HAZY SKIES & HOT TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND… The “summer haze” has arrived and it is because of the widely-publicized Saharan Air Layer and dust that has moved into our region over the last 24 hours. Temperatures will peak in the low-90s throughout the day. Mostly cloudy skies are expected today and on Saturday. If you notice the air being not as clear as it normally is outside, it is because of the ongoing dust that continues to move in from the south. See more details about this below. We’ll transition to more of a seasonal late June and early July pattern next week with pop-up thunderstorms expected in the afternoon and evening hours with plenty of heat and humidity. Let’s look at your forecast details.
SAHARAN DUST HAS ARRIVED… If you noticed a smoky or hazy look to the air and to the sky yesterday, you weren’t alone! The reason the air looks this way is because of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). This is totally normal and it happens every year (sometimes more than once per year!) but for whatever reason, the phenomenon has been much more publicized this year than in the past. The SAL is basically a big plume of dust and particulate matter lofted from the Sahara Desert in the northern part of Africa. The same trade winds that ultimately steer hurricanes blew the dust across the Atlantic, across the Caribbean Sea, across the Gulf of Mexico, and into our local area. The plume of dust and particulate matter is totally harmless, except to people who may be very sensitive to air quality. No doubt that air quality can sometimes suffer when you have a great deal of dust in the air. The good news is this dry, dusty air will prevent any tropical issues in the Gulf over the next week.
LOW RAIN CHANCES THROUGH SUNDAY… Rain chances will remain suppressed this weekend, partially due to the drier air in place across our region. There still could be a few showers and storms that manage to pop up today and on Saturday, but the chance of that happening in any given spot across our region remains very low (10-20%). High temperatures today, tomorrow, and Sunday will be in the low-90s with low temperatures in the lower-70s.
UV INDEX REMAINS HIGH DESPITE CLOUDS & DUST… Despite hazy conditions and clouds around this weekend, the Ultraviolet Index (UV Index) remains very high, meaning sunburns can easily happen if you’re going to be outside this weekend for an extended period of time. Be sure to remember the sunscreen if you’re headed to a local Alabama or northwest Florida beach or if you’re going to be by the pool or at the river/creek.
POP-UP THUNDERSTORMS RETURN NEXT WEEK… Rain chances are slated to rise early next week. Widespread severe weather is not expected, but the daily deluge of summertime storms is set to return. High temperatures next week will be in the upper-80s with morning lows in the lower-70s.
TROPICS TO REMAIN QUIET INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK… The Saharan Air Layer and dust in place across the Gulf of Mexico will help to keep the tropics quiet as we go into next week. No tropical storm formation is expected over the next 5 days.
APP… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
See all the details in your Friday #rzw forecast video… Have a great weekend!