Warm Days, Cool Nights; Dorian Moving Northwest

OCTOBER SKY: We have a cobalt blue sky over Alabama today, more like one you would see in October as opposed to late August. Temperatures are mostly in the mid to upper 80s, and the humidity is very low. Cooler spots will drop into the 50s again early tomorrow, with low 60s elsewhere. Our weather stays dry tomorrow with a good supply of sunshine along with a high close to 90 degrees.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Most of Alabama will stay dry Saturday, but a few showers could show up over the far southern part of the state. Then, we will mention a chance of scattered showers or storms statewide Sunday as moisture levels rise. A few showers are also possible Monday, but they should be pretty widely scattered. The high will be close to 90 Saturday, and in the mid to upper 80s Sunday and Monday.

NEXT WEEK: It looks like the rain associated with Hurricane Dorian will stay east of Alabama, so the rest of the week looks generally dry with mostly sunny days, fair nights, and highs around 90 degrees. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Perfect weather for high school football games across the state tonight and tomorrow night. Clear, low humidity, with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff into the 70s during the second half.

UAB will host Alabama State tonight at Birmingham’s Legion Field… kickoff is at 7:00p CT. The weather will be delightful. A clear sky with temperatures falling from near 82 at kickoff, into the 70s during the second half.

Alabama will take on Duke in the Chick Fil A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta (2:30p CT kickoff)… the game will be played indoors (Mercedes Benz Stadium), but outside the sky will be mostly sunny. Temperatures will peak close to 90 in Atlanta Saturday afternoon.

Auburn travels to Dallas/Fort Worth to take Oregon at AT&T Stadium Saturday evening (6:30p CT kickoff). Temperatures will top out in the mid 90s during the day Saturday with a sunny sky, falling though the 80s during the game.

HURRICANE DORIAN: Dorian features sustained winds of 85 mph, and is moving northwest this afternoon. It is expected to reach major hurricane strength (category 3 or higher) by Saturday, and should be near the east coast of Florida Monday morning, potentially as an extremely dangerous category four storm.

Important points…

*There is an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the Florida east coast late this weekend or early next week, although it is too soon to determine where the highest storm surge will occur. Residents should have their hurricane plan in place, know if they are in a hurricane evacuation zone, and listen to advice given by local emergency officials.

*The risk of devastating hurricane-force winds along the Florida east coast and peninsula (NOT the panhandle) late this weekend and early next week continues to increase, although it is too soon to determine where the strongest winds will occur.

*Regardless of the exact track of Dorian, heavy rains are expected to occur over portions of the Bahamas, Florida, and elsewhere in the southeastern United States this weekend and into the middle of next week.

*There is now good agreement within the various model sets that a weakness in the upper ridge north of Dorian will allow the system to turn northward somewhere around I-75, or maybe even along the Florida east coast. This will most likely keep the associated rain and wind east of Alabama and the Central Gulf Coast (places like Gulf Shores, Destin, and Panama City Beach).

*If you have a trip planned to Disney World in Orlando for the Labor Day weekend, the weather will be fairly routine Saturday with sun and scattered thunderstorms. Weather conditions will begin to deteriorate late Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday lots of wind and rain.

*Again, there will be no direct impact from Dorian on the Central Gulf Coast over the Labor Day weekend. Look for routine weather from Gulf Shores over to Panama City Beach with sun and scattered thunderstorms.

*Do not focus on the exact forecast track, as the average 5-day track error is around 200 miles. The forecast can, and will change. If you want the most accurate and up-to-date information, you will have to check the Dorian forecast several times a day. Otherwise, you’re working with old (and most likely bad) information.

The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.

ON THIS DATE IN 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall, causing catastrophic damage; particularly in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. Subsequent flooding, caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection system known as levees around the city of New Orleans, precipitated most of the loss of lives.

Damage was also severe on the Mississippi Gulf Coast…?. But there was little national media attention.? The death toll from Katrina is uncertain, with reports differing by hundreds. According to the National Hurricane Center, 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm: 1 in Kentucky, 2 each in Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, 14 in Florida, 238 in Mississippi, and 1,577 in Louisiana.

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I had a great time today visiting the students at South Lamar School… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: ANC, dry

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