Feels Like Fall, Three Active Hurricanes
A TASTE OF FALL: Today through Sunday, we are forecasting sunny pleasant days and clear, cool nights. Highs in the lower to mid 80s are forecast, while lows will be mostly in the 50s. Again Friday morning, those cooler pockets across North/Central Alabama could see upper 40s. Phenomenal fall-like weather in the days ahead.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: A perfect night for high school football games Friday night; a clear sky with temperatures falling through the 60s.
Alabama will host Fresno State in Tuscaloosa Saturday afternoon (2:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be sunny with temperatures falling from near 83 degrees at kickoff to near 80 by the end of the game.
Auburn is on the road; they will take on Clemson in South Carolina Saturday evening (6:00p CT kickoff)… the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 77 degrees at kickoff to near 70 by the final whistle. We should note the weather will be dry Sunday for those traveling back to Alabama; any impact from Hurricane Irma in South Carolina will come late Monday into Tuesday.
NEXT WEEK: Our forecast depends on Hurricane Irma’s track, but with the system east of the state, Alabama stays on the dry side of the storm, but should expect breezier conditions at some point next week. We will continue to mention and isolated chance of some light showers pushing into East Alabama Tuesday, but I really think we are going to be staying dry and that is the forecast for much of the week. Dry and pleasant weather all week with low humidity; highs looks to be in the lower to mid 80s, while lows will remain in those soothing 60s.
HURRICANE IRMA: At 500 AM AST, the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.0 North, longitude 68.3 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed for the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the center should pass north of the coast of Hispaniola later today, be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by this evening, and then be near the Central Bahamas by Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 180 mph with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 921 mb (27.20 inches).
Latest forecast track from the NHC has Irma continuing to the west-northwest through Friday and starts to make the turn to the north on Saturday. Now the question is where exactly does Irma make landfall. Model consensus shows Irma moving up the east coast of Florida, with an eventual landfall along the South Carolina Coast. Once again, a lot will change in the coming days, so be mindful of that, and know, hurricanes do what they want, we won’t know everything until it happens.
TROPICAL STORM JOSE: Latest update, the center of Hurricane Jose was located near latitude 14.4 North, longitude 47.5 West. Jose is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next two days. Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 989 mb (29.21 inches). Latest runs of the model show Jose remaining a “fish storm”, which means it only impacts the fish, but still warrants watching.
TROPICAL STORM KATIA: At 400 AM CDT, the center of Hurricane Katia was located near latitude 21.5 North, longitude 94.5 West. Katia is stationary and little overall motion is anticipated through late today, but then the hurricane is forecast to turn southwestward and approach the coast within the watch area late Friday or early Saturday. Maximum sustained winds remain near 80 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Katia could be near major hurricane strength at landfall. Katia is a small tropical cyclone. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 989 mb (29.21 inches). No threat to the U.S.
