several hours, today’s rain will be similar to our usual summertime pattern when we have “splash and dash” thunderstorms. Storms will be most likely to happen in the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the storms may be on the strong side at times (see below for more info). High temperatures will be around the 80 degree mark this afternoon.
LOW-END, LEVEL 1 RISK FOR PART OF LOCAL AREA… The Storm Prediction Center continues to include areas along, south, and east of Interstate 65 in their low-end, Level 1 (out of 5) marginal severe weather risk zone. These are the areas that could have storms this afternoon that produce gusty winds and small hail. The overall tornado risk remains very low. A few of the places included in the low-end risk today: Andalusia, Opp, Red Level, Georgiana, Brantley, Brewton, Atmore, Bratt, Molino, Pensacola, Silverhill, Robertsdale, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Destin, Navarre, Crestview, Florala. Much of southeast Alabama is also included in this risk zone as are areas in the Florida Panhandle: Dothan, Enterprise, Elba, Geneva, Ozark, Abbeville, Marianna, Chipley, Panama City, Port St. Joe, and DeFuniak Springs.
MORE STORMS POSSIBLE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY… Our warm, unsettled weather pattern will continue into Saturday and Sunday when a few scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible. It won’t be an “all day washout” event either day, but you will need a way to check the radar throughout the day. redzoneweather.com/radar is where you can check the radar on our website or you can always check out the radar in the Radar tab of the RedZone Weather app.
SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE TO OUR WEST ON SATURDAY… Tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds will be possible on Saturday across Louisiana, Texas, and southern Arkansas as a shortwave trough interacts with a cold front pushing to the east. If you’re traveling westbound on I-10 or I-20, be aware that stronger storms are likely in those areas on Saturday. SPC has areas near Shreveport, Dallas, and Lufkin involved in a Level 2 risk zone. I wouldn’t be shocked, based on the setup, if an outlook upgrade to Level 3 is needed for some of those areas for Saturday.
STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY LOCALLY… The same weather system responsible for all of the storms on Saturday to our west moves eastward into our region on Sunday into Monday. We’ll have to keep an eye on severe weather parameters this weekend as this system sets up, but be aware that we could be looking at some potentially strong or severe storms in the late Sunday into Monday timeframe. I’ll keep you updated in the RedZone Weather app.
DRIER WEATHER RETURNS WEDNESDAY… Warm temperatures will remain into the latter half of the upcoming week, but we finally get rid of the rain/storms by Tuesday evening. Wednesday into Thursday of the upcoming week will be dry with high temperatures in the mid-80s with morning lows in the 60s. Looks like the warmth is here to stay for awhile!
See all the graphics and details in your Friday #rzw forecast video… Have a nice weekend!