LOW-END TORNADO RISK TODAY; HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES; BARRY LANDFALL IMMINENT… Heavy rain will happen at times on this Saturday across south Alabama and northwest Florida. There is a low-end tornado risk for areas in west Alabama and near our immediate beach zones today. Vast majority of the impacts happening because of Tropical Storm Barry will happen in Louisiana and southern Mississippi. We will have updates throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app. If tornado warnings become required for any part of our coverage area, we’ll be on Facebook Live and in the Live tab of the RedZone Weather app bringing you the very latest. Let’s talk details…
LEVEL 1 (OUT OF 5) TORNADO RISK TODAY… Let me upfront and say that vast majority of us have very little to worry about in terms of a tornado risk today. The low-end risk is in place for west Alabama and areas at the immediate beaches. We’ll call it a low-end tornado risk for Clarke, Washington, Baldwin, Mobile, Escambia (FL), and Santa Rosa counties. Outside of those areas, the tornado risk is even lower. If a tornado happens today, it will probably be brief and not very large. However, as I often caution, if a tornado affects YOU, it’s a big deal. If you happen to go under a tornado warning today, do something about it and get sheltered properly.
HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES TODAY; FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS… Numerous showers and thunderstorms will continue to move into the local area from the Gulf of Mexico today. Keep the rain gear close by at all times throughout the day and into tonight. Rain could be heavy at times. One big question mark we have is IF rain and storms will train over the same areas today. If that happens (and that’s a big IF at this point), we could have some extensive flash flooding issues. If this occurs, it is most likely to set up across west Alabama, especially to the west of the Tombigbee River.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH MODIFIED… NWS Mobile has opted to cancel the Flash Flood Watch for Escambia (AL), Clarke, and Santa Rosa counties. The Flash Flood Watch continues for all parts of Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Washington, and Choctaw counties. The greatest rain amounts in our local area will likely happen across west Alabama, primarily to the west of the Tombigbee River.
GULF WATERS CLOSED AT MANY BEACHES – RIP CURRENTS HAPPENING… Double red flags continue to fly at many local beaches across Alabama and northwest Florida, meaning the Gulf is closed. This is a subject I’ve been harping on lately because of the horrendous statistics associated with the deaths we’ve had… PLEASE do not get in the Gulf waters while this tropical storm is nearby. You could face a hefty fine and more importantly, you could lose your life. Don’t risk it!
WIND ISSUES IN LOUISIANA, BUT NOT CLOSE TO HOME… Tropical storm force winds are happening in the southern part of Louisiana this evening. We will continue to have a good breeze at the local beaches. The good news is our forecast is on track and high winds are NOT expected across south Alabama and northwest Florida due to Tropical Storm Barry.
COASTAL FLOODING TO CONTINUE… The western end of Dauphin Island had some minor coastal flooding issues on Friday. Low-lying areas near the Alabama and northwest Florida beaches will continue to have minor coastal flooding issues as the core of Barry lifts northward today into Sunday. This will be due to the strong onshore flow, as our area will remain on the eastern side of the system.
RAIN CHANCES LESSEN SUNDAY INTO MONDAY… The core of Tropical Storm Barry will continue to weaken and lift northward across the Mississippi Valley region on Sunday into Monday. Rain chances will remain somewhat elevated (50-60% chance) for Sunday, but we go back to more seasonal rain chances (30-40%) for Monday. High temperatures will consistently be around the 90 degree mark.
INVEST 93L IN THE ATLANTIC… I’ll have a full writeup about this a bit later today. INVEST 93L is a tropical wave in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Africa. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 10-20% chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next few days as it moves eastward. We note that while the system has a low chance of developing, upper-level winds will become unfavorable for a tropical storm in 3-5 days. The system will likely be ripped apart and fade away this week. Good news!
FREE REDZONE WEATHER APP… If you’re following RedZone Weather on Facebook, thank you! If you’re following me on Facebook ALONE, however, you’re missing out. Be sure to download the RedZone Weather app (redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download). There is plenty more content in the app compared to what I post on Facebook each day. See below about how to set up app alerts.
GET THOSE APP ALERTS… We provide a variety of different options to fit your weather information needs. You should control how many alerts you want. We help with that by providing High-Level Alerts, Medium-Level Alerts, and Low-Level Alerts. Everyone gets the High-Level Alerts. We send one or two of those PER YEAR, so not very often at all. We reserve those alerts for high impact weather events. Medium-Level Alerts are recommended for most people. They’re the important alerts, but not necessarily super urgent. Low-Level Alerts are designed for people who want many, many alerts throughout the day. You’ll also want to turn ON alerts for the counties you care about. To do all of this, download the RedZone Weather app and visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner), then tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to turn on the specific alerts you want.
Have a great Saturday!
