HOT WEEKEND WITH P.M. POP-UP STORMS; HEAT INDEX AROUND 105°… The building heat will be the big weather story this weekend for south Alabama and northwest Florida. High temperatures will rise into the mid-90s today, followed by upper-90s for both Saturday and Sunday. Heat index values may soar to the 103-108° range in the afternoon hours this weekend. We’ll call it a 20-30% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the P.M. hours each day. This is very typical for this time of year as we have so much atmospheric instability in place that it’s almost inevitable to have a few storms around. These storms likely will NOT be severe, but they will produce very heavy downpours of rain, cloud-to-ground lightning, and potentially gusty winds. We’re also looking ahead to next week when a seasonal, hot pattern is set to continue.
FEW STORMS POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON; QUITE HOT… Yes, there will be a few storms around in the afternoon and evening hours over the next few afternoons and evenings. The bigger story, however, will be the increasing humidity and heat. Heat index values will be quite high this weekend, especially across inland areas of south Alabama. Air temperature values will peak in the 96-99° range in most spots, but the heat index could be as high as 108°. That’s HOT. Make sure to use plenty of sunscreen and stay hydrated if you’re going to be outside a long time.
RAIN CHANCES IN THE SEASONAL RANGE NEXT WEEK… Showers and thunderstorms will again be a staple of our weather pattern in the coming days. The “daily deluge” of summer happens mostly in the afternoon and evening hours when the atmospheric heating process peaks each day. This pattern will be in place Monday through Friday of the upcoming week and probably into the next weekend as well.
TROPICS CONTINUE TO BE QUIET… The Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean remain without any tropical storms or hurricanes. No tropical storm formation is expected over the next 5-7 days, per the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center.
See all the details in your Friday #rzw forecast video… Have a great day!