Rain Chances Inching Up
TODAY/FRIDAY: The upper ridge across the Deep South is beginning to weaken, the air aloft will be a bit colder, and the air becomes more unstable. This will mean an increase in the number of scattered showers and thunderstorms both days. Otherwise expect a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the lower to mid 90s.
TROPICAL STORM ON FIONA: We now have our sixth named storm of the season as tropical depression 6 is now Fiona. At 500 AM AST, the center of Tropical Storm Fiona was located near latitude 16.2 North, longitude 40.3 West. Fiona is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph, and this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 45 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is possible today, followed by slow weakening by the weekend. Tropical-storm force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center. Still this system is not expected to U.S. or any landmass.
WEEKEND WEATHER: Not much change in the forecast as better than average rain chances are expected. No “washout” by any means, but scattered to numerous showers and storms are likely Saturday and Sunday with a moist, unstable air mass in place. The sun will be out at times, and maximum temperatures will be in the lower 90s for most communities, which is about average for August in Alabama. Best chance of showers and storms will come during the afternoon and evening hours, but some late night or morning rain can’t be ruled out.
NEXT WEEK: I like seeing what the global models are suggesting beyond Monday. The models continue to show the the idea of drier air creeping into Alabama early in the week. It is rare for cold fronts to get this far south in August, but it can happen. It is also not much of a cold front as temperatures won’t change that much from one side to the other. The real difference will be drier air that is expected to settle into Alabama, meaning lower humidity and cooler nights by Tuesday. Fingers are crossed this verifies!!!
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Have a great day!
Ryan
