Helene brings more rain, stronger winds through Thursday night
Hurricane Helene was nearly at major (category 3+) strength early Thursday afternoon, with further strengthening likely through landfall. Hurricane Helene affects our weather in central and south Alabama through the end of the week. Thursday remains cloudy with tropical rain, especially east of I-65. Temperatures only warm into the upper 70s to low 80s at most.
Rain and increasing wind speeds affect mainly eastern Alabama Thursday night. Storm total rain of 4″+ east of I-65 may cause flash flooding. Wind gusts may increase to 40 mph+ near the Georgia state line. Rain amounts and peak wind speeds look lower with westward extent. Most of the rain may depart our area by or shortly after sunrise Friday. Otherwise, the sky remains cloudy with lows in the upper 60s Thursday night.
Some sunshine returns Friday afternoon. A few spotty showers may linger. Winds remain somewhat brisk too, with gusts of 20-30 mph. Our weekend weather looks mainly dry, with perhaps a few showers Saturday and Sunday, but an otherwise partly cloudy sky. High temperatures range from the mid to upper 80s each day, with lows in the 60s each night.
Next week looks mainly dry, with a mostly sunny sky Wednesday and Thursday. Afternoon temperatures remain warm, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Overnight temperatures may trend cooler, with lows in the low 60s Tuesday through Thursday night.
