Warm And Dry Tuesday, But Severe Storms Possible Wednesday
It’s another nice day across central and south Alabama. There’s a little more moisture in the air compared to Monday already, but it’s still fairly low for now. Winds are back out of the south today, which will help to warm temperatures into the low and mid 80s this afternoon. Expect a partly cloudy sky this evening with temperatures in the 70s through 9PM. Overnight lows only fall to around 60° under a partly cloudy sky.
Showers and storms return to our area Wednesday. A decaying (weakening) line of storms moves into west Alabama around sunrise Wednesday. Initially, whatever is leftover from these should be non-severe. However, the line likely invigorates as instability increases during the late morning to afternoon. The storm prediction center increased the risk for severe weather to slight (level 2/5) for areas east of I-65 on Wednesday. Damaging winds up to 60 mph are the primary threat. However, hail up to quarter size and tornadoes cannot be ruled out. Our severe weather timeline begins around 9AM west of I-65, with storms exiting east Alabama during the evening.
Wednesday’s storms form just ahead of a cold front, with the front pushing through our area west to east immediately behind the line of storms. Expect cooler temperatures with a gradually clearing sky Wednesday night. Lows fall into the 50s. Thursday and Friday look very nice, with plenty of sunshine both days. Thursday’s temperatures warm into the mid to upper 70s, with lows in the 50s. Friday’s high temperatures reach the upper 70s to low 80s.
This weekend looks warm, with highs in the mid 80s Saturday and upper 80s to near 90° on Sunday. Rain is unlikely both days, with an abundantly sunny sky. The upper 80° to near 90° warmth continues early next week. A front may slide into north Alabama early next week, loosing momentum as it does so. There’s a chance for hit-or-miss showers Monday. There’s also a chance for a few showers Tuesday as that front lifts back north as a warm front.
It looks as though next Wednesday features another decent chance for showers and storms with the next storm system swinging our way. We may have to watch that system for severe weather potential too. However, it’s really too early to tell at this point. We’ll begin the month of May this Friday, so we’re definitely still in our prime severe weather season.
