STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE IN MISSISSIPPI OVERNIGHT; NO FORMAL RISK LOCALLY… There is a low-end, Level 1 (out of 5) marginal severe weather risk in place for parts of west Alabama from Choctaw County northward. This formal severe weather risk zone does NOT include any part of south Alabama or northwest Florida, however we could have a few loud storms over west Alabama on Wednesday morning. Severe thunderstorms are ongoing this evening across parts of Arkansas and northern Louisiana where tornado watches continue. A Tornado Watch may be needed soon across parts of northern Mississippi. For our area, this event will probably be pretty insignificant with heavy rain and occasional lightning being the main concerns early Wednesday morning. Let’s look at details.
WHAT TO EXPECT OVERNIGHT… Isolated areas of sprinkles and light rain will continue across south Alabama and northwest Florida overnight into Wednesday morning. Around 3AM, we’ll start looking to our west as the decaying band of showers and thunderstorms approaches the Alabama-Mississippi state line. Storms will begin long before that in northwest Alabama as the line is slanted from northeast to southwest. Temperatures will actually slowly RISE throughout the night and we’ll be around 70° by 7AM. Rain and storm coverage will increase across Clarke, Choctaw, Monroe, and Washington counties in the 3AM to 7AM timeframe.
DECAYING LINE OF STORMS MOVES THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY… If the weakening line of showers and thunderstorms survives, there will be the potential for rain from 7AM to Noon across much of our region. That’s a big “if” at this point. I do expect most spots to have at least some rain, but there is a chance locales on the eastern side of our region (Andalusia, Opp, Florala, Crestview, Destin) may not get much rain at all. Temperatures will be in the 70s until around 5PM on Wednesday.
TEMPS NOT MUCH COOLER ON THURSDAY… What’s causing the severe weather issues to our northwest and the rain for our area on Wednesday morning? A weakening cold front is responsible, with “weakening” being the keyword. Temperatures Wednesday night into Thursday will be in the mid-40s but then we quickly rebound to around 70° by Thanksgiving Day afternoon. Highs on Friday will surge into the mid-70s, then there is a chance some spots may hit 80° on Iron Bowl Saturday!
NEXT CHANCE OF STORMS SATURDAY NIGHT… Speaking of the Iron Bowl, we’ll call it a 20% chance of rain in Auburn this Saturday as the Alabama Crimson Tide travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the Auburn Tigers. Across the local area in south Alabama and northwest Florida, rain coverage will increase after sunset. There could be a few strong storms involved Saturday night. Rain will clear out early Sunday morning as sharply cooler air invades from the north. Highs on Monday will drop back into the low-50s with morning lows near freezing by Tuesday morning.
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.
I will have updates throughout the night and into Wednesday as needed in the RedZone Weather app. My next forecast video will be posted on Wednesday morning by 7:15AM. See you then!