Hot Temps…Few Storms…Thursday Afternoon Forecast Update – 4:50pm

Good Thursday afternoon! It has turned out to be another hot summer-like day, with highs near 90 in many spots across Alabama. Just to the west of Alabama, scattered to numerous thunderstorms have developed over Mississippi this afternoon. Most of the action is west of us, but isolated storms have formed over southwest Alabama. The best chance of isolated storms will occur over west Alabama between now and 8pm. The chance of rain is at about 30% over west Alabama, and all storms will fizzle out after 8pm. If a storm moves over your area, it won’t last long at all.

A strong storm system continues to cause severe weather problems over the Plains today. Today is one of several days of active severe weather. While this system is moving our way, it will be much weaker once it reaches Alabama on Sunday. Between now and then, we’ll have more of a typical summer pattern. There is a 30% chance of rain each afternoon between lunch and 8pm through Saturday. Most areas will stay dry and rain won’t last long. If you have an outdoor event planned between now and Saturday, keep in mind a pop up storm is possible, but an all day washout will not happen.

As the cold front moves into northwest Alabama on Sunday, the coverage of showers and storms will increase. Rain chances stand at 60% on Sunday, so most areas will get a downpour. Even on Sunday, activity will be scattered and mainly after lunch. I do not expect rain all day on Sunday, but an hour or two of your day may include some rain and thunder. I don’t expect severe weather issues on Sunday. Expect highs to reach the middle 80s on Sunday and Monday, with lows in the upper 60s. The cold front will pass through the area and dry conditions will take over on Monday and Tuesday. Skies will also become mostly sunny by early next week and remain mostly sunny through mid-week. Highs will warm into the lower 90s by Tuesday.

As for tropical weather… We’re watching what’s left of Pacific system Barbara. The circulation made landfall in southern Mexico yesterday and has weakened over land during the overnight hours. There is a chance this system could re-develop sometime next week, as the environment improves over the Gulf of Mexico. Some model data develops a tropical storm or tropical depression and moves it towards the Gulf Coast states by next weekend. We’ll keep an eye on it…

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Richard Scott

WVUA Chief Meteorologist

rscott@wvuatv.com

Twitter: Richard_wvua