Tropical Trouble Possible In The Gulf This Week
It was another nice day across central and south Alabama with high temperatures near the mid 70s after a cool morning. However, there were more clouds in the sky, associated with Tropical Storm Gamma. These clouds are rather thin, but could persist overnight and through at least part of Monday. Still, temperatures fall quite a bit overnight, with lows in the low to mid 50s. Temperatures gradually fall this evening, from the upper 60s at 7PM into the low 60s by 11PM.
Outside of the potential for thin clouds overhead, Monday features plenty of sun and slightly warmer temperatures. Expect highs in the low 80s. Cloud-cover increases a bit on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the influence of some tropical moisture around Gamma. A few showers are possible each day, but our forecast remains mainly dry through Wednesday. Expect highs in the low to mid 80s Tuesday, and mid to upper 80s Wednesday. Rain chances increase late this week and this weekend thanks to newly dubbed Potential Tropical Cyclone 26.
The tropical wave of interest in the central Caribbean was designated as Potential Tropical Cyclone 26 by the National Hurricane Center Sunday. This allows the NHC to go ahead and issue watches, warnings, and a five-day track on the system. However, it’s still a non-tropical area of low pressure as of Sunday afternoon. The forecast tracks calls for the system to move into the Gulf of Mexico and become a Category 2 hurricane by Friday afternoon. It could approach the Louisiana coast at that time. We’ll need to be on high alert for this system, because direct impacts are definitely on the table for our area. However, it’s too early to nail down specifics, outside of increased rain chances Thursday through Sunday.
Gamma remains a tropical storm near in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It appears wind shear is affecting the storm Sunday afternoon. That should hinder strengthening while its in the southern Gulf through Friday. Direct impacts from Gamma to our area are not forecast through Friday.
