Wet Wednesday; Eta Shifts to the East

FRONT ON THE WAY: A cold front will be approaching the state today, and we are expecting widespread showers with embedded storms through the day as the front moves through the state, but no severe storms are expected. Rain amounts will be generally in the 1/2 inch range for much of Alabama. Drier air will move into the northern half of the state behind the front late tonight.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Tomorrow will feature morning clouds, but the sky should clear by the afternoon. Expect lower humidity, and somewhat cooler temps. Highs will remain around 80°, but nights will be a bit more refreshing with temps back in the 50s.

ETA HEADING TOWARDS FLORIDA PENINSULA: Finally we have model consistency to know Eta will not be an issue for Alabama. Eta is moving toward the north near 12 mph. A motion toward the north-northeast is forecast through Thursday. On the forecast track the center of Eta will move closer to but offshore of the southwest coast of Florida today, approach the west-central coast of Florida Wednesday night, and move inland over the northern portion of the Florida peninsula on Thursday. Eta is expected to move northeastward into the western Atlantic late Thursday or early Friday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph with higher gusts. Eta is expected to be near or at hurricane strength tonight as it approaches the west coast of Florida, with rapid weakening expected after landfall on Thursday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 988 mb (29.18 inches).

ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS: Theta continue to move across the middle and eastern Atlantic and will not impact the U.S. It is our favorite kind of storm, a fish storm, only impacting the fish. It is moving east at 8 mph and has winds of 65 mph.

IOTA IS THAT YOU?: A tropical wave located over the eastern Caribbean Sea is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The wave is expected to move slowly westward into more conducive environmental conditions over the next several days, and a tropical depression is likely to form late this week or this weekend when the wave reaches the central or western Caribbean Sea. Regardless of development, this system is expected to bring heavy rainfall along with possible flash flooding to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and portions of Hispaniola over the next couple of days. Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: With Eta heading east, our forecast for the weekend just got a lot better. Both days will feature plenty of sunshine, with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s. Late Sunday, we should see more clouds with an approaching front, but the weekend will be dry now.

NEXT WEEK: A front pushes through the state on Monday, it should come through in dry fashion due to limited moisture, but we will mention a stray shower will be possible. Behind the front, fall returns as a nice surge of much cooler and drier air returns to the state. Expect highs dropping back into the 60s and 70s, with lows in the 40s.

Have a whimsical Wednesday!
Ryan