Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

Warm, Humid Days; Maria Over Puerto Rico

| September 20, 2017 @ 6:40 am

FOGGY START: We have a dense fog advisory in effect this morning for much of Central and East Alabama; some of the lowest visibilities are in places like Anniston and Gadsden. Conditions will improve by mid-morning.

An upper ridge will keep Alabama very warm for the rest of the week with highs in the 87-90 degree range most afternoons. There will be sufficient moisture and instability for a few afternoon/evening showers or storms, but they should be fairly isolated due to warm air aloft. Otherwise partly sunny days, fair nights.

A pocket of colder air aloft moved over the state yesterday, bringing a number of showers and strong storms; one storm was severe over eastern Calhoun County and produced lots of tree damage near White Plains and Iron City (east of Anniston).

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Not much change. Partly sunny, warm days, fair nights, and just a few isolated afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be in the upper 80s.

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.

NEXT WEEK: We will roll with a persistence forecast. Highs in the mid to upper 80s, only a few isolated showers or storms during the afternoon and evening hours. But, we continue to see evidence that an upper trough will replace the ridge in 10 days or so, pulling down cooler air as October begins.

MARIA MAKES LANDFALL: Maria made landfall this morning on the SE Puerto Rico coast at Yabucoa as a powerful category four hurricane; maximum sustained winds were 155 mph. Peak gusts reported early this morning…

• 137 MPH Isla Culebrita
• 116 MPH El Negro
• 115 MPH Gurabo
• 113 MPH Yabucoa Harbor
• 100 MPH Del Rey

Maria will begin to turn north within 36 hours, and is expected to move northward, east of the Bahamas, this weekend.

Global model ensemble output suggests Maria will remain east of the U.S. Atlantic coast, but there is always some uncertainty beyond five days. There is a decent chance Tropical Storm Jose, off the upper U.S. Atlantic coast, will leave a weakness in the sub-tropical ridge, allowing Maria to escape without touching the coast.

See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

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!

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram
Pinterest
Snapchat: spannwx

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

Tags: ,

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos

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.

Comments are closed.