Welcome to October; Record Heat and Drought Continue

VERY HOT START TO OCTOBER: The very strong upper-ridge remains in place over Alabama and will not be budging through the work week. That means the very hot and dry weather pattern will persist as well with each day featuring a partly to mostly sunny sky with afternoon temperatures in the mid and upper 90s. A few isolated showers/storms are possible each afternoon, but rain chances are pretty close to zero and nearly all locations will remain dry and very hot through Friday, with more and more old record highs falling and new ones being set.

MONTGOMERY RECORD HIGHS THROUGH FRIDAY: All of these are in jeopardy of falling as this blistering heat wave continues.

Today, October 1: 95 (1954)
Wednesday, October 2: 95 (1904)
Thursday, October 3: 94 (1959)
Friday, October 4: 97 (1954)

WEEKEND WEATHER: The ridge finally begins to break down, and heat levels will come down Saturday with lower to mid 90s expected, showers will remain isolated. On Sunday, changes to the west and an approaching front will allow for somewhat better rain chances as moisture levels begin to rise as our flow switches from the south out of the Gulf of Mexico. We should see more clouds in the sky and with the slightly better rain chances, highs should hold in the upper 80s; still about ten degrees above average for the first weekend of October.

FINALLY MORE LIKE FALL: A front will makes its way into the state to start the work week, allowing for better rain chances Monday with scattered showers and storms expected. Still doesn’t look like a significant rain event, but anything we can get this time of year we will take. Behind the front, that first fall air mass of the season should arrive as temperatures will fall to seasonal values and last the rest of the week. Expect generally sunny days with highs each day in the lower to mid 80s, while nights will be quite nice as lows will hover around the 60 degree mark.

IN THE TROPICS: Hurricane Lorenzo is a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 mph. It is tracking northeast through the Central Atlantic and will threaten the Azores in the coming days as it skirts by the islands as a weakening system. Elsewhere in the Atlantic, there are a couple of tropical waves the NHC is monitoring:

1. A broad area of low pressure is located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea between Grand Cayman and Jamaica, and is producing a small area of showers and thunderstorms. Development, if any, of this system is expected to be slow to occur while it moves to the west-northwest near the Yucatan peninsula in a couple of days, and across the southern Gulf of Mexico by Friday. Formation chance through 5 days…low…10 percent.

2. Disorganized cloudiness and showers near and east of the southeastern Bahamas are associated with a weak surface trough. Any development of this system is expected to be slow to occur while it moves to the northeast at 5 to 10 mph, well south and east of Bermuda. Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.

Have a great day!
Ryan