Noon Update: Hot and Humid September Weekend

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The upper ridge will grow stronger, and Friday and Saturday look hot, humid, and mostly dry with only isolated afternoon showers. Partly sunny days with highs in the lower to mid 90s. A few scattered showers and storms are possible Sunday afternoon over the northern counties of the state as a surface front drifts down into Tennessee. Otherwise, Sunday will feature a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the upper 80s.

USA BRIEF: Slow moving Tropical Depression Gordon continues to bring heavy to excessive rains across portions of the lower Mississippi Valley. Friday, moisture from Gordon will spread north into the Middle Mississippi Valley and interact with an existing frontal boundary, where several days of rain has already saturated the soils, increasing the potential for excessive rain and flash floods

ACTIVE TROPICS: At 500 AM AST, the center of Tropical Storm Florence was located near latitude 25.1 North, longitude 50.7 West. Florence is moving toward the west near 7 mph. This general motion will likely continue for the next couple of days. A turn toward the west-northwest is expected by the end of the weekend. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in intensity is expected today. However, Florence is forecast to restrengthen and become a hurricane again over the weekend. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 996 mb (29.42 inches).

Shower and thunderstorm activity associated with an area of low pressure centered about 500 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands has become a little more concentrated over the past couple of hours, but recent satellite data show that this system is still fairly broad and elongated. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development, and a tropical depression is expected to form within the next day or so while the system moves slowly westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 percent.

Showers and thunderstorms have increased in association with a tropical wave and accompanying low pressure system near the west coast of Africa. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form later today or over the weekend while the wave moves westward or west-northwestward over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. Interests in the Cabo Verde Islands should monitor the progress of this system, and advisories on a potential tropical cyclone or tropical depression could be issued later today. Formation chance through 48 hours…high…80 percent.

Next names up for use, Helene and Isaac.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games tonight, just a small risk of a shower during the first half, otherwise mostly fair and very warm with temperatures falling though the 80s during the games.

Alabama hosts Arkansas State Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium (2:30p CT kickoff); the sky will be partly to mostly sunny with just a small risk of a shower during the game. Kickoff temperature will be close to 90 degrees, falling back into the 80s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn will host Alabama State Saturday evening at Jordan-Hare Stadium (6:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be mostly fair with only a slight risk of a shower during the first half. Temperatures will fall from near 86 at kickoff, into the upper 70s by the final whistle.

UAB travels to Conway, South Carolina to take on Coastal Carolina Saturday evening (6:00p CT kickoff)… a shower or storm is possible during the first half of the game, otherwise it will be warm and humid with temperatures falling through the 80s during the game.

NEXT WEEK: We will mention scattered showers and storms for much of the week as the Tennessee front becomes stationary near the Alabama border. No sign of any big push of cool air; highs next week should be mostly in the mid to upper 80s.

JUPITER HAS AN EXTRA MAGNETIC POLE: NASA’s Juno spacecraft has discovered something extraordinary about Jupiter. There is an extra magnetic pole near the giant planet’s equator, dubbed “The Great Blue Spot” by researchers who identified it. Jupiter’s unexpected magnetic morphology is a sign that strange things may be happening deep beneath the cloudtops.

Have a great day!
Ryan