Midday Nowcast: Some Peeks of Sunshine Today; Rain Returns Tonight

HAPPY LEAP DAY: It is a dry and cool extra day of 2024 with highs in the 50s over North/Central Alabama. We could see some peeks of sunshine at times today, but overall expect more clouds than sun, and a few sprinkles are possible, but the day is overall dry for Alabama. In case you were wondering why we have Leap Day, it’s because of the orbit of Earth around the sun. It takes the Earth 365.25 days to complete its trip around the sun, that .25 of a day adds up. Simple math shows us that four .25 of a day (4 x .25) = 1 day. Therefore, every four years we add an extra day to the calendar and February is the month to get the day since it only has 28 days every other year.

RAIN RETURNS: Rain returns to Alabama tonight as a feature aloft approaches the state. Lows tonight will be in the 40s as rain increases in coverage. The rain will continue through tomorrow and over the next 24 hours, we will see a widespread soaking rain for much of Alabama. It will be a cool rain tomorrow as temperatures will be in the low to mid 50s; there is no risk of severe weather and likely little thunder. Rainfall totals through tomorrow will be in the one inch range, with some isolated higher amounts.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The sky will be remain generally cloudy, with some scattered showers possible both days. Nothing too heavy or widespread, and it won’t be a weekend washout as rain chances will be in the 30-40% range. It will warmer with highs mostly in the upper 60s to low 70s Saturday, followed by low and mid 70s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: Showers remain possible Monday, and showers and storms are more likely late Monday into Tuesday ahead of another cold front. The front will stall across the state and the weather will remain unsettled most of the week. It will remain cloudy with rain possible at anytime Tuesday through Thursday. It will be mild all week with highs in the 60s and 70s. Some newer model data suggest we finally see some drier air return to Alabama by next Friday, and that should allow sunshine to return as well.

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 115.7F at Vioolsdrif, South Africa. The lowest observation was -77.8F at Concordia, Antarctica.

CONTIGUOUS TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: Over the last 24 hours, the highest observation was 89F at De Soto Caverns, FL. The lowest observation was -22F at International Falls, MN.

Tags: ANC, cloudy, featured

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS