Showers And Maybe A Storm Wednesday Afternoon

by Ben Lang

It’s another dry start to the day across central and south Alabama. Temperatures should easily reach the low 90s this afternoon, but isolated to scattered showers and maybe a storm or two cool some spots off. The rain tapers off this evening, but a shower or storm is still possible through 10PM or so. Expect a mainly dry overnight with lows in the mid 70s and a partly cloudy sky.

We’ll enjoy a healthy dose of sunshine early Thursday. The chance for rain looks slightly higher during the afternoon compared to today. Still, expect only scattered showers and storms with a rain chance around 40%. That rain should also wind down Thursday night, with lows temperatures returning to the mid 70s.

Rain chances drop considerably after Thursday. At best, we’ll only see an isolated shower or storm pop up across the central and south Alabama sky Friday through the weekend. It could get quite warm as well- Saturday’s high temperatures will likely reach the mid 90s. Early next week still looks hot. With Florence’s track possibly a little more west, at least east Alabama could get some rain out of the remaining circulation. For now, rain chances are kept low, but keep in mind they could increase especially for Tuesday through Thursday of next week.

FLORENCE:

Florence has maintained its strength over the last 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph with gusts to 160 mph. It’s expected to near the southern North Carolina coastline on Friday as a major hurricane. The latest track suggests it may not fully make landfall until Saturday morning near the South Carolina/North Carolina border. Inland flooding will be a major impact from Florence, with some spots forecast to receive over 20 inches of rain. Over 10 feet of storm surge is also possible for some coastal communities.

INVEST 95L:

An area of low pressure north of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula has a 60% chance of developing into a tropical system over the next 2-5 days. It will drift towards the Texas coastline, and has a limited window to strengthen. It probably won’t impact Alabama.