RECORD-SETTING HEAT TODAY & FRIDAY; COOLER WEATHER COMING NEXT WEEK… Today and Friday will feature record high temperatures across the region with most locales reaching 96-98° by 3PM. It’s going to be hot through Saturday, but we quickly start to feel the effect of a significant weather pattern change starting Sunday into Monday when temperatures will be closer to our climatological October norms. We also have a growing chance of rain Sunday into Monday as a cold front approaches from the northwest. Let’s look at your details.
20% CHANCE OF TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT NEAR YUCATAN… The National Hurricane Center continues to indicate there is a low (20%) chance of a tropical storm forming in the western Caribbean Sea or southern Gulf of Mexico over the next 3-4 days as an area of low pressure moves northwest near the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Development, if any, is expected to be slow to happen. This system will move toward the northeastern part of Mexico south of Texas. No direct local effects are expected in south Alabama or northwest Florida regardless of if formal development happens.
FINAL ADVISORY ISSUED ON HURRICANE LORENZO… Hurricane Lorenzo has become a powerful extratropical storm over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The system will weaken and bring rain to parts of Ireland and the United Kingdom this weekend. The final advisory has been issued as Lorenzo is now no longer a tropical cyclone.
COOLER TEMPS COMING; RAIN CHANCES MORE UNCERTAIN… Confidence continues to increase that cooler, drier air will filter into our local area next week as a cold front marches through. Models have significantly backed off the idea of rain, however. There still are rain chances in the forecast for Sunday into Monday, but I would suggest that the odds of rain are certainly decreasing. I’ll keep watching trends in the days ahead and bring you the latest in the RedZone Weather app.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FORECAST… Friday will probably be the final “very hot” day of the seemingly never-ending summer of 2019. High temperatures Friday will be in the 95-97° range in most spots. Kickoff temperatures for high school football games across our region will be in the mid- to upper-80s. Rain chances remain very low (0-10%) in most spots locally. Temperatures will decline into the upper-70s by the end of the games. The good news is next week’s round of high school football will probably be much cooler!
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 BYE WEEK… Alabama is off this week with no football game on the schedule. The Crimson Tide will travel to College Station, TX next week (October 12) to play Texas A&M. High temperatures on Saturday in Tuscaloosa will be in the mid-90s with mostly sunny skies.
AUBURN AT FLORIDA… The Auburn Tigers travel to Gainesville, Florida to take on UF in The Swamp. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30PM CDT. The game will be televised on local CBS stations. We’ll call it a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms for Gainesville and surrounding areas in north-central Florida on Saturday. Other than the scattered storms around, there should be plenty of sunshine. High temperatures will be around 90°, which is the forecast temperature when kickoff will happen. Temperatures won’t decline that much, ending up around 84° by the end of the game.
TROY AT MISSOURI… Troy travels to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 3PM kickoff on the SEC/ESPN+ Network. Rain chances are high, in the 70-80% chance range, for much of the day on Saturday. Temperatures will be in the mid-70s throughout the day. Lightning delays may be possible.
SOUTH ALABAMA VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN… The Jaguars of South Alabama will play Georgia Southern on Saturday at 6:30PM. The game is set to be televised on ESPNU. High temperatures in Mobile will be around 93° on Saturday, but by 6:30PM, I expect temperatures to be around 89° in most spots. There is a low (10-20%) chance of rain, but most spots across our region should remain dry.
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 great day!