Sunny and Hot Final Week of September
FIRST HALF OF WEEK: Not much change in the overall pattern and rain chances look pretty slim Monday through Wednesday. Highs will be well up in the 80s and lower 90s will show up on the maps as well. The sky will feature more sun than clouds, with just some of those fair weather cumulus clouds floating by from time to time.
SECOND HALF OF WEEK: A cold front slowly moves across the U.S. and will approach Alabama late Wednesday or early Thursday, so a little faster than what we thought yesterday. Also, the last few models runs are trending drier as well, so at this time, any rain associated with the front, will be very light. Behind this front, drier and slight cooler air will move into the state, as highs fall into the lower and mid 80s, with lows well back down into those soothing 60s. Thursday and Friday should feature ample sunshine and lower humidity levels. Late Friday, a second front looks to deliver a reinforcing cooler and drier air mass for next weekend.
WEEKEND SNEAK PEEK: Behind the second front, an area of high pressure builds in across the Upper Plains into the Midwest which would allow a nice, refreshing northerly flow across Alabama. That flow would bring a much cooler air mass into Alabama giving us a taste of fall. At this time we are forecasting sunny days with highs in the lower 80s, and lows well down into the 60s, and perhaps upper 50s, an absolutely beautiful weekend of weather for Alabama as we round out the month of September.
HURRICANE MARIA: At 500 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Maria was located near latitude 30.6 North, longitude 73.0 West. Maria is moving toward the north near 7 mph, and this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected through Tuesday night. On the forecast track, the core of Maria will move well east of the southeast coast of the United States during the next day or so. Reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 mph with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to weaken to a tropical storm by Tuesday night. Maria is a large hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles mainly to the east of the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles. The minimum central pressure estimated from the NOAA Hurricane Hunter data is 957 mb (28.26 inches).
Swells generated by Maria are increasing along portions of the southeastern United States coast and Bermuda and will be increasing along the Mid-Atlantic coast today.
HURRICANE LEE: At 500 AM AST, the center of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 31.1 North, longitude 49.4 West. Lee is stationary, but a slow west-southwest to west motion is expected later today. Maximum sustained winds remain near 90 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours. Lee is a tiny hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 980 mb (28.94 inches).
Have a marvelous Monday!
Ryan
