Splendid Saturday Afternoon

This afternoon we are seeing lots of sunshine, with only those fair weather cumulus clouds. Temperatures are in the upper 70s and lower 80s. This is the epitome of October weather, and what a terrific way to start what is personally my favorite month of the year.

For tonight, temperatures will once again slide down into the 50s and another refreshing start to our day on Sunday. Then another fine fall day is ahead for all of Central Alabama but temperatures begin to moderate some. Under an abundance of sunshine, we should most locations climb into the lower to perhaps mid 80s, no threat of rain.

MATTHEW THE MONSTER: The tropics are active with Matthew currently a major hurricane at Category 4 after briefly reaching Category 5 strength last night.

The latest update from the NHC has the eye of Hurricane Matthew was located near latitude 13.2 North, longitude 73.4 West. Matthew is moving toward the south at 2 mph. A turn toward the west-northwest is forecast later today, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest on Sunday and toward the north on Monday. On the forecast track, the center of Matthew will move across the central Caribbean Sea today and Sunday, and approach Jamaica and southwestern Haiti Sunday night and Monday.

Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph with higher gusts. Some fluctuations in intensity are possible this weekend, but Matthew is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through Monday. The latest minimum central pressure measured by the aircraft was 947 mb (27.97 inches). The storm should lose a little punch as it makes its way through the Bahamas. Beyond that the track is likely to be very close to the East Coast of the US, so all interests from Florida to Maine will need to keep up with the latest information on Matthew.

Tags: ANC, featued

Category: Alabama's Weather