VERY HOT EARLY SEPTEMBER WEEKEND; GOODBYE & GOOD RIDDANCE DORIAN… Temperatures will peak around 100 degrees this afternoon under full sunshine today as the strong grip of summer continues into the weekend. The hot temperatures and high heat index values will be our lead local weather story as our dry, quiet pattern continues this weekend. We finally say goodbye to Hurricane Dorian later today as the core of the system clears out of North Carolina to the northeast. Dorian continues to bring hurricane force winds to parts of the Carolina coast this morning. We also are keeping an eye on several tropical hotspots in the Atlantic Ocean that have some chance of becoming a tropical storm over the next few days. Let’s talk details…
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TONIGHT… Other than the oppressive heat and humidity, this evening 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.
QUITE HOT THIS WEEKEND… Heat index values will be over 100° in many locales during the afternoon and evening hours this weekend. Why so much heat? A big ridge of high pressure is in control of our weather pattern, keeping rain away (for now) and keeping us sunny and dry. High temperatures, aka what we see on the thermometer, will be near the 100 degree mark. Factor in the humidity levels and you get a heat index that will be in the 105-110 degree range. Pack the sunscreen and stay hydrated if you’ve got to be outside for a long time this weekend!
NEXT RAIN CHANCE EARLY NEXT WEEK… Our next rain chance technically happens on Sunday afternoon when isolated showers and thunderstorms may bubble up in the heat of the day. I think the influence of the large dome of high pressure will be enough to keep much of the rain/storm action to a minimum, however. Scattered storms will return to our forecast early next week, primarily happening in the afternoon and evening hours.
HURRICANE DORIAN TO AFFECT NOVA SCOTIA TOMORROW… The wind field of Hurricane Dorian continues to grow larger, even though the maximum winds in the core of the storm continue to decrease. Hurricane Warnings continue this morning for parts of the North Carolina coastline as isolated tornadoes, heavy rain, flooding, and high winds continue to happen. The good news is Dorian is about to exit the United States to the east. Unfortunately for the folks in Nova Scotia in Canada, Dorian will either be a category 1 hurricane or a powerful extratropical storm when it moves ashore there this weekend.
WILL THE NAME DORIAN BE RETIRED? LIKELY YES… A few people have asked me if the name “Dorian” will be retired from the hurricane naming lists. The answer is a resounding, “Very likely, YES.” We won’t know for sure until April 2020 when the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has their annual meeting. That is the group responsible for maintaining the naming lists across the world. Due to the high loss of life and catastrophic damage in The Bahamas and some damage and casualties in the United States, there is a very high chance “Dorian” will never be used again for a hurricane name.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FORECASTS…
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!
See all the details in your Friday #rzw forecast video… Have a wonderful weekend. Stay cool!!