Late Summer Heat Wave Continues

Tons of sunshine in the sky today will allow for another hot day with highs in the mid to upper 90s and it will be a breezy day as well with northwesterly winds of 10-20 mph at times. A weak surface front will move through the state today, but will come through in dry fashion so no rain, but it should bring some cooler nights tonight and tomorrow night with lows well down into the 60s. The weather will remain dry, mainly sunny and hot for Friday with highs in the lower to mid 90s.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND AND BEYOND: No real change Saturday and Sunday; expect a good supply of sunshine both days with very hot temps as highs will likely be in the upper 90s to low 100s. And, most likely, dry weather continues through much of next week with little hope for a widespread rain event. We could see a few showers Tuesday through Friday, but most likely they will be pretty isolated, and prospects of beneficial rain don’t look good. The heat lingers too with mid and upper 90s expected through midweek.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games tomorrow night, the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from the upper 80s at kickoff, into the upper 70s by the final whistle.

Saturday, Alabama hosts New Mexico State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa (3p CT kickoff)… it will be a sizzling afternoon with a kickoff temperature near 97 degrees, falling into the low 90s by the fourth quarter. The sky will be mostly sunny.

Auburn will host Tulane Saturday evening (6:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 90 degrees at kickoff into the upper 70s by the final whistle.

VERY ACTIVE IN THE TROPICS: As expected, as we head through September, the tropics are very active as we are in the heart of the season. There are two named systems, and a couple other areas of interest the NHC is monitoring for development in the coming days:

HURRICANE DORIAN: At 500 AM EDT, the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 31.7 North, longitude 79.5 West. Dorian is moving toward the north near 8 mph. A turn to the north-northeast is anticipated today, with a turn toward the northeast by tonight. A northeastward motion at a faster forward speed is forecast on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of South Carolina through the day, and then move near or over the coast of North Carolina tonight and Friday. The center should move to the southeast of extreme southeastern New England Friday night and Saturday morning, and approach Nova Scotia later on Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Dorian is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are expected this morning, followed by slow weakening through Saturday. However, Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane for the next few days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Charleston, South Carolina, recently reported a wind gust to 68 mph at the Charleston International Airport. The estimated minimum central pressure is 957 mb (28.26 inches).

TROPICAL STORM GABRIELLE: At 500 AM AST, the center of Tropical Storm Gabrielle was located near latitude 21.9 North, longitude 35.0 West. Gabrielle is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph, and this motion is expected to continue for the next few days with an increase in forward speed. Maximum sustained winds remain near 50 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days. Afterward, some slow strengthening is expected to begin by this weekend. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 mb (29.59 inches).

Also in the tropics:

1. A small area of low pressure located a little over 200 miles northeast of Bermuda is producing limited showers and thunderstorms, well to the southeast of the center. Increasingly unfavorable upper-level winds, produced by Hurricane Dorian, are expected to inhibit further development during the next several days as the system moves northeastward into the central north Atlantic. Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…40 percent.

2. A tropical wave along the coast of Africa will begin to move over the eastern Atlantic tonight. Environmental conditions appear to be conducive for some slow development late this week, and this system has the potential to become a tropical depression early next week while it moves westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…50 percent.

Next names up on the list are Humberto and Imelda.

Have a great day!
Ryan