Warm Days Ahead

FINALLY FRIDAY: The sky will feature a mix sun and clouds today, and very mild temperatures as afternoon highs climb into the mid and upper 70s across South/Central Alabama. For those football games this evening, expect passing clouds in the lows 70s today with mid 70s tomorrow.

KEEPING AN EYE ON ETA: Latest update on Eta from NHC: The center of Tropical Depression Eta was located near latitude 17.3 North, longitude 87.4 West. The depression is moving toward the north near 8 mph. A turn toward the northeast is expected later today, with this motion continuing through early Sunday. On the forecast track, the center of Eta will move across the northwestern Caribbean Sea today, approach the Cayman Islands Saturday, and be near Cuba Saturday night and Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Eta is forecast to become a tropical storm again later today, with further strengthening likely through early Sunday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1004 mb (29.65 inches).

Once the system moves back into the Caribbean, it is expected to regenerate and gain strength, and heads towards and over Cuba, and to a point near Key West Monday night. From there, model guidance suggests Eta will move into Gulf of Mexico by the middle part of next week and where it winds up from there, no one knows right now. We will be keeping a close eye on the system.

WEEKEND WEATHER: Continued mild weather highlights the forecast for the weekend, and it looks to stay dry, with the exception of a few showers across South Alabama. Both Saturday and Sunday, will feature a partly sunny sky, with highs generally in the upper 70s to low 80s for most South/Central Alabama communities; lows will be around 60° both mornings.

NEXT WEEK: The week starts off mild and dry with mid and upper 70s expected Monday and Tuesday. After Tuesday we should see a front move into the state and bring some showers back to the forecast, but also by the second half of next week, our forecast could change a lot due to Eta in the Gulf of Mexico. Stay tuned!!!

Stay safe!!!
Ryan