PERFECT WEATHER TODAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND; TRACKING T.S. SAM… I know many folks across the region who are calling our weather pattern “perfect” right now. Sunny skies will persist today, tomorrow, and on Sunday. High temperatures this afternoon will be near 80 degrees in most spots. Overnight lows will continue to be in the mid- to upper-50s this weekend. We continue to track Tropical Storm Sam in the open waters of the central Atlantic Ocean. While it remains a bit too early to know exactly where Sam will end up, model trends over the last 24 hours have been encouraging, showing likely movement well east of the continental U.S. in the Atlantic Ocean. A few more Friday morning forecast notes are below.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FORECAST… Football games across our local area in south Alabama and northwest Florida will be near perfect tonight. Game time temperatures will start around 71° with temperatures falling into the low- to mid-60s by the 4th Quarter at many local games. You may or may not need a jacket tonight, but you will NOT need a rain jacket! Dry conditions will continue into the weekend. Best of luck to ALL of our area teams!

TROPICAL STORM SAM IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN… Tropical Storm Sam continues to strengthen this morning. The system is located about 1,600 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, aka in the middle of the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Sam is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane over the next few days. The National Hurricane Center is noting that rapid intensification may happen. There is a real chance Sam becomes a powerful, category 4 hurricane by early next week. Interests in the northernmost Lesser Antilles, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico should closely monitor the progress of this developing storm. Most models show Sam turning more to the north before the system ever gets close to the shores of the U.S. That is subject to change in the days ahead. Please check back in this weekend for more updates.

No tropical storms are expected to develop in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea through Monday.

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 Friday morning #rzw forecast video. Have a great weekend!

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