Midday Nowcast: Make It Rain Cold Front, Please

THE FRONT IS NOW IN NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA:
At the noon hour in Central Alabama, skies are mostly clear with very little in the way of rain is showing up on radar at this time for our area. The cold front, that is expected to move through the area later this afternoon and evening, is currently draped across the northwestern corner of the state. Showers and a few storms have developed ahead of the front are are very slowly moving to the east. A decent batch of showers are about to move in to the city of Cullman, as they are line up on US 278. The rest of the shower and storm activity near us is currently affecting areas such as Arab, Guntersville, and Scottsboro. There are a few heavy showers located in the southeastern corner of the state.

For the rest of today, skies will be partly to mostly clear until the cold front approaches your area this afternoon and evening and clouds will start to build in. As the day progresses and the cold front moves into our area, shower and thunderstorm chances will increase especially along and north of I-20. Afternoon highs will make it back up into the low to mid 90s until the front makes it through. We’ll continue the rain chance through the overnight hours, and lows will be in the mid 60s for the most part. Unfortunately, rain totals will probably average around 1/4 inch or less, due to the spotty and scattered nature of the rain.

CODE YELLOW AIR QUALITY ALERT:
Ozone and Particulate Matter 2.5 level will be high enough to raise the “Code Yellow” Air Quality Alert for the Birmingham metropolitan area today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA AT THIS HOUR:

Birmingham 91
Tuscaloosa 90
Gadsden 90
Anniston 88
Cullman 82
Alexander City 90
Auburn 86
Selma 88
Montgomery 88

NORMS AND RECS FOR TODAY IN BIRMINGHAM:
The normal high for September 26th is 82, while the normal low is 59. The record high for today was set back in 1897 at 95. The record low was set back in 2001 at 41.

TOMORROW’S FORECAST:
Skies will start to clear out during the day tomorrow, and you will notice the cool change to our weather. After a cool start, the afternoon highs will only make it to around 80 degrees. Lower humidity levels will make that 80 degrees feel oh so welcome, compared to the mid to upper 90s of the past week.

HEADED TO THE BEACH:
Mostly sunny days, fair nights on the coast through the weekend with just a few widely scattered showers and storms around later today, tonight, and tomorrow. Highs in the 80s. See a very detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

THE TROPICS:
“Invest 97L” should become Tropical Storm Matthew later this week as it moves into the Caribbean; this is a lower latitude system, but all model guidance suggests this will turn northward before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Still very early, however, and we will need to keep an eye on it.

ON THIS DAY IN 2004:
After making its infamous loop east of the Bahamas, Hurricane Jeanne made landfall the night of September 26th, 2004. Jeanne came ashore as a major category 3 hurricane just a few miles away from where Hurricane Frances made landfall a few weeks before. Jeanne produced extensive damage along the east central Florida coast from Volusia County south to Martin County. The highest wind gusts occurred over extreme Southern Brevard County as well as Indian River County with 110 – 120 mph estimates at the peak of the storm.

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Category: Alabama's Weather