Hot Weather Continues says Future Forecaster Kirsten Thomas

The strong upper-level ridge remains in place across the Southeast and will continue controlling Alabama’s weather through the upcoming weekend. Temperatures remain about ten degrees above average during the afternoon hours with highs in the lower to mid 90s. Each day you can expect mainly sunny days, fair nights, and very few, if any showers. Chance of any one spot getting wet each afternoon is only around 5 percent and not really worth mentioning in the forecast.

USA BRIEF: An unusually persistent weather pattern will produce a multi-day heavy rain event in the central U.S. Flash flooding and areal flooding will be possible. Heavy snow in the higher elevations of the Rockies, with rain/snow into the Great Basin and northern Plains can be expected. Severe thunderstorms with large hail and wind damage will be possible across parts of the southern and central Plains

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For high school games across the state tomorrow night, the sky will be clear with temperatures falling through the 70s.

Alabama travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas Saturday morning (11:00a CT kickoff)… the sky will be occasionally cloudy, and a passing shower or thunderstorm is possible during the game. Temperatures will hover in the mid to upper 70s.

Auburn will be on the road as well; they play Mississippi State in Starkville Saturday evening (6:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff, into the mid 70s by the final whistle.

NEXT WEEK: The ridge holds in place so we are forecasting very warm and dry weather for most of the week. It still seems like some chance of showers and storms will return to Alabama late in the week with the approach of a cold front, which could finally bring us some cooler temps. The GFS has been suggesting this for several days now, and now the European model is hinting at it as well, so hopefully around the 15th, it will be feeling more like October instead of August. However, tropical mischief could change in the end of the week forecast.

TROPICS: Tropical Storm Leslie is hanging around in the middle of the Atlantic, far from land and moving towards the north. Elsewhere, an area of low pressure located near Cabo Gracias a Dios on the eastern border of Honduras and Nicaragua is accompanied by an extensive area of disturbed weather extending from Central America eastward across Hispaniola. Although strong winds aloft are located just to the north of this system, the upper-level environment is expected to be conducive enough to allow for some development, and a tropical depression could form by late this weekend or early next week over the northwestern Caribbean Sea or southern Gulf of Mexico while the system moves slowly northwestward. Regardless of tropical cyclone formation, this disturbance will continue to bring torrential rains primarily to portions of Central America and the Yucatan peninsula during the next few days. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…60 percent.

Have a great day!
Ryan