ISOLATED STORMS AROUND LATER TODAY; BIG RAIN EVENT COMING UP THIS WEEKEND… A few showers and thunderstorms are likely this afternoon into this evening with high temperatures likely to be in the upper-80s across the region today. Rain chances are set to increase later this week and into the upcoming weekend as a surface low pressure area develops to our southwest, flinging in copious amounts of Gulf moisture into our region. There is a real chance some communities locally will pick up 3-4″ of rain this weekend, with communities just to our east in the Florida Panhandle possibly picking up 5-10″ of total rainfall. We continue to track multiple systems in the tropics, but the good news is no tropical or hurricane issues are expected locally anytime soon.
FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS THIS WEEKEND… If thunderstorms and heavy rain train over the same areas this weekend, there is a chance flash flooding could quickly become a concern. It seems like the moisture axis will be most significant in areas along, south, and east of Interstate 65 in parts of Covington, Escambia (AL), Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Escambia (FL) counties locally. Keep those umbrellas handy and certainly have indoor backup plans ready if you have outdoor events scheduled for this weekend.
TROPICS: HURRICANE DANIELLE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC MOVING OUT… Hurricane Danielle is located well away from any land areas in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The storm is expected to become an extratropical system at some point on Thursday. No land impacts are expected from Danielle, thankfully.
TROPICS: HURRICANE EARL NORTH OF THE ANTILLES MOVING TOWARD BERMUDA… Earl is now a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, the second hurricane of the 2022 season. Earl is located about 525 miles south of Bermuda in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Earl is moving north at 5-10 mph with maximum winds near 65-70 mph. The storm will likely pass just to the southeast of Bermuda tomorrow into Friday, probably as a major hurricane. Despite the center of Earl passing southeast of the island commonwealth, impacts are expected in Bermuda as early as tomorrow morning and extending until Friday morning. Earl is expected to then rapidly turn northeast and move rapidly into the North Atlantic Ocean. Direct impacts in the United States are not expected from Earl.
TROPICS: TWO TROPICAL WAVES IN THE EAST ATLANTIC REGION… In addition to Danielle and Earl, we continue to track two other tropical waves near Africa that have growing chances of becoming named tropical storms in the days ahead. One tropical wave is located near the Cabo Verde Islands. This tropical wave has a 60% chance of becoming a named tropical storm as it continues moving west or northwest.
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 Wednesday morning #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!