WEEKEND HEAT, BUT WE COOL DOWN STARTING MONDAY; FEW SHOWERS OVER NEXT SEVERAL DAYS… Temperatures will again be in record territory later today as highs make a run at 100° across parts of south central Alabama. Most locales will be in the mid-90s by 3PM. There could be a few isolated storms around this afternoon, but unfortunately most areas will remain dry today. That begins to change this weekend, however, as rain chances go up ahead of a weak cold front that will approach our area on Monday. High school football will likely be dry this evening for most, but there could be a rogue storm around. Let’s look at details…
UPDATED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FORECAST… Today and tomorrow (Saturday) will probably be the final “very hot” day of the seemingly never-ending summer of 2019. High temperatures today 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 (10-20%) 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.
RAIN POSSIBLE AT TIMES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY… Showers and storms will increase in coverage (10-20% chance of rain Saturday and 30-40% chance on Sunday) this weekend. Not everyone will get rain but there will be more storms around in the afternoon and evening hours compared to the last few days. Storms will remain under severe limits, although cloud-to-ground lightning will be possible in the stronger storms.
COLD FRONT #1 IS WEAK, BUT IT WILL COOL US OFF… The first cold front we’re tracking will approach our area on Monday into Tuesday. I expect high temperatures to drop back into the mid-80s. Overnight lows will be in the mid-60s by Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in the upcoming week.
COLD FRONT #2 IS MORE UNCERTAIN, BUT COULD BRING MUCH COOLER AIR… Long time viewers and readers know that I don’t put much, if any, stock into the model ideas beyond 7 days out. This is because there is much more model uncertainty and volatility in that range. There is increasing agreement, however, that a reinforcing, stronger cold front may move our way by the end of next week in the October 10-12 range. This COULD (and I stress, COULD, as there is uncertainty involved) bring overnight lows down into the mid-40s by the end of next week with high temperatures potentially near 70°. This is one idea that seems to be gaining traction. We’ll keep you posted in the days ahead about specifics.
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See all the graphics and details in your Friday #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!