HIGH TEMPERATURES NEAR OR ABOVE 100° TODAY; DORIAN LASHING CAROLINAS… High temperatures could easily top the 100 degree mark today across south Alabama and northwest Florida. The map attached is the projected heat index values at 2PM today when temperatures will be near or at their peak. Sunshine is likely all day and no rain is expected. We’ve got a slew of hot, dry days ahead with temperatures near 100 in the afternoon hours! Hurricane Dorian continues to lash the South Carolina and North Carolina coastal areas this morning with high winds, heavy rain, and isolated tornadoes. Let’s look at your forecast details…
HURRICANE DORIAN TO MOVE AWAY FROM AMERICA TOMORROW… Hurricane Warnings continue for all of the North Carolina coastline and nearly all of the South Carolina coastline as the core of Hurricane Dorian pushes north-northeast. Dorian again strengthened into a major hurricane last evening with maximum winds of 115 mph. The impacts from Hurricane Dorian in South Carolina and North Carolina will continue to be felt today and into Friday. We will *finally* be able to say goodbye to Dorian late in the day on Friday as the core of the hurricane lifts away from the United States. The system is forecast to yet again make landfall, this time in Nova Scotia in Canada, on Saturday evening likely as a large, weakening hurricane.
FERNAND DISSIPATES; LAST ADVISORY ISSUED… The National Hurricane Center has issued its final advisory on Tropical Depression Fernand. The system dissipated last evening over the high terrain of northeastern Mexico.
TROPICAL STORM GABRIELLE… Squarely in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and Africa, you’ll find Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The system is moving northwest at 7 mph. Maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph. Gabrielle is expected to move northwest and stay out at sea. No issues for the United States are expected because of Gabrielle. The system should completely dissipate in about a week over the far northern Atlantic Ocean.
TROPICAL STORM LIKELY TO FORM N.W. OF BERMUDA… The area of low pressure we’ve been tracking near Bermuda has passed the island commonwealth to the north at this point. There is a 60% chance that a tropical storm will form in this area in the days ahead. The system will not directly affect land in the next few days. No U.S. impacts from this, regardless of formal development.
TROPICAL WAVE EMERGES INTO ATLANTIC FROM AFRICA… There is also a 40-50% chance that a tropical wave emerging from the African continent will develop into a tropical storm this weekend as it passes near or south of the Cabo Verde Islands. This will be a system we need to focus on more closely as we are in the peak of hurricane season. Any lower latitude systems like this warrant watching, as there is no way to know where they will ultimately end up. Nothing to worry about at all, but something to keep our eyes on. I’ll keep you posted.
HOT WEEKEND UPCOMING… Sunny skies and hot temperatures are likely on Friday and Saturday. High temperatures will again be around the 100 degree mark with heat index values at or above 105° in some spots across our region. No rain is expected on Friday or Saturday.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FORECAST… Other than the oppressive heat and humidity, Friday looks nice. Sunny skies are expected at 7PM across the local area as many high school football teams get set for kickoff. I expect temperatures at 7PM Friday to be in the mid-80s. Temperatures will fall to around 80° by 9:30PM when many of the games are ending. No rain is expected.
ALABAMA VS. NEW MEXICO STATE… Alabama will host the New Mexico State Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in their home opener game this Saturday at 3:00PM. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. The game is set to start in the peak heating hour of the day when temperatures will be around 96°. Couple the humidity with that and you get a heat index value of 101-103°. Full sunshine is expected with no rain issues in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
AUBURN VS. TULANE… The Auburn Tigers will host the Tulane Green Wave at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on Saturday. The game kicks off at 6:30PM on ESPN2. Temperatures at 6:30 should be in the 89-92° range. Mostly sunny skies are expected. Rain chances remain very low (0-10% chance range) for now.
SOUTH ALABAMA VS. JACKSON STATE… The South Alabama Jaguars kick off at 6PM on Saturday in Mobile. Full sunshine and clear skies are expected for the game with temperatures starting out near 90°. No rain issues, but it’s going to be quite hot! The game can be watched online on the ESPN+ streaming service.
TROY IS OFF THIS WEEK… The Troy Trojans are not playing football this weekend. The next Troy game is against Southern Miss on Saturday, September 14 in Troy. The forecast for Troy for this weekend features lots of sunshine with high temperatures in the upper-90s.
APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!
My next video update will be posted later today. We will (very thankfully!) return to our normal morning video schedule on Friday after being on a slightly different, more busy schedule due to Hurricane Dorian over the last week.
Have a great Thursday!