Windy with Rain then Cooler

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Ike is moving rapidly across the Central US and it is bringing some windy conditions to Central Alabama. Ike was located over Southeast Missouri this morning and was expected to continue moving rapidly northeastward. While it was downgraded to a depression, the tightening of the pressure gradient will make for a breezy day with winds of 10 to 20 mph out of the south and southwest along with gusts to around 30 to 35 mph.

Rain will also move across Alabama today with the best rain chances west of I-65 through much of the daylight hours today and then across much of the state overnight. By Monday afternoon, clouds should still be lingering but most if not all of the rain will probably have moved out of the area. That will pave the way for some dry, sunny days along with lower dew points and cooler air. This will be the first real hint of fall for us.

There is some possibility that we might see conditions for a marginally severe storm or two, but I think the combination of limited heating and the distance of Ike from Central Alabama should limit the risk of any severe weather. The SPC has outlooked an area for severe weather along and generally just to the right of the expected track of the remnants of Ike.

The upper trough responsible for accelerating Ike off to the northeast and for bringing the rain chances will move off the East Coast by Thursday as a new trough comes into the northwestern US. The new trough is likely to move into the Central US quickly and could bring a moisture return to Central Alabama Friday and Saturday for another round of showers. Timing may be an issue with the projection, so I would not be surprised to see rain chances some a bit later – perhaps late Saturday or Sunday. But that is verging on voodoo country.

The big trend which the latest run of the GFS maintains is a series of upper level troughs moving rapidly across the US. This should keep our weather fairly active with new rain chances every three to four days. And even though we have a surplus in rainfall right now, we can always use a little more as we head toward our driest month – October.

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I had to move inside the car to do the video because the wind is blowing strongly on Mt. Cheaha, so the audio is not the best – acoustics in a car are just not that great. James Spann should be back in the saddle bright and early tomorrow morning. Thanks for staying subscribed. I hope you have a great Sunday. God bless.

-Brian-

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