GORGEOUS, MILD WEEKEND; WATCHING INVEST 91L IN CARIBBEAN SEA… This will be one of the nicest weekends, in terms of weather, so far in the year 2020 with high temperatures in the mid-70s. A secondary cold front moved across our region late last evening, ushering in cooler, drier air that is here to stay for quite some time. We do not have any rain chances noted for the local area in the next 7 days. Our focus continues to be on the developing tropical disturbance in the western Caribbean Sea that now has a 70-80% chance of developing into a tropical storm over the next few days. While there is no imminent threat of local impacts due to this developing storm in south Alabama or northwest Florida, it is entirely too early to give an all clear for this storm for our region just yet. I *hope* we can get to that point in the days ahead as we continue to get more model data in, but right now it is simply too early to do so. Complicating matters further is another, distinct tropical wave that may develop in a few days once IT reaches the western Caribbean Sea. Lots of uncertainty in the tropics, but we have nice weather locally through early next week. A few Friday forecast notes are below.
FANTASTIC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEATHER TONIGHT… It does not get much better for a Friday night football game in our area! Game time temperatures will be in the 60s, with kickoff temps expected to be around 65°. Some spots may fall into the upper-50s by the 4th quarter of the game.
SUNNY, COOL SATURDAY… Picture perfect weather is ahead for the weekend, particularly on Saturday. Sunny skies are expected with high temperatures in the 74-77° range. Overnight lows will consistently be in the low- to mid-50s. Full sunshine is expected on Saturday with lots of sunshine on Sunday. There could be a few passing clouds Sunday into Monday, but no real weather impacts are likely.
70% CHANCE OF TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT WESTERN CARIBBEAN… There is a high chance (70%) that a tropical depression or tropical storm will form in the western Caribbean Sea this weekend. The system is expected to be a slow mover, especially at first, as it develops in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) continue to be in the 84-87° range in this zone, meaning the disturbance will have prolific moisture content to work with as it develops. In addition, the upper-level atmospheric conditions certainly appear conducive for further development.
ANOTHER, SEPARATE TROPICAL WAVE NEAR LESSER ANTILLES… In addition to the “lead” tropical wave that now has a high chance of becoming a tropical storm, we are also watching a vigorous tropical wave currently situated over the Lesser Antilles. This tropical wave is producing cloudiness and storms near the Leeward Islands now. The tropical wave is likely to continue to move west through the eastern and central Caribbean Sea before arriving in the western Caribbean where atmospheric conditions are more favorable for additional development. We need to get a better handle of the first tropical wave and where exactly it will go before we can begin to speculate on the future of this secondary tropical wave.
NICE WEATHER GOING INTO NEXT WEEK… Sunny skies look to be the lead weather headline as we go into the early part of next week. High temperatures will be in the upper-70s and near 80 for the most part with morning lows in the low- to mid-50s. If you have an outdoor project that requires a few days of dry weather, NOW is the time to start.
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See all the details in your Friday #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!