Cloudy and Wet at Times

Rain returned to Alabama overnight, and our Friday will feature periods of rain, and it could be heavy at times especially for western portions of the state. It will last through the day and into tonight as well. Now it won’t be raining constantly, but occasional showers are possible at anytime. No severe weather worries today, as the air will be rather stable, but there will be some areas of lightning and thunder. The highs today will be in the lower to mid 70s.

The rain will continue into Saturday as a surface low lifts north, west of the area, this will cause a warm front to lift northward across the state, and could allow instability values to increase across the state ahead of an approaching cold front tomorrow. We should see some thunderstorms on Saturday as a cold front swings into the state, so we will mention that in the forecast, and we will have to watch for the possibility of some strong storms as well, but severe weather is not expected. The front will push down to the Gulf Coast Saturday night. Sunday now looks mainly dry for most of Alabama with a mix of sun and clouds. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s over the weekend.

Rain amounts through tomorrow night will be very wide ranging across the state, with some spots in East Alabama only get about half an inch of rain, while some locations across West and North Alabama could easily see 2-3 inches, with perhaps some isolated higher amounts…a very beneficial rain event for some, but not all.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For Saturday’s Magic City Classic at Legion Field in Birmingham (Alabama State vs Alabama A&M, 2:30p CT kickoff), the sky will be cloudy, and occasional showers are likely. A thunderstorm can’t be ruled out. Kickoff temperature near 73 degrees, falling to near 70 by the final whistle.

Auburn travels to Baton Rouge Saturday to take on LSU (2:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be mostly cloudy, and a few passing showers are possible during the game. Temperatures will fall from the upper 60s at kickoff into the mid 60s by the fourth quarter.

It is homecoming at the University of Alabama Saturday; the Tide will host Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium (6:00p CT kickoff). It looks like rain will fall at times during the game, with thunderstorms possible as well. Temperatures will fall from near 72 at kickoff, into the upper 60s by the second half.

INTO NEXT WEEK: For the first part of next week, we will see the stalled front to the south, begin to lift north as a warm front. We will mention the chance for a few scattered showers possible Monday and Tuesday. By late Wednesday or Thursday, a strong cold front looks will dive south into Alabama, bringing the possibility of stronger storms with it, but also could bring the coldest air so far this season to Alabama by the end of next week. Let’s get through this weekend system and then we can focus more on the storm threat and colder weather for later next week.

IN THE TROPICS: We are still in hurricane season, but we are getting late in the season when things really begin to calm down, but still the season continues through November 30th. There is one area of interest:

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a low pressure system located over the western Gulf of Mexico continue to show signs of organization. Although satellite wind data indicate that the disturbance still does not have a well-defined center, some further development is anticipated and it appears likely that a short-lived tropical depression will form later today. The system is forecast to merge with a cold front and become post-tropical tonight over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Regardless of development, gale-force winds are expected behind the cold front over the western Gulf of Mexico today and Saturday. Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent. In case you were wondering the next name on the list is Olga.

Stay dry!!!
Ryan