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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GORGEOUS, MILD DAY; TRACKING TD18/SAM IN THE ATLANTIC… Today will be arguably the nicest weather day we have had in months as full sunshine is expected throughout the day with high temperatures in the mid-70s. We are starting a streak of nice, dry weather days. High temperatures will rise into the 80s by the weekend while overnight lows consistently remain in the 50s through Sunday. We continue to track three tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Depression Peter, Tropical Depression Rose, and TD18/Tropical Storm Sam. A few more Thursday morning forecast notes below.

TD18/SAM IN THE ATLANTIC… Tropical Depression 18 formed last evening in the open waters of the central Atlantic Ocean. This system is expected to become Tropical Storm Sam today. The National Hurricane Center forecast continues to explicitly call for TD18/Sam to become a major hurricane early next week as the system comes fairly close to the northernmost Lesser Antilles. It remains a bit too early to conclusively rule out direct local impacts in the USA, although we note most of the major global weather models have indicated a path that would likely be to the east of the continental U.S. in the Atlantic Ocean. I will continue to monitor model trends in the next few days and bring you the latest info in the RedZone Weather app.

REMNANTS OF PETER & T.D. ROSE REMAIN WEAK… Tropical Depression Peter is no more. The National Hurricane Center issued their final advisory on the decaying tropical system last evening. Tropical Depression Rose continues to weaken as well. These two systems will continue to fade away, well away from land, in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean today into tonight. The remnants of Peter are located north of Puerto Rico. Rose is located about 1,250 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Both systems will not ever directly affect Alabama or northwest Florida.

APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!

See all the details in your Thursday morning #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!

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