Midday Nowcast: Sun-Filled Wednesday Afternoon

SEVERE CLEAR: Another cloud-free sky across Alabama today and after the chilly morning, we are seeing temperatures head into the low 70s this afternoon in most locations; which are right at seasonal averages for this time of year.

Tomorrow and Friday, will feature some clouds in the sky, but we stay dry and highs tomorrow return to the low 70s with mid 70s expected Friday.

KEEPING AN EYE ON ETA: Latest update on Eta from NHC: The center of Tropical Storm Eta was located near latitude 13.9 North, longitude 85.6 West. Eta is moving toward the west near 7 mph. A west-northwestward motion at a faster forward speed is expected this afternoon through Thursday morning. A turn toward the north, and then northeast is forecast Thursday night and Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Eta is expected to move over northern Nicaragua through early this afternoon, and then move across Honduras later this afternoon through Thursday morning. The system is forecast to emerge over the Gulf of Honduras or the northwestern Caribbean Sea Thursday night and Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are now near 45 mph with higher gusts. Continued weakening will occur while Eta moves over land during the next day or two, and Eta should become a tropical depression tonight. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 998 mb (29.47 inches).

Once the system moves back into the Caribbean, it then moves over Cuba, and to a point near Key West Sunday night and perhaps could From there, long range global model guidance suggests Eta will move into eastern Gulf of Mexico. Where it winds up from there is still very much up in the air; way too early to know, but we will be keeping a close eye on the system.

WEEKEND WEATHER: Continued mild weather highlights the forecast for the weekend, and it looks to stay dry, with the exception of a few showers across South Alabama. Both Saturday and Sunday, will feature a partly sunny sky, with highs generally in the mid 70 for most North/Central Alabama communities; lows will be in the 50s Saturday morning, and low 60s early Sunday.

BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Fort Morgan to Panama City on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region that you are interested in visiting.

WORLD TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: Over the last 24 hours, the highest observation outside the U.S. was 108.0F at Curtain, Australia. The lowest observation was -73.1F at Vostok, Antarctica.

CONTIGUOUS TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: Over the last 24 hours, the highest observation was 96F at Palm Springs and Ocotillo Wells, CA. The lowest observation was 2F at Mount Washing, NH.

WEATHER ON THIS DATE IN 1927: A great Vermont flood occurred. Tropical rains deluged the Green Mountain area of Vermont causing the worst flood in the history of the state. Torrential rains, up to 15 inches in the higher elevations, sent streams on a rampage devastating the Winooski Valley. Flooding claimed 200 lives and caused 40 million dollars damage. The town of Vernon reported 84 deaths. Flooding left up to eight to ten feet of water in downtown Montpelier VT.

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