COOL, SUNNY SATURDAY; RAIN RETURNS MONDAY… After a chilly start this morning, most spots across south Alabama and northwest Florida will rise into the low-60s this afternoon. Sunny skies are likely throughout the day. Clouds will increase in coverage on Sunday ahead of our next chance of rain that is set to happen on Monday. We continue in somewhat of an unsettled pattern into midweek ahead of cooler and drier conditions for the end of the upcoming week.

DRY THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING… Plenty of sunshine is expected on this Saturday but you will notice more cloud coverage on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening hours. Highs today will be around 60°, but we rise into the mid-60s on Sunday afternoon. All the rain should remain to our west through at least early Sunday evening. There could be an isolated shower or two across west Alabama late Sunday evening, but vast majority of the rain is set to happen on Monday.

HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY… Rain chances will be very high (80-90%) on Monday and Tuesday morning. Rain could be heavy at times, similar to what happened on Thursday with several hours of constant rain. I expect rain amounts to generally be in the 1 to 2 inch range in total through Tuesday with isolated higher amounts. Temperatures on Monday will consistently be in the low- to mid-60s. Despite all of the rain around, severe weather parameters remain low. There probably will be enough atmospheric instability in place to support a few general thunderstorms near the coast late Monday and again on Tuesday during the daytime hours. I’ll be monitoring trends with this as these winter time systems can sometimes quickly flare up into severe weather issues. Nothing to worry about for now, but something to watch.

DRIER PATTERN STARTS MIDWEEK… We finally get a much needed break from all of the rain starting late Wednesday into early Thursday. Plenty of sunshine is expected Wednesday evening through Saturday (a week from today). Temperatures will be seasonal with highs near 60° and lows near 40°.

I’ll have forecast updates as needed today in the RedZone Weather app. Have a great Saturday!

TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING SATURDAY MORNING… Freeze alert! Most spots across south Alabama and northwest Florida will dip into the mid- to upper-20s by 6AM on Saturday morning. That isn’t the projected wind chill, that is the projected actual air temperature that you’ll see on the thermometer. The coldest locales locally will probably be in the valleys of Monroe, Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw counties where 23-26° values are expected. Make sure you cover tender vegetation that is susceptible to the potentially harsh freeze overnight.

MORE SUNSHINE ON SATURDAY; RAIN MONDAY… Just like what we had today, more sunshine is ahead for Saturday. High temperatures will rise into the mid-60s by 2PM. Sunday is expected to be dry with increasing cloudiness ahead of our next rain chance on Monday. Heavy rain may happen again across our region throughout the day. Monday looks very similar to what happened on Thursday with several hours of constant rain. Severe weather parameters, however, remain low for Monday into Tuesday. Good news!

I’ll have your next forecast update posted by 7:15AM on Saturday. Have a nice Friday evening!

SUNSHINE RETURNS TODAY & SATURDAY; QUITE COLD OVERNIGHT… Mostly sunny skies are the big weather story today across south Alabama and northwest Florida. After a dreary, cloudy week, we finally get some sunshine today. Temperatures are certainly a bit cooler after the passage of the cold front. High temperatures today will peak in the low- to mid-50s across the region. There is a chance that some communities across the northern parts of Monroe, Butler, Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw counties may not get out of the 40s. Keep the jackets handy, but you won’t need the rain gear today or tonight. If you’re headed out for an evening event, most spots will be in the low-40s from 7PM to 9PM. Temperatures will likely be just below freezing when we wake up on Saturday morning. More sunshine is ahead for Saturday ahead of increasing cloudiness for Sunday. More rain is ahead for Monday. Let’s look at your forecast details.

TEMPS BELOW FREEZING POSSIBLE TONIGHT… We’ve adjusted the temperature forecast ever so slightly downward for tonight. Most spots inland will probably be in the 28-30° range by daybreak with freezing temperatures possible as far south as areas near the Interstate 10 corridor. Temperatures won’t be below freezing for very long (probably 1-3 hours max) but that is enough to kill some tender vegetation. That means we will need to cover the outdoor plants that are sensitive.

NICE, SUNNY SATURDAY… Sunshine is likely on Saturday with rebounding temperatures. High temperatures will approach the 60 degree mark in most spots. There could be a few clouds streaming in from the southwest late in the day and into the overnight hours. No rain issues on Saturday!

CLOUDS INCREASE ON SUNDAY… It appears much of the day on Sunday will be dry. Cloud coverage will increase all day. That means by the time we get to the evening hours on Sunday, most areas will be overcast. There could be a few showers after 6PM across the western fringes of Alabama, but most areas will likely remain dry into the evening hours. High temps on Sunday will be in the mid-60s.

MORE RAIN LIKELY ON MONDAY… Unfortunately, we have another potentially heavy rain event setting up for Monday as an area of low pressure develops to our west and moves across our region. Severe weather parameters remain low, but parameters that show more rain remain very high. Early indications point to most locales picking up around 1” of rain in total. This is something we will need to monitor carefully in the days ahead. If projected rain totals rise, flash flooding will quickly become an issue due to our highly saturated soil because of previous heavy rains.

APP… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. We post brief updates throughout each day in the app, keeping you up-to-date about the latest happenings in weather across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Once you have the free app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) then 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!