Slightly Cooler With A Little Rain Sunday
It was another day of record warmth across central and south Alabama. Montgomery hit 89° this afternoon, breaking the old record of 87° from 1989. However, the streak of extreme late March warmth comes to a close today. A pattern change arrives late tonight into early Sunday morning courtesy of a cold front. In the meantime, expect another summer-like evening with temperatures gradually falling through the 70s. We could see clouds gradually increase, but no rain is expected. Clouds continue to increase overnight as the front approaches. A few showers are possible late tonight, but most of the rain holds off until Sunday morning. Lows only fall into the upper 60s.
The storms ahead of the front could be strong to severe when they initially enter northwest Alabama tonight. However, they weaken significantly by the time they reach our area early tomorrow morning. It looks like we’ll just see a narrow line of showers ahead of the front moving northwest to southeast through the day. Temperatures won’t near 90° like they have in recent afternoons. Instead, we’ll see mid to upper 70s with a few low 80s in the mix. Expect a generally mostly cloudy sky outside of the chance for rain. Clouds could clear partially Sunday night, allowing lows to slip into the 50s.
Monday looks like a relatively dry day, with a mix of sun and clouds. High temperatures warm to around 80°. A couple showers could slip into our area late in the day, but most locations remain dry. Showers and storms look likely Tuesday. Another storm system takes shape to our west, with an area of low pressure now expected to track across central Alabama. Where exactly it tracks determines how far a warm front lifts north into the state. Along and south of the warm front, there’s a chance for severe weather, including at least a small threat for tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and hail.
Right now, looks like the main threat area would be approximately along and south of I-85. However, the exact timing, threat area, and severe weather hazards will be adjusted as details become clearer. Stay tuned. The storm system and attendant cold front clear our area Tuesday night. Expect a mostly clear sky and near-normal temperatures to return Wednesday- highs likely only reach the low 70s. Wednesday night lows could fall into the 40s.
Temperatures remain near-normal late next week, with highs in the low to mid 70s Thursday and Friday. Thursday looks dry, but rain could return next Friday. That chance carries into next Saturday, but the chance for rain looks fairly low both days at this time. For now, our forecast for next Saturday is dry and seasonable with highs in the low 70s.
