Soaking Rain, A Few Severe Storms Possible Thursday
Soaking rain fell across central and south Alabama Thursday morning for the second day in a row. Thunderstorms were mainly limited to the Alabama and northwest Florida coast prior to midday. However, we may hear rumbles of thunder Thursday afternoon and early evening. In fact, a few storms could be strong to severe. The storm prediction center places a marginal (level 1/5) risk area across west Alabama, and a slight (level 2/5) risk across east Alabama.
The morning round of widespread rain slowly slides east Thursday afternoon. In the wake of the heavy, soaking rain, additional storms form in advance of a cold front. A few of these storms may become strong to severe, capable of damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph, hail up to quarter (1″) size, and a brief tornado or two. However, it seems the afternoon activity remains a bit more scattered.
Showers and storms wind down during the evening across east Alabama. The sky partially clears overnight, and temperatures cool into the low to mid 60s as the cold front pushes through our area. Humidity trends lower Friday, and outside of lingering morning clouds, the rest of the day looks mostly sunny. Temperatures warm into the low to mid 80s. West winds may increase to 15 mph during the afternoon.
Friday night lows range from the upper 50s to low 60s. The holiday weekend looks mainly dry and mainly sunny, at least on Saturday and Sunday. Humidity remains fairly low, but afternoon temperatures warm in to the mid to upper 80s Saturday, then upper 80s to low 90s Sunday. Clouds may increase a bit by Memorial Day afternoon, and a stray shower or storm cannot be ruled out. However, most locations remain rain-free.
Heat and humidity with gradually increasing rain chances summarize the first couple days of June for central and south Alabama. Afternoon temperatures peak in the low 90s next Tuesday through Thursday, with isolated to widely scattered daytime showers or storms possible each day.
