LIGHT RAIN AT TIMES TODAY; SHOWERS & STORMS LIKELY SUNDAY… Cloud coverage will continue to increase on this Friday with light rain and sprinkles being possible across the region. I am not expecting widespread, major rain today but there may be sprinkles at times especially this afternoon into this evening. The bigger rain event is set to happen on Saturday night into Sunday as a cold front crosses our region from northwest to southeast. Severe weather parameters on Sunday remain LOW, but not entirely zero. The Storm Prediction Center has included ALL of our local area in their Level 1 (out of 5) low-end severe weather risk zone valid for Sunday. The main concern Sunday will be gusty winds as a line of storms moves by. The overall tornado risk looks fairly low for now. Much cooler air arrives Sunday evening behind the cold front, paving the way for a cool start to next week. The unsettled weather pattern will continue into the New Year, meaning we could have some rain around for the New Year’s Eve celebrations across the area. See specifics about what you can expect below.

SPRINKLES & RAIN AROUND TODAY; CLOUDY SKIES… While there could be a few breaks in the clouds at times today, I expect much of the day on this Friday to be somewhat dreary. Clouds and intermittent bouts of light rain are expected. High temperatures will again be in the low- to mid-70s across south Alabama and northwest Florida.

WARM, WET PATTERN TO CONTINUE SATURDAY… Tomorrow (Saturday) will be quite similar to today with numerous clouds, some sprinkles at times, and mild/warmish temperatures in the 70s by the afternoon hours. Rain coverage will increase Saturday night ahead of the cold front slated to move by on Sunday.

SHOWERS & STORMS MOVE BY SUNDAY… The greatest chance of rain over the next few days will almost certainly happen on Sunday. Model guidance has suggested the approaching cold front will be a bit slower than initially anticipated, thus rain chances look to be highest from 9AM to 6PM on Sunday. Scattered showers are expected. There could be a few embedded thunderstorms as well.

SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS REMAIN LOW… The overall risk of severe weather locally remains fairly low. The Storm Prediction Center has included ALL of our local area in their Level 1 (out of 5) marginal severe weather risk valid for Sunday. I think this is a good call as this will probably be one of those “very low-end type risk” situations where the risk of a tornado and damaging winds is not at zero, but it’s closer to zero. We’ve been alluding to this all week in that this is a classic wintertime “higher shear, lower instability” events where the ‘severe weather ingredients’ just don’t come together as well. We’ll keep watching parameters closely, but the model trends have been positive for us thus far. I caution: We’re still two days out from this event, so we need to monitor parameters carefully. I’ll have another detailed update on Saturday morning. Please check back with me then for the latest.

COOLER SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY… Temperatures will drop into the 50s Sunday evening ahead of a much cooler start for early next week. High temperatures will drop to near 60° with morning lows in the 40s.

WET NEW YEAR’S EVE POSSIBLE… We will need to maintain a chance of rain late Tuesday into early Wednesday as we ring in the new year. Wind direction will continue to be out of the south, meaning warm, humid air will continue to move into our region, supporting the chance of showers.

UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUES LATE NEXT WEEK… The end of next week (aka the beginning of the year 2020) looks pretty unsettled with a chance of rain Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the upcoming week. Temperatures will be pretty seasonal with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.

APP… Be sure to download our free RedZone Weather app if you haven’t done so already. redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the app for your iOS or Android device. Once you have the app downloaded, be sure to visit the Alerts tab in the lower right corner of the app to select the specific notifications you would like to receive straight from me.

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

CLOUDS INCREASE TODAY AHEAD OF RAIN THIS WEEKEND… Skies will become mostly cloudy on this Thursday as temperatures remain quite mild. High temperatures will be in the 72-74 degree range this afternoon. Friday could potentially feature a few sprinkles late in the day, but the bigger rain event is set to happen this weekend. Severe weather parameters on Sunday remain LOW as the cold front passes through our area. Much cooler, drier air is poised to move into south Alabama and northwest Florida on Sunday evening, paving the way for a nice start to early next week. We’ve also got a first look at what New Year’s Eve may look like across the region. Let’s look at details.

FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY… No rain issues are expected on this Thursday or tonight, but we could have a few sprinkles possible on Friday, particularly after dark. Mostly cloudy skies are expected all day and high temperatures will again be in the low- to mid-70s.

P.M. SHOWERS SATURDAY… Much of the daytime hours of Saturday should be dry, especially in the morning hours. Rain coverage will increase from west to east across the region as a cold front approaches our area from the northwest in the late evening hours.

RAIN LIKELY SUNDAY… The most active weather day of the next 7 days will likely be Sunday when a cold front moves through our region. Rain chances look to be highest between 3AM and Noon. At this point, surface-based instability seems pretty low. This means that we may have a few general thunderstorms passing through the region, but the overall risk of strong to severe thunderstorms will remain fairly low. High temperatures Sunday will be closer to the 70 degree mark.

MUCH COOLER AIR SUNDAY EVENING… You will notice a stark thermal difference Sunday evening as cold, dry air moves into our area behind the eastward-advancing cold front. Temperatures Sunday evening will quickly drop into the 50s. Low temperatures Monday morning will be in the mid-40s.

COOLER START TO NEXT WEEK… We get a brief break from the rain on Monday into Tuesday. High temperatures drop back into the upper-50s and 60s with morning lows in the low-40s.

CHANCE OF RAIN FOR NEW YEAR’S… Early indications point to the potential for rain on New Year’s Eve. Models are pointing to yet another cold front moving by in the January 2-4 range, which would mean the flow in advance of the front would be out of the south. This means humid, Gulf air would stream back into our region setting the stage for showers. We’ll keep you posted as we get closer to New Year’s Eve on the specifics.

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 graphics and details in your Thursday #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! MILD FEW DAYS AHEAD… Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at RedZone Weather. Thanks for choosing our weather forecast products this year! We’re so excited to show you what we have in store for 2020 as we celebrate 5 years of RedZone Weather. Gorgeous weather is on tap for south Alabama and northwest Florida on this Christmas Day. High temperatures will surge into the low- to mid-70s today as our decade-long overall trend of “warm Christmas Days” continues. We’ve had 6 “above average temperature” Christmases since 2010 across our region. This mild/warm pattern is set to be in place through Saturday. Much cooler air will move in on Sunday afternoon as a cold front slides through our region. That cold front will be responsible for the rain Saturday night into Sunday. Let’s look at your forecast details.

WARM & DRY THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING… Temperatures are set to remain above our climatological norms for this time of year through Saturday. High temperatures will peak in the low- to mid-70s across our region on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Dewpoint temperatures will also be pretty high, meaning the air will feel moist, humid, and rather unpleasant, especially as we get into Saturday. Despite earlier indications of the chance of rain on Thursday evening, the latest model data suggests our region will remain dry until Saturday evening. There could be areas of dense fog in the morning and overnight hours through Saturday.

NEXT RAIN CHANCE HAPPENS SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY… Showers (and maybe a few general thunderstorms) will be possible Saturday evening into Sunday. The highest chance of rain, as of now, will be from 3AM to Noon on Sunday. This will be a situation where the showers and storms will be scattered. This means rain totals will vary quite a bit. 0.1” to 0.5” is currently what we’re expecting as a range across the area in terms of rain amounts with this system.

SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS LOW FOR NOW… There will be plenty of wind shear with this system, especially in place to our north. The limiting factor, as is SO often the case with these passing winter cold fronts, will be atmospheric instability. Most models are suggesting meager, at best, amounts of surface-based CAPE/instability on Sunday. This will limit the overall potential for strong to severe storms, most likely. We’ll keep watching the data, but the trends have been positive!

COOLER AIR SURGES IN SUNDAY AFTERNOON… If you are not a fan of this mild/warm weather pattern, don’t fret as we have another surge of much cooler air slated to move in on Sunday. High temperatures will drop into the upper-50s by Monday with morning lows expected to be around the 40 degree mark 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 hope you and your family and friends have a marvelous Christmas Day! See all the forecast graphics and details in your Christmas Day 2019 #rzw forecast video. Enjoy the day!