Possible Record Heat Streak Ahead
Montgomery tied a record high temperature of 98° on Wednesday, tying the record high for September 25th originally set in 2016. Another record high temperature fell in Montgomery today, and it only took until 11 AM to exceed the previous record. The old record high temperature in Montgomery was 94° for September 26th, set in 2016. The new mark should be several degrees above that, with a forecast high near 98° in Montgomery this afternoon. Elsewhere, high temperatures range between the mid and upper 90s. There’s a chance for a spotty shower or storm this afternoon, but the vast majority of the area stays dry with a mix of sun and clouds. Expect another very warm evening followed by a warm and muggy night. Showers and storms quickly fizzle away this evening, with the sky becoming mostly clear overnight. Lows fall into the low 70s.
The heat won’t back down Friday. High temperatures soar into the mid and upper 90s again. The record high for September 27th is 96° from 1954. Looks like that one goes down too, with a high near 98° in Montgomery. Again, there’s a small chance for a brief shower or storm in the afternoon, but most locations stay dry under a partly cloudy sky. Any showers or storms that form fizzle away Friday evening, so high school football games should be in good shape. However, it’s still going to be very warm during game-time.
The status quo continues this weekend. Expect highs in the upper 90s Saturday and Sunday. There could be a rogue shower or storm Saturday afternoon, but Sunday looks bone dry. The record high for Saturday is 96° from 1986, and 96° on Sunday from 1904. It’s likely we set a new outright record high temperature both days.
The near-record or record-breaking heat continues next week. Expect highs in the mid to upper 90s Monday, and at least the mid 90s on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It’s conceivable that each of the next 8 days tie or break record high temperatures. Plus, rain looks unlikely through the first three days of October, so expect drought conditions to worsen by next weeks drought monitor. In fact, the coverage of all severities of drought conditions in Alabama increased from approximately 47% to about 82% since last week.
