CLOUDS INCREASE TODAY AHEAD OF HIGH RAIN CHANCES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY… Rain will be our weather headline as we go into Friday and Saturday across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Before we get there, clouds will increase across our area on this Thursday. High temperatures will be in the mid-70s across the region today as clouds stream in from the southwest. There is a low (30%) chance that a weak area of low pressure currently emerging from the Yucatan Peninsula into the southern Gulf of Mexico may develop into a weak tropical storm or subtropical storm as it rapidly lifts north on Saturday. That system, regardless of if formal development happens, will contribute to our rain chances over the next few days as moisture lifts north into parts of the Deep South. After Saturday, we’re looking at several days of unsettled weather with isolated showers being possible Sunday, Monday, into Tuesday. I am still recovering from strep throat and am struggling in the voice department. We’ll hopefully get back to normal video production on Friday. Let’s look at your forecast details.
LOW CHANCE OF TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL DEVELOPMENT IN GULF… The National Hurricane Center is tracking an area of disturbed weather currently situated over the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico. This area of cloudiness and storms will move northward before ultimately moving onshore likely in Louisiana either as a broad area of low pressure or as a weak tropical storm or subtropical storm on Saturday. Regardless of if the system develops, there will be Gulf moisture flung northward into the Deep South this weekend from this.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LIKELY TO BE WET ON FRIDAY NIGHT… Several schools and school systems across the region have opted to move their high school football games to this (Thursday) evening to avoid the rain that is expected on Friday. For the games tonight, we expect dry conditions with temperatures near 70° under cloudy skies. For the games that are still scheduled on Friday, rain is likely in most spots locally, especially across west Alabama. Temperatures will be in the upper-60s at most of the games inland and near 70° closer to the coast. Keep that rain gear handy and with you! We’ll have radar updates on Friday night as needed in the RedZone Weather app.
RAIN TOTALS LIKELY TO BE IN THE 1-2” RANGE THROUGH SATURDAY… Most of the heavier rain on Friday into Saturday will happen west of the Alabama River in west Alabama. Most spots in Clarke, Washington, Mobile, and Choctaw counties will probably have upwards of 2 inches of rain in total while communities farther to the east like Andalusia, Brewton, Evergreen, and Greenville may only pick up 1” of rain in total or less. You can see the latest Quantitative Precipitation Forecast graphic (attached) issued by the Weather Prediction Center.
UNSETTLED PATTERN LIKELY TO CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK… Rain chances will remain at least somewhat elevated Sunday through Wednesday of the upcoming week as a stalled frontal boundary meanders across our region. High temperatures will consistently be in the 70s. It probably won’t be an “all day washout” on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, but there will likely be showers and storms around each day. We’ll keep you posted about it all in the RedZone Weather app.
APP… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) then tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
Have a great Thursday!