CLOUDY MONDAY; RAIN RETURNS TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY… Mostly cloudy skies are likely on this Monday as we look ahead to more rain tonight. There could be a few showers at times throughout the day, but rain will be more of the anomaly than the trend during the daytime hours. That changes tonight when rain chances will substantially rise, especially across inland areas. High temperatures today will peak in the 67-71° range around 2PM. While I can’t completely rule out a clap of thunder, thunderstorms are not expected to be widespread today. There is simply no instability for storms to work with and become strong. That is a good thing! Obviously with that scenario in place, no severe weather is expected today. Let’s look at your forecast details.
RAIN LIKELY OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING… A large mass of rain is likely to develop to our west this evening into the overnight hours. This will bring quite a bit of rain to parts of central Alabama and areas just to our north near the U.S. Highway 80 corridor. This means that rain amounts will be highest locally across inland counties. If you’re in Monroe, Covington, Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, or Washington counties, rain chances will be a bit higher tonight compared to areas closer to the immediate coast. I will have radar updates as needed in the RedZone Weather app.
RAIN LIKELY TUESDAY; ISOLATED STORMS POSSIBLE… Thunderstorms will increase in coverage on Tuesday, primarily from 10AM to 5PM. There is a good chance that storms will be most numerous in coastal counties, as instability values will probably be a bit higher closer to the coast compared to areas farther inland. Rain is likely throughout the day Tuesday with heavy rain being possible at times. High temps will edge upward into the mid-70s as a moist airmass remains in place.
RAIN WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY; COLD FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH… Rain chances remain elevated on both Wednesday and Thursday as a cold front approaches and ultimately slides through our area. Temperatures will again be in the 70s Wednesday afternoon, but the cold front is slated to move by late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. High temperatures on Thursday will drop into the mid-50s. There could be a few general thunderstorms on Wednesday, but storms will probably be hindered from developing on Thursday with more stable air in place across the area.
BETTER WEATHER FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY… We *finally* get a break from the rain on Friday into Saturday as cool, stable air filters in behind the cold front that will have passed by early Thursday morning. High temps will be in the mid- to upper-50s on Friday and Saturday with mostly sunny skies each day.
NO SEVERE WEATHER OR WINTER WEATHER ISSUES IN FORECAST… Isolated thunderstorms may happen Tuesday into Wednesday, but there is no formal severe weather risk currently in place for any part of Alabama, northwest Florida, or the Deep South this week. This is a welcome change from previous weeks that featured multiple rounds of severe weather. I also see *nothing* that would support snow or mixed precipitation in the short- or medium-range model guidance.
SEVERE WEATHER PREPAREDNESS WEEK… The State of Alabama is having its ninth annual Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday starting on Friday, February 21 and ending on Sunday, February 23. This opportunity gives folks the opportunity to purchase certain severe weather preparedness items free of state sales tax. Local sales taxes may apply. If you would like to see the list of eligible items and more details, here is the link.
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 Monday #rzw forecast video. Have a great start to your week!