MOSTLY SUNNY TODAY W/ A FEW P.M. STORMS; HIGHER RAIN CHANCES FRIDAY & SATURDAY… Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast on this Thursday across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Rain chances remain low, but not zero, this morning. We will see a few showers and thunderstorms develop this afternoon into this evening across the region. High temperatures will be in the low-90s today. Rain chances will increase tomorrow (Friday) and on Saturday as more thunderstorms pop up across the area.
TROPICAL STORM IDALIA PUSHING EAST… Idalia, now a tropical storm, continues to push eastward across the Carolinas this morning. Idalia is expected to move into the Atlantic Ocean before approaching Bermuda in a few days. While some earlier model indications pointed to the low-end potential for a “loop scenario” where some of the remaining energy associated with Idalia may push back toward the Atlantic coast of Florida, that scenario is now off the table. Idalia will move out to sea after potentially impacting Bermuda in a few days. Damage across north Florida and southern Georgia due to Idalia is extensive in some areas. Recovery is expected to take many weeks, if not months in some locations.
HURRICANE FRANKLIN PUSHING AWAY FROM BERMUDA… Hurricane Franklin continues to rapidly advance northeast across the open waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean. Franklin is now a category 2 hurricane with maximum winds of 105 mph. Franklin will become extratropical in a few days over the northern Atlantic, passing well southeast of Newfoundland in Canada.
TD11 & REMNANTS OF GERT… Tropical Depression 11 continues to meander in the northern Atlantic Ocean, located several hundred miles east of Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center also flagged an area of concern not too far from TD11 associated with the area of low pressure that once was Tropical Storm Gert. Both of these systems remain weak and disorganized. TD11 and the remnants of Gert are not expected to impact land areas.
TROPICAL WAVE IN EASTERN ATLANTIC… NHC indicates there is a 60% chance of a tropical storm forming in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean over the next few days. This system is well away from land areas. From NHC: “A broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave located near the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form later this week while the system moves west-northwestward to northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic.”
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See all the details in your Thursday morning RedZone Weather forecast video. Have a nice day!