BERTHA PASSING TO OUR SOUTH; SCATTERED RAIN & STORMS LOCALLY TODAY… Tropical Storm Bertha continues to move westward this morning across the northern Gulf. The center of Bertha will continue moving west today, likely making landfall tonight in eastern Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning continues for all of the coastal zones in our area, meaning right along the beaches and bays. This warning is in place to account for the possibility of tropical storm force wind gusts at the coast. Today, spotty showers and thunderstorms will be possible across the region. The greatest chances of rain will happen closer to the coast. Widespread, significant, long-lasting rain is not expected. Storms that develop will be brief and won’t last long in any given spot.
LOCAL IMPACTS UPDATE – TROPICAL STORM BERTHA… The core of Tropical Storm Bertha is passing about 75 miles south of Mobile and Baldwin counties this morning. Much of the rain and thunderstorms associated with Bertha continue to be on the southern side of the system, out over the northern Gulf and away from our land areas. Our ongoing forecast remains on track today: Spotty showers and thunderstorms will be possible with the greatest rain chance closer to the coast. In addition, gusty winds (30-45 mph) right at the immediate coast with breezy (15-25 mph gusts) conditions inland will be possible. Minor coastal hazards continue, including rip currents, high waves, and minor (1-2 feet) storm surge.
REMAINDER OF THE ATLANTIC BASIN IS QUIET… Outside of Tropical Storm Bertha in the northern Gulf, the remainder of the Atlantic Basin, including the Caribbean Sea, is quiet. No new tropical storms are expected to develop over the next 5-7 days.
INCREASED RAIN CHANCES THIS WEEKEND… Rain chances will rise as we get into the latter part of the week and into the upcoming weekend. Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will be possible on Saturday and on Sunday, mostly in the afternoon and evening hours. High temperatures will be in the 90s with lows in the 70s.
TORNADO WARNING POLICY… Any time there is an active tornado warning in effect for southwest Alabama or northwest Florida, we provide uninterrupted, live video coverage on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Our detailed coverage commitment is outlined at redzoneweather.com/coverage. We are proud to cover all parts of Escambia (AL), Covington, Monroe, Conecuh, Baldwin, Mobile, Clarke, Washington (AL), Butler, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. If you live in any locale in those counties, be sure to tune into our coverage whenever there is an active tornado warning!
APP ALERTS… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. We post brief updates throughout each day in the app, keeping you up-to-date about the latest happenings in weather across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Once you have the free app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) then tap the large Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
See all the details in your Wednesday RedZone Weather forecast video. My next forecast video will be posted by 7:15AM tomorrow morning. I will have updates posted throughout the day, as needed, in the RedZone Weather app.
Have a good Wednesday!
