Hot Afternoons Ahead

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HOT: Temperatures will rise well into the 90s in coming days with a heat ridge right on top of us. We expect a high in the mid 90s today, followed by upper 90s tomorrow and Friday. There is always some risk of an afternoon storm on a hot summer day, but they should be few and far between. Must be late July in Alabama.

THE WEEKEND: With the potential for a tropical system moving up this way from the Gulf, some uncertainty is creeping into the weekend forecast. A strong short wave moving through the Great Lakes will dent down the heat ridge, allowing for a tropical system to move in from the south, with potential for increased rain opportunities, and we will begin to lean that way in the forecast.

TROPICAL ACTION: The system that could impact Alabama this weekend is still disorganized, and is located not too far from Hispaniola. Most dynamic models ramp this up into a tropical storm, with potential landfall in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area Friday. The main impact will be heavy rain, as the models keep this one below hurricane strength for now. Then, it emerges into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with a second landfall as a tropical storm over the Florida Panhandle in the Pensacola/Fort Walton Beach area Saturday. The main threat again will be from heavy rain, and this could very well serve to wet down parts of Alabama over the weekend. The GFS suggests the best rain for the northern half of Alabama will come Sunday.

Needless to say, there is lots of uncertainty in this scenario with a tropical system so early in the game, so changes are certainly possible in coming days. We will be watching.

NEXT WEEK: Unfortunately the heat ridge rebuilds by the middle of next week, so our weather should trend hotter and drier again by Tuesday and Wednesday.

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