SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS POP-UP STORMS TODAY… Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will develop across south Alabama and northwest Florida on this Thursday. Many communities will have rain at some point, but there will also be breaks between storms. For the first time in a while, most inland communities will have high temperatures in the upper 80s today with temperatures near 90° closer to I-10. Frequent lightning, heavy downpours, and gusty winds will be concerns in the stronger storms. A few storms may produce gusty winds. Widespread severe weather, however, is not expected.
HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE AT TIMES TODAY; NUISANCE-TYPE FLOODING POSSIBLE… Deep atmospheric moisture will allow the storms today to produce quite a bit of rain in a short period of time. Localized, nuisance-type flooding may develop where slow-moving storms repeatedly train over the same areas. This will not be a widespread, major flooding event, but localized trouble spots will be possible in/around the heaviest downpours. I will have radar updates posted throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app.
RAIN CHANCES REMAIN ELEVATED INTO FRIDAY… Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will remain possible tomorrow. Overall storm coverage may be somewhat lower than today, but rain chances remain elevated across the entire region. Heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds will again be possible in the stronger storms that pop up. High temperatures Friday will generally be in the upper 80s to near 90°.
WEEKEND FORECAST: P.M. POP-UP STORMS W/ SEASONAL/WARM TEMPS… Rain chances will decrease this weekend as the upper-level trough lifts away and a ridge of high pressure begins building in from the west. Scattered, mainly afternoon and evening storms will remain possible Saturday and Sunday, but many communities will remain dry. High temperatures will generally range from 90 to 95 degrees.
HEAT, HUMIDITY, P.M. STORMS NEXT WEEK… Slightly hotter temperatures and lower rain chances are expected early next week as the area of high pressure strengthens across the region. Highs will be in the 90s in many communities Monday through Wednesday, with some inland locales reaching the mid 90s Tuesday and Wednesday. Humidity will remain firmly in place. Isolated to scattered P.M. storms will remain possible, but overall storm coverage should gradually decrease through the middle of the week.
TROPICS: TROPICAL WAVE IN EAST-CENTRAL ATLANTIC… INVEST 96L is an area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave located a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Showers and thunderstorms remain disorganized, but conditions are somewhat favorable for a tropical depression to form over the next day or two. The system will move westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic. NHC indicates a 60% chance of development. Conditions are expected to become less favorable by this weekend. This tropical wave is the third tropical wave that has flared up, threatening to develop into a named tropical storm, before backing off. This may very well end up being the trend over the next few weeks. Dry air and plenty of atmospheric shear (driven by the ongoing, strengthening El Nino conditions across the globe) are helping to suppress tropical activity in the Atlantic Basin. This is great news.
TROPICS: DISTURBANCE NORTHEAST OF BERMUDA FAILED TO DEVELOP… The disturbance that had been monitored northeast of Bermuda is no longer highlighted in the latest National Hurricane Center outlook. The system is basically a frontal boundary at this point and is no threat to land areas.
TROPICS: GULF & CARIBBEAN QUIET… The National Hurricane Center is not highlighting any areas of potential tropical development in the Gulf or Caribbean Sea in its latest outlook over the next 5-7 days.
APP… Download the free RedZone Weather app at redzoneweather.com/app to keep up with the latest weather information for south Alabama and northwest Florida. Once you have the app installed, head over to the Alerts tab and select the notifications that are most useful to you. All notifications are handcrafted by me, and you remain in control of which alerts you receive.
See all the details in your Thursday 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 Thursday!
