Staying Dry; Future Forecaster Kennedi Rackley
TODAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND: A weak surface front is over the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama. There will be some risk of widely scattered showers over far North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley today and Saturday, but rain there will be light and spotty, and most of the state remains dry with a partly to mostly sunny sky each day. The high tomorrow will be in the mid 80s, followed by low 80s over the weekend.
LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR: It was released Thursday morning and the news is not good for the state. The entire state of Alabama is now suffering from drought conditions. We all need rain, but locations through out the northern half of the state, as well as locations east of Interstate 65 are in the worst shape. With little to no rain in the forecast the next seven days, conditions will only continue to get worse. Burn bans are in effect and water usage restrictions are in place as well. Please be mindful and use common sense by not wasting water and please no outdoor burning until we get some rain, and drought conditions improve for the state.
HURRICANE NICOLE: At 500 AM AST, the center of Hurricane Nicole was located near latitude 35.4 North, longitude 59.2 West. Nicole is moving toward the east-northeast near 21 mph. This general motion is expected to continue today with a decrease in forward speed expected on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts. Weakening is forecast during the next 12 to 24 hours, but Nicole is expected to remain a powerful cyclone even when it could become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 965 mb (28.50 inches).
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Clear for the high school games tonight with temperatures falling from the upper 70s at kickoff into the upper 60s by the fourth quarter.
Alabama will play at Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday afternoon (2:30p CT kickoff)… expect a cloudy periods with a few scattered showers possible. About 76 at kickoff, falling to near 70 by the final whistle.
Auburn has the week off.
RAIN ON THE WAY?: Rolling into next week, the first half of the week, will still feature more of the same with sunny days and warm temperatures; highs will be in the 80s, and lows in the 60s. We stay dry through Wednesday, but we do see a little hope in the forecast. The GFS still hints of a cold front nearing the state by next Thursday with the best chance of rain we have seen in quite some time. No drought-busting rains, but maybe some places will at least get the dust settled, and at this time, every little bit of rain will help. We should also note we will approach record warmth over the first half of the week, with upper 80s possible. Cooler air arrives Thursday and Friday and beyond that, the long range models are hinting at a more active weather pattern for the Southeast as we head towards November.
Have a Fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!!!
Ryan
