QUITE WARM TODAY; LOW RAIN CHANCES THIS WEEK… Near record high temperatures are happening on this Sunday with most spots well into the 80s as of 1PM. Compare this with temperatures in the 40s and rain happening across north Alabama! There is a high chance most areas across inland counties of south Alabama will rise to the 84-87° range in the next hour or two. More warm weather is expected over the next few days. Rain chances will rise a bit on Tuesday into Wednesday, but even on those days, there is a high chance that MOST spots will remain dry. For those that may be tired of the unseasonably warm March temperatures we’ve had, there appears to be a brief break with ever so slightly cooler temperatures set to happen during the upcoming weekend. Let’s look at all of your forecast details.
COLD WITH RAIN TO OUR NORTH TODAY… Contrary to our wonderful, warm weather across the southern half of the state, it has been quite miserable today across north Alabama. Huntsville is reporting 46° as of 1PM with Florence at 48°. In addition to the cold temps, there also is quite a bit of rain falling this afternoon across parts of east Alabama near Heflin, Piedmont, Centre, Anniston, Oxford, and Ranburne. Light rain continues near Birmingham, Leeds, and Gordo as well. If you’re traveling northbound, grab the jackets and the rain gear! Why the stark difference in temperatures? There is a stationary front draped across Alabama from west to east. This front extends from near Livingston on the west side of the state to near Roanoke on the eastern side of Alabama. South of the front, we are in the warm, nice sector. The northern half of the state is under cloud cover, with light rain and cold temperatures.
WARM EVENING AHEAD… Temperatures will be in the 70s after sunset for several hours this evening. Sunset happens at 6:57PM. Cloud coverage will slowly increase tonight, but I expect all of our local area in south Alabama and northwest Florida to remain dry. Overnight lows on Monday morning will be around 62° in most spots.
MAINLY SUNNY ON MONDAY… Quite a bit of sunshine is expected on Monday morning, but cloud coverage is expected to increase as we go into the afternoon and evening hours. High temperatures locally will be in the mid-80s across inland counties (Monroe, Conecuh, Escambia [AL], Covington, Butler, Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw) with upper-70s expected closer to the immediate coast.
FEW SHOWERS & STORMS TUESDAY… The previously mentioned stationary frontal boundary that is currently draped across Alabama will move southward and into the northern stretches of our region on Tuesday. This will be the spark for isolated showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms. Keep in mind, this won’t be an “all day washout” event. I am not expecting ANY of the next 7 days to be all day rain events. There is a chance that most of our communities locally will remain dry, even Tuesday into Wednesday. High temperatures Tuesday will be around 80° primarily due to the cloud cover limiting more heating. There is no formal severe weather risk on Tuesday.
LOW RAIN CHANCES WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY… Partly cloudy skies are expected on Wednesday and Thursday with rain chances being very low (0-20% chance) each day. Much of our local area will remain south of a stationary front, meaning we’ll have warm conditions in place on both Wednesday and Thursday. High temperatures will be in the mid-80s with morning lows in the mid-60s.
COLD FRONT APPROACHES FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY… If you’re a fan of cooler temperatures, I don’t want you to get TOO excited just yet as there are still some forecast uncertainties involved. Our next real chance of cooler air moving in will happen this weekend, probably on Saturday, as a reinforcing shot of slightly cooler air approaches from the north. There could be showers and thunderstorms involved Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as this front drapes across our region. Severe weather parameters, for now, remain low. High temperatures will likely drop into the 70s by Sunday. We’ll keep you posted about details in the RedZone Weather app over the next few days.
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 Sunday evening #rzw forecast video. Have a great evening!
