SCATTERED P.M. STORMS TODAY; HIGHER RAIN CHANCES THURSDAY… Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop across south Alabama and northwest Florida on this Wednesday, mostly in the afternoon and evening hours. Rain will not be continuous, and some communities will miss out on the rain/storms entirely today. Any storms that develop will be capable of producing heavy downpours, gusty winds, loud thunder, and cloud-to-ground lightning. There is no formal severe weather risk in place locally, unlike previous days. High temperatures will be in the 90-95° range with heat index values ranging from the upper 90s to around 105°. Rain and storm coverage will increase substantially tomorrow.
STORM TIMING – TODAY… Most communities will be dry through the morning and into the early afternoon hours today. Thunderstorms are expected to begin developing around mid-afternoon as temperatures reach their daily peak. Storm placement will be somewhat unpredictable (as is our summertime usual), but scattered storms will be around during the afternoon and evening hours. Coverage will gradually decrease after sunset this evening.
WETTEST DAY OF THE WEEK FOR MOST LIKELY TO BE TOMORROW… Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected across the region tomorrow (Thursday) as an upper-level trough digs southward toward the northeastern Gulf. Rain chances will be in the 70-80% range, making Thursday the most likely candidate for the wettest day of the week. Greater cloud cover and more widespread rain will keep high temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s. Heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds will be possible in the stronger storms. Localized, nuisance-type flooding could become a concern where storms repeatedly move over the same areas. Widespread severe storms are not expected tomorrow.
ELEVATED RAIN CHANCES PERSIST INTO FRIDAY… Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will remain possible Friday. Rain chances will be in the 50-70% range across much of the region, although overall storm coverage may be somewhat lower than what happens Thursday. Heavy downpours, gusty winds, and frequent lightning will remain possible in the stronger storms.
SCATTERED STORMS AROUND FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRIDAY EVENING… Scattered thunderstorms may still be around Friday evening as high school football games are underway across south Alabama and northwest Florida. It is too early to know which specific locales may be affected, but a few lightning delays will be possible where storms develop or linger. Storm coverage is expected to decrease Friday evening after 8PM.
SPOTTY P.M. STORMS THIS WEEKEND; SEASONAL TEMPERATURES… Rain chances will decrease considerably this weekend compared to Thursday and Friday. Spotty, mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms will remain possible Saturday and Sunday, but many communities will remain dry. High temperatures will generally range from 90 to 95 degrees this weekend.
TROPICS: 70% CHANCE OF TROPICAL STORM DEVELOPING IN ATLANTIC… INVEST 96L is an area of low pressure located a few hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands in the eastern tropical Atlantic. Showers and thunderstorms remain disorganized, but environmental conditions appear favorable for gradual development. A tropical depression is likely to form during the next day or two as the system moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center indicates a 70% chance of development over the next 5-7 days. It is too early to pinpoint exactly where this system will end up, but direct U.S. impacts seem unlikely at this point as model guidance consistently has indicated the system may miss the U.S. well to the east in the Atlantic. Good news!
TROPICS: DISTURBANCE NORTHEAST OF BERMUDA IN ATLANTIC… INVEST 95L is a broad area of low pressure located a few hundred miles east-northeast of Bermuda. Shower activity remains disorganized, and the circulation is broad and elongated. The National Hurricane Center maintains a 40% chance of development. The system is moving northward to north-northeastward, and increasingly hostile conditions are expected to bring its opportunity for development to an end today. No direct effects due to this particular system in Alabama or northwest Florida.
TROPICS: GULF & CARIBBEAN REMAIN QUIET… The Gulf and the Caribbean Sea are expected to remain quiet over the next 5-7 days with no new tropical storms expected to develop.
APP… redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free RedZone Weather app. I use the app throughout the day to post brief updates about weather across south Alabama and northwest Florida. After downloading the app, be sure to visit the Alerts tab and customize the specific notifications you’d like to receive.
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 nice Wednesday!
