STILL HOT: There’s no change in the overall Alabama weather situation this afternoon. The sky is partly to mostly sunny and temperatures are mostly in the mid to upper 90s. We do note a few isolated showers on radar over the southern half of the state. But, to the east, a wedge (backdoor) front is on the Alabama-Georgia border. Temperatures over northern Georgia are in the 80s, and that cooler air will slip into Alabama tonight.
THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Look for sunny, warm days and fair, pleasant nights. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s Thursday and Friday, then in the 87- to 90-degree range over the weekend. Lows will be mostly in the 60s, but cooler spots across north and central Alabama will dip into the cool 50s early Friday morning.
NEXT WEEK: Unfortunately, prospects for meaningful rain continue to look very low through the weekend; look for mostly sunny days with highs back in the low 90s on a number of days.
As you look at the graphic below, add about five degrees to the afternoon highs because of the lack of soil moisture.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: The weather will be clear for the high school games Friday night with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff into the 70s by the second half.
Saturday, Alabama will host Southern Mississippi at Bryant-Denny Stadium (11 a.m. kickoff). The sky will be sunny with temperatures rising from near 85 at kickoff to 90 by the final whistle.
Auburn is on the road, traveling to College Station to take on Texas A&M (2:30 p.m. Central kickoff). Scattered showers and storms are possible during the game with temperatures generally in the low 90s.
UAB hosts South Alabama at Legion Field in Birmingham (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be sunny with temperatures in the upper 80s at kickoff, falling into the mid 80s by the end of the game.
TROPICS: Hurricane Humberto is passing just west and north of Bermuda this afternoon; sustained winds are 120 mph. A wind gust to 51 mph recently occurred at the Bermuda airport. Tropical Storm Jerry has winds of 50 mph and is expected to become a hurricane Thursday night. Jerry will pass north of the Lesser Antilles and east of the Bahamas over the weekend and early next week. Most computer guidance continues to suggest Jerry will recurve out into the open Atlantic before having any impact on the U.S.
Tropical waves are over the Caribbean, south of Hispaniola and in the Atlantic between Africa and the Lesser Antilles, but for now the National Hurricane Center is forecasting only a low chance of development with both of them.
RAIN UPDATE: Birmingham has received measurable rain on only two days this month, Sept. 11 and 14, and the total for the month is only 0.56 of an inch. Unfortunately, we see no beneficial rain for the next seven days, and most likely for the rest of the month. Drought conditions will only intensify.
ON THIS DATE IN 1926: The great “Miami Hurricane” produced winds of 138 mph that drove ocean waters into the Biscayne Bay, drowning 135 people. The eye of the hurricane passed over Miami, at which time the barometric pressure reached 27.61 inches. Tides up to 12 feet high accompanied the storm, which claimed a total of 372 lives.
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