We haven’t seen much rain around the area today, but that is now starting to change as a shield of rain marches into the northern portion of our area. For the next few hours rain will be more likely, along and north of the I-20 corridor. A more vigorous complex of thunderstorms and heavy rain is entering south Mississippi. In fact, one lone storm has prompted a tornado warning just east of Jackson. A tornado watch is up for portions of southwest Mississippi and Louisiana. These storms may end up bringing some rough weather to southwest Alabama overnight. Even though the strongest storms will be to our south, we still can’t rule out thunderstorms or a good coverage of rain. Tonight we should see totals on average, ranging from 0.25” to 0.75”. Of-course, the areas that experience a thunderstorm will end up with more rain. (Image: SPC Current Tornado Watch)
Rain and thunderstorms will return tomorrow and some of the cells may be severe. The primary threat with the storms will be gusty straight-line winds. Also, we should see more decent rainfall totals. We will catch some breaks in the rain and tomorrow night the occasional rain will be more concentrated to our east. A front will gradually drop through the area and we will see the wet weather tapering off early on Friday. Even though the rain will be ending, we will still have considerable cloudiness. (Image: SPC Outlook For Tomorrow)
An unseasonably strong upper air trough will setup show over the eastern U.S. This will put us under a northerly flow aloft. This should bring us pleasant conditions for Saturday, with a partly cloudy sky and highs in the upper 70s. A couple of disturbances in this northwest flow aloft will trigger rain chances. On Sunday an isolated shower or thunderstorm can’t be ruled out. Also, during the late Monday and Tuesday timeframe, there will be a better chance for a passing thunderstorm. The setup should keep our highs near seasonal, with cool nights.
Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist
