12:04PM January 19, 2026

YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE THE AURORA TONIGHT… The SWPC (Space Weather Prediction Center – a branch of NOAA) has issued a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm watch valid for tonight. This means that aurora may be visible as far south as California and Alabama. Smartphone users may be able to see the aurora as far south as Louisiana, Florida, and the northern Gulf.

NO WAY TO PINPOINT AURORA VIEWING; WEATHER WILL COOPERATE… There is no way I can forecast or pinpoint who will be able to see the aurora and who won’t. I also can’t say (nor can anyone) what the time window will be, specifically. I will be intermittently checking the sky after 7PM through when I go to bed tonight and I would suggest you do the same if you’re interested in seeing the aurora. An easier approach would be to follow me on X/Twitter and in the RedZone Weather app as I will be posting updates. What I can tell you with certainty is that the sky conditions across south Alabama and northwest Florida will be cooperating tonight. Mostly clear skies are expected with temperatures in the 40s after 7PM.

HOW TO VIEW THE AURORA… Don’t miss this opportunity! Try and step outside and aim your smartphone to the north to see if you can see the aurora. No guarantees, but I promise it is worth your time if you do end up being able to see it. No clouds locally, thankfully. Take your kids outside to see this as it truly is a rare occasion. You’re looking for shades of red and purple on the northern horizon. The last couple of times we have seen the aurora, the red pillars have been quite pronounced – even at our low latitude.

APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!

I will have updates posted this evening into tonight in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Monday evening!

10:38AM January 19, 2026



8:17AM January 19, 2026

COOL DAYS, COLD NIGHTS THRU WEDNESDAY… Rain will be possible at times on Thursday in the form of a few isolated showers across the region. High temperatures will be in the 50s over the next few days with lows in the 20s.

6:28AM January 19, 2026

COOL, SUNNY MONDAY… Sunny skies and seasonal temperatures are in store for south Alabama and northwest Florida on this Monday. Afternoon high temperatures will be in the mid 50s.

Enjoy the day!

10:39PM January 18, 2026



7:44PM January 18, 2026

MORE WINTER WEATHER FOR DEEP SOUTH? IT IS POSSIBLE THIS COMING WEEKEND… After snow happened this morning across parts of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, one would logically think the Deep South would be done with snow for awhile. That may not be the case, however. Model guidance has been consistent over the last 24-48 hours in showing perhaps a robust winter storm developing later this week and into the upcoming weekend. Right now, we’re very early in the process. The indications are in place that very cold air may be place along with at least some precipitation. Unlike the event this morning, overrunning precipitation may create a zone supportive of freezing rain and sleet, perhaps across a wide area.

THE WAY MODEL GUIDANCE WORKS… Picture this: You’re a camera operator. If you get your camera out and it’s all out of focus, the image is blurry. That would be the point we are at in the forecast process with this system. Details are murky and very difficult to pinpoint. Throughout the upcoming week, that camera lens will become more clear as we turn the knobs and focus the image. It will be a slow process. The equivalent of turning the knobs on the camera to focus it would be getting more data into the models and letting the models output better, refined data throughout the week. This is the exact same process we use for forecasting tornadoes, hurricanes, and all weather phenomena. The details start out murky and gradually become more clear as we get closer to the event. In this case, we can see through the camera lens that there is a strong potential SOMEONE across the southeastern U.S. may have some real winter weather issues in 6-7 days. No way to pinpoint who just yet. Be sure to check back with me for updates in the days ahead.

There is ZERO reason to change any plans for the upcoming weekend at this stage due to weather. It’s impossible to nail down anything in the way of specifics just yet.

RAIN LOCALLY, FOR NOW… I will be leaning toward including a low-end rain chance valid for the upcoming weekend in the morning video forecast for south Alabama and northwest Florida. For now, there isn’t enough credible, consistent data to include a chance of mixed precipitation or snow. Could that change in the days ahead? Absolutely, but for now, the most prudent route for the local forecast is just a few widely scattered rain showers on Saturday and Sunday. Based on the data, I’ll probably start rain chances at a 10-20% chance. We’ll see if we have to ramp those up later this week.

APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!

Join us tomorrow morning in the next regularly scheduled RedZone Weather forecast video that will be posted by 7:15AM for the latest information.

Have a good Sunday evening!