Drier End To The Week
We’re off to a dry start across central and south Alabama this morning. Temperatures are mild and there is a much less muggy feel to the air this morning. Drier air will continue to filter in today behind a summertime cool front that pushed through yesterday. Temperatures will still warm up today though, expect highs in the lower 90s under a mostly sunny sky. It now looks like we will stay dry this afternoon, but can’t totally rule out an isolated shower or storm across south Alabama. Lows tonight fall into the upper 60s, and look forward to less humidity overnight. Friday will be similar with less-humid air in place, and highs in the upper 80s to low 90s.
Saturday could be a little wetter, with slightly more widespread afternoon storms. Tropical storm Harvey is currently strengthening out in the gulf, and is expected to make landfall as a hurricane along the southern Texas coastline. Hurricane warnings are currently in effect for that area, with landfall expected late Friday night or early Saturday morning. It will meander near the coastline for several days, dropping rainfall totals of over 20″ in parts of coastal Texas. However, we will be in the eastern side of Harvey during that time. That means we will get several days of easterly flow at the surface, a pattern that typically means cooler and drier air for us. Rain chances will be low Sunday through Tuesday afternoon.
Harvey will finally get picked up and moved away from the coast Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing it across northern Louisiana and then Mississippi. Harvey will almost certainly bring us rain by the middle of next week, but with its current forecast track, it could also bring the potential for spin-up tornadoes. It’s still almost a week out for us to get any direct impacts from Harvey, but will be monitored closely.
