Sunny And Seasonable This Week; Iota Becomes The First 2020 Category 5 Hurricane
It was a clear and cold morning across central and south Alabama. Thanks to an abundantly sunny sky, temperatures rebound well into the 60s to near 70° this afternoon. Winds remain quite breezy, out of the north at 10 to 15 mph. Temperatures cool quickly this evening thanks to a clear sky, dry and, and subsiding winds. Monday night looks clear and cold with lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.
Tuesday through Thursday look sunny and near-cloudless with highs near 70° each day. Lows fall into the upper 30s to low 40s Tuesday and Wednesday night. Thursday night remains a bit milder, with lows in the mid 40s. Friday through the weekend looks a bit warmer, with highs in the mid to perhaps upper 70s. A mostly sunny sky with just some fair-weather clouds prevail, with no rain through Sunday. Friday through Sunday night’s low temperatures only fall into the 50s.
It looks like we won’t have a chance for rain until early next week. However, models don’t really show a widespread soaking of rain next Monday, so the chance is pretty slim at this time.
Iota strengthened significantly Sunday night, with winds increasing from 110 mph at the 9PM Sunday advisory to 155 mph at the 6AM Monday intermediate advisory. Winds are now sustained at 160 mph, so Iota is a category 5 hurricane, and the first of 2020 in the Atlantic. It could strengthen a bit more through this evening prior to landfall. That occurs along the northern Nicaragua coast, and area that took a direct hit from category 4 Eta 13 days ago. While this is likely to be a devastating and catastrophic event for central America, Iota won’t impact the United States.
