SUNNY, HOT WEEKEND; TROPICS BECOMING LESS ACTIVE… Sunny skies are likely today, Saturday, and Sunday as a large ridge of high pressure remains in control of our local weather pattern. Other than a possible tiny shower or two in the heat of the day, unfortunately widespread rain is NOT expected at any point over the next 7 days. High school football will be quite warm tonight. We also continue to keep tabs on Karen and Lorenzo in the Atlantic Ocean. Let’s look at your forecast details…

KAREN IS WEAK AND SLATED TO WEAKEN MORE… Tropical Storm Karen is forecast to meander over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda and north of Puerto Rico in the days ahead. There is a very high chance (70-80%) that Karen will disapate and become a remnant area of low pressure by Monday. This means that Karen will no longer be a tropical storm. Good news!

LORENZO NOW A MAJOR HURRICANE… Category 4 Hurricane Lorenzo is moving northwest about halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles this morning. The system has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Lorenzo is the type of hurricane we want if we have to have one – staying over the ocean and well away from any land areas. Lorenzo will move north and ultimately northeast early next week as it weakens.

GULF OF MEXICO & CARIBBEAN SEA ARE QUIET… No tropical storm formation is expected in the Gulf of Mexico or in the Caribbean Sea this weekend or early next week.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TONIGHT… Temperatures will almost certainly be warmer this week compared to last week for high school football. Kickoff temperatures will be in the mid-80s, falling to near 80° by the end of each game. Mostly clear skies are expected with very little to no chance of rain across south Alabama and northwest Florida.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FORECASTS… Each week, we provide a brief summary of our local college football matchups when the weather isn’t quite active locally. See details below.

ALABAMA VS. OLE MISS… The Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Ole Miss Rebels at 2:30PM CDT on Saturday. The game will be in Tuscaloosa and will be televised on ESPN2. Sunny skies will be in place with HOT temperatures. Game time temperatures start around 95°. Unfortunately, temperatures will probably remain in the 90s for the duration of the game.

AUBURN VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE… Auburn takes on Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on Saturday. The game will air on ESPN starting at 6PM CDT. There is a tiny (0-10%) chance of rain, but I expect much of the game to be dry and hot. Temperatures start around 90°, falling into the low-80s by the end of the game.

TROY VS. ARKANSAS STATE… Kickoff for the Troy game is slated for 5PM CDT on Saturday as the Trojans do battle with Arkansas State. The game will be streamed online on ESPN+ and aired on the Troy Sports Radio Network. Rain chances remain very low (0-10%) with temperatures expected to be near 90° at the beginning of the game. Temperatures will fall into the upper-70s by the end of the game.

SOUTH ALABAMA AT UL MONROE… The Jaguars of South Alabama will travel to Monroe, Louisiana this weekend to take on the ULM Warhawks. That game is scheduled for a 6PM kickoff on Saturday with a webcast on ESPN+. There is a 40-50% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours in that part of Louisiana on Saturday. Lightning delays will be possible. Temperatures at kickoff will be near 84° falling into the upper-70s by the end of the game.

APP… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.

See all the details in your Friday #rzw forecast video… Have a good weekend!

SUNNY, DRY, HOT DAYS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE… The forecast for south Alabama and northwest Florida today will be remarkably similar to the forecast in each of the next 7 to 10 days around here. Temperatures will remain above our climatological norms for this time of year with high temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s in the afternoon and early evening hours. Overnight lows will consistently be around 70°. There were a few showers yesterday across northern Clarke County, but vast majority of us were dry. Unfortunately, if your specific location wasn’t under one of the showers yesterday, you probably won’t have any rain through the end of September. Sunny skies are expected in each of the next 7 days. I see absolutely nothing that would suggest a major rain event or any “significant weather” other than our higher than normal temperatures. The tropics are also quietening down somewhat. Let’s talk details…

KAREN IS WEAKER; PROBABLY WILL DISSIPATE IN NEXT 5 DAYS… Tropical Storm Karen is barely clinging to its tropical status this morning. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) changed the forecast for Karen significantly late on Tuesday, acknowledging that the global model trends that show a decaying Karen ultimately dissipating in 4-5 days are probably on target. This is great news, as the official forecast calls for the tropical storm to die off in about 4 days. Why? The tropical storm is moving into an environment with more atmospheric shear that will probably rip the system apart. We’ll keep watching, but odds are Karen won’t be on the board much longer. Great news!

HURRICANE LORENZO POWERFUL; WILL REMAIN OVER OPEN OCEAN… Hurricane Lorenzo in the eastern Atlantic Ocean is packing maximum sustained winds of over 100 mph this morning. The system is expected to become a category 3, major hurricane later today as it continues to strengthen. Lorenzo has already started lifting more to the northwest in the last 24 hours. A northerly turn is expected to happen in the next day or so, and Lorenzo will ultimately recurve to the northeast in about 4 days. The hurricane will become extratropical in about a week over the open waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean. No land impacts are expected from Hurricane Lorenzo.

FINAL ADVISORY ISSUED ON JERRY… NHC issued its final advisory late yesterday on Jerry, now a post-tropical, weak area of low pressure just northwest of Bermuda. Jerry has dissipated and is no longer a tropical storm.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOMORROW… Temperatures will almost certainly be warmer this week compared to last week for high school football. Kickoff temperatures will be in the mid-80s, falling to near 80° by the end of each game. Mostly clear skies are expected with very little to no chance of rain across south Alabama and northwest Florida.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FORECASTS… Each week, we provide a brief summary of our local college football matchups when the weather isn’t quite active locally. See details below.

ALABAMA VS. OLE MISS… The Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Ole Miss Rebels at 2:30PM CDT on Saturday. The game will be in Tuscaloosa and will be televised on ESPN2. Sunny skies will be in place with HOT temperatures. Game time temperatures start around 95°. Unfortunately, temperatures will probably remain in the 90s for the duration of the game.

AUBURN VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE… Auburn takes on Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on Saturday. The game will air on ESPN starting at 6PM CDT. There is a tiny (0-10%) chance of rain, but I expect much of the game to be dry and hot. Temperatures start around 90°, falling into the low-80s by the end of the game.

TROY VS. ARKANSAS STATE… Kickoff for the Troy game is slated for 5PM CDT on Saturday as the Trojans do battle with Arkansas State. The game will be streamed online on ESPN+ and aired on the Troy Sports Radio Network. Rain chances remain very low (0-10%) with temperatures expected to be near 90° at the beginning of the game. Temperatures will fall into the upper-70s by the end of the game.

SOUTH ALABAMA AT UL MONROE… The Jaguars of South Alabama will travel to Monroe, Louisiana this weekend to take on the ULM Warhawks. That game is scheduled for a 6PM kickoff on Saturday with a webcast on ESPN+. There is a 40-50% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours in that part of Louisiana on Saturday. Lightning delays will be possible. Temperatures at kickoff will be near 84° falling into the upper-70s by the end of the game.

APP… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.

See all the details in your Thursday #rzw forecast video… Have a nice day!