PARTLY CLOUDY TODAY; STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE SAT. NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY… Happy Valentines Day! Partly cloudy skies are expected across south Alabama and northwest Florida on this Friday with increasing cloudiness later this evening. A few sprinkles cannot completely be ruled out this evening but I expect most spots to remain dry. High temperatures will be in the upper 60s today. Strong to severe thunderstorms will become possible Saturday night into early Sunday morning ahead of a strong cold front that will bring with it much cooler temperatures on Sunday. There is a chance we may have a few strong to severe to severe storms across south Alabama and northwest Florida with higher probabilities of severe storms further inland.
SEVERE WEATHER TIMING – TOMORROW NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING… 2AM to 8AM is the main six hour window for strong to severe storms early Sunday morning. Scattered thunderstorms will be possible on Saturday during the daytime locally, but most spots should remain dry throughout the day. Rain chances will increase overnight into Sunday. Please understand a real possibility exists where conditions are quiet until very early Sunday morning. A few tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and hail will be possible in the strongest of the storms.
SEVERE WEATHER RISK MAXIMIZED TO OUR NORTHWEST… The main severe weather risk will happen on Saturday into Saturday evening, specifically in areas to our northwest across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and west Alabama. These are the zones involved in the Level 3 (out of 5) enhanced severe weather risk. Much of south Alabama and northwest Florida remain involved in the Level 2 (out of 5) risk. This means that scattered severe thunderstorms may become possible across the local area. We encourage everyone to have multiple ways to hear warnings tomorrow night into Sunday.
COLDER AIR MOVES IN ON SUNDAY… Behind the line of thunderstorms slated to move by early Sunday morning, a cold front will move across the region on Sunday with cold, dry air behind it. Temperatures in the afternoon hours on Sunday will likely only be in the upper 50s. Temperatures will be near, or perhaps even just below, the freezing mark early Monday morning.
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!
I will have updates posted throughout the weekend, as needed, in the RedZone Weather app. We will “go live” if/when tornado warnings are needed for our local area early Sunday morning. Have a nice Friday!