Tropical Storm Force Winds Ahead For Friday
Hurricane Isaias has strengthen to a cat-2 hurricane with winds around 100 mph. The hurricane is forecast to intensify further before making landfall somewhere along or near the Alabama coast Friday evening. Impacts from Isaias will be felt across our area Friday night through Saturday afternoon.
In the meantime, we have a mostly cloudy and mild night ahead. Temperatures will fall into the lower 60s overnight. Friday is looking mostly cloudy with periods of rain moving into the area throughout the afternoon. Winds will be increasing out of the east 5 to 15 mph with gust up to 30 mph possible.
The current NHC forecast track brings the Isaias northward into Alabama. This track would bring strong winds and heavy rain across much of our area Friday night into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 40 to 50 mph, with some areas potentially seeing gusts closer to 65 mph. Winds of this strength will likely bring down some trees and could lead to scattered power outages.
Heavy rainfall will also be a major concern. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are possible, with locally higher amounts. Flash flooding could become a significant problem, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
Areas along and east of the storm’s track will also face a tornado threat. Tropical tornadoes can develop quickly and often provide very little warning, so be prepared to move to a safe place immediately if a warning is issued for your location.
Weather conditions could begin improving as early as late Saturday afternoon. Isaias is expected to increase its forward speed as it moves northward, allowing the system to exit Alabama relatively quickly.
Much calmer weather returns Sunday with mostly sunny skies. Next week is also looking mainly sunny and warm, with afternoon highs generally reaching the mid to upper 80s.
