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Scattered Strong Storms; Watching Jose/Maria

| September 19, 2017 @ 3:27 pm

RADAR CHECK: Showers and strong thunderstorms have become pretty numerous across North/Central Alabama this afternoon… stronger storms are producing lots of lighting, heavy rain, and gusty winds as they move east.

Showers will fade away later this evening once the sun goes down.

REST OF THE WEEK: Temperatures aloft should be warmer, and afternoon showers and storms fewer in number tomorrow through Friday. Partly sunny days, fair nights, highs in the upper 80s. Afternoon showers are certainly possible each day, but they will be widely spaced.

EQUNIOX: We should mention that fall “officially” arrives Friday afternoon at 3:02p CT… the time of the autumnal equinox. That is when the sun is directly over the equator; we have approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: No real change as an upper ridge holds. Partly sunny, warm days with highs 85-89, along with widely scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For Friday night’s high school games, it will be warm and humid with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff, into the upper 70s by the final whistle. Just a slight risk of a shower during the first quarter.

Alabama will be in Nashville Saturday to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (2:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be mostly sunny with a kickoff temperature near 88 degrees… falling into the mid 80s by the fourth quarter. Just a small risk of a brief shower.

Auburn is also on the road; they play Missouri in Columbia Saturday evening (6:30p CT kickoff)… we expect a clear sky with temperatures falling from 84 degrees at kickoff into the upper 70s by the final whistle.

And, UAB is also traveling this weekend; they play North Texas Saturday evening (5:30p CT kickoff) in Denton. The weather will be dry with a fair sky; about 90 degrees at kickoff, falling through the 80s during the game.

And, we will roll with a persistence forecast into early next week. High well up in the 80s with only widely scattered afternoon showers. We do see a sign that the ridge will break down late in the month, opening the door for cooler temperatures as October begins…

HURICANE MARIA: It remains an extremely dangerous, category five hurricane this afternoon with sustained winds of 165 mph. It will move across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico during the next 24 hours.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* Dominica
* St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* British Virgin Islands
* Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques
* Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata

Maria is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through tomorrow night. On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern
Caribbean Sea today, and then pass near or over the Virgin Islands overnight and Puerto Rico tomorrow.

Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane until it moves near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

It will begin to gain latitude Thursday, and is forecast to move northward, east of the Bahamas, this weekend. Confidence is growing that Maria will not directly impact the East Coast of the U.S., but that is still not a total certainty at this point.

JOSE: Jose remains a minimal hurricane east the U.S. Middle Atlantic coast; it will weaken to a tropical storm tomorrow, and loop around in the Atlantic well offshore. We are hoping Jose will leave a good weakness in the subtropical ridge, allowing Maria to escape into the open Atlantic, well east of the U.S. Atlantic coast.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page. The Beach Forecast is partially underwritten by the support of Brett/Robinson Vacation Rentals in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Click here to see Brett/Robinson’s Hot Deals now!

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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

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About the Author ()

James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.

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