MILD TODAY; SCATTERED STORMS ON THANKSGIVING DAY; EXTENDED COLD SNAP COMING… Mild conditions will persist across the region today and tomorrow ahead of the arrival of a sharply colder air mass set to dominate our weather pattern this weekend into early next week. Rain chances will rise overnight into Thanksgiving Day. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible tomorrow, including at least some risk of a few stronger storms. We have an extended streak of cold air set to take control of our local weather pattern this weekend into early next week with multiple nights of below freezing temperatures expected.
LOW-END SEVERE WEATHER RISK ON THANKSGIVING DAY… The Storm Prediction Center has included all of south Alabama and northwest Florida in their low-end, Level 1 (out of 5) severe weather risk zone valid for tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day Thursday). This means widespread, significant severe storms are not expected but one or two briefly severe storms cannot completely be ruled out. Any storms that become strong tomorrow will be capable of producing gusty winds and perhaps a brief tornado or two. The overall tornado risk remains quite low.
SEVERE WEATHER TIMING – THANKSGIVING DAY… IF any severe storms happen across the local area, 1PM to 9PM is the main eight hour window for severe weather. Most communities across the region will simply have a chance of a few scattered showers and thunderstorms with the vast majority of the thunderstorms remaining well below severe limits, most likely.
MUCH COLDER AIR ARRIVES FRIDAY; QUITE COLD THIS WEEKEND… High temperatures will be in the mid-50s on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Overnight lows will be near the freezing mark on Saturday and Sunday mornings with lows BELOW the freezing mark on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Now is the time to prepare for sub-freezing temperatures. Bring in any sensitive plants and get ready for pets to be inside early next week. Also ensure that any outside pipes are properly insulated and wrapped.
VERY COLD TEMPS EARLY NEXT WEEK… This will be the longest cold snap our local area had had in quite some time starting tomorrow night. High temperatures will only be in the 50s this weekend and extending well into next week. Morning lows will be near or below the freezing mark for several nights in a row. The good news is we should have ample sunshine on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Clear nights will allow temperatures to quickly plummet each evening.
TROPICS REMAIN QUIET… The Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean remain quiet with no new tropical storms expected to form over the next 5 days. There have been some outlier model signals suggesting the potential for some tropical mischief in the central Caribbean Sea in the days ahead, but I am not concerned about the system moving into the Gulf of Mexico. IF the system develops, the track would likely take the system toward Central America. The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season will officially end this Saturday, November 30.
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 Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
See all the details in your Tuesday morning RedZone Weather forecast video. Have a great day!