MOSTLY SUNNY & HOT TODAY; ISAIAS OVER NORTH CAROLINA… Another hot, mostly sunny day is on tap for south Alabama and northwest Florida as high temperatures make a run at the 94-97° range in most spots this afternoon. Rain chances remain very low (10-20% chance range) across the region. Could there be a rogue storm or two? Yes, but the odds of your specific location getting wet remains very low today. Isaias made landfall late last evening in the southeastern corner of North Carolina near Holden Beach, which is just northeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina very near the NC/SC state border. Isaias was a hurricane at the time of landfall with maximum winds of 85 mph. A Tropical Storm Warning continues from South Carolina to Maine along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. as Isaias is now plowing to the northeast rapidly at 16-18 mph. Elsewhere in tropics, we’re also keeping an eye on INVEST 94L, located in the central Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda and north of Puerto Rico. Both Isaias and INVEST 94L won’t ever directly affect our local area. Let’s look at your Tuesday forecast details…
HOT, HUMID, LOW-END CHANCE OF P.M. STORMS THIS WEEK… Mostly sunny skies are expected each day through Thursday as a big ridge of high pressure remains in control of our local weather pattern. Showers and storms will be few and far between each day, although I cannot completely rule out a rogue storm or two in the daytime/early evening hours. High temperatures each day will be in the mid-90s with morning lows in the low-70s. Heat index values in the afternoon will almost certainly top 100 degrees each day.
HIGHER RAIN CHANCES THIS WEEKEND… Our daily deluge of scattered (more widespread) showers and thunderstorms will return this weekend into the early part of next week. Rain chances will start their gradual rise on Friday, with higher (50-60%) rain chances in place by Monday. I don’t see any signs of organized severe weather in sight, but we do see more in the way of “splash and dash” storms returning next week.
ISAIAS ON THE WAY OUT THROUGH THE NORTHEAST… Hurricane Isaias made landfall last evening near Oak Island, North Carolina as a strong category 1 hurricane. Just like Hurricane Hanna a few weeks ago, I am glad the system was coming onshore in North Carolina with no further time to strengthen over water as there appeared to be a bit of rapid strengthening right before landfall. Isaias will maintain tropical storm strength as it lifts northeast into the mid-Atlantic region followed by New England later this evening. We note that a Tropical Storm Warning extends from the Carolinas northward Maine, including all of the coastlines of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Wind gusts of 50+ mph will be possible near New York City later this evening.
INVEST 94L IN THE ATLANTIC MOVING NORTHWEST… Odds of development for INVEST 94L, the tropical disturbance located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda and north of Puerto Rico, appear to be fading slightly. NHC says there is now a 40-50% chance of development into a tropical storm. No land impacts are expected from 94L, regardless of if development happens as the system will likely fade away rather quickly later this week.
GULF, CARIBBEAN, TROPICAL ATLANTIC QUIET… The Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the remainder of the Atlantic Basin (east of 94L and Isaias) are quiet with no new tropical storms expected to form in the next 3-5 days.
APP ALERTS… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. We post brief updates throughout each day in the app, keeping you up-to-date about the latest happenings in weather across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Once you have the free 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.
See all the details in your Tuesday #rzw forecast video… Have a great day!