BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Happy Sunday! We started out the day with temperatures in the 60s, and we warmed up quickly into the lower 80s shortly before noon. First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar is showing us mostly clear with more cloud cover to our south. I’ve been tracking showers along I-85 in the Auburn and Montgomery area. The rain should remain south of Coosa and Chilton counties. I think most of us will remain sunny and dry today. Temperatures are forecast to heat up into the mid to upper 80s. Temperatures will end up 5-10 degrees above average. It’ll be nice weather for the big race at YellaWood 500. I highlyrecommend grabbing the sunglasses, hat, and don’t forget to apply the sunscreen. Temperatures will remain in the 80s during the race, but the sunshine will make it feel like it is in the 90s. Winds will remain light from the east at 5-10 mph. If you have any evening plans, we will likely remain mostly clear with temperatures cooling into the upper 70s by 7 p.m. CDT.
Cold front arrives tomorrow: A cold front is forecast to move into Central Alabama tomorrow afternoon. It will bring us drier air and cooler temperatures. We will likely wake up tomorrow morning with sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Winds tomorrow will likely increase from the north at 10-15 mph as cooler and drier air filters into the state. Temperatures may trend a little cooler with highs in the low to mid 80s for areas north of I-20 Monday afternoon. Areas farther to the south will likely remain warmer with highs in the mid to upper 80s. No rain is expected with this cold front.
Cool mornings and warm afternoons this week: The big story for us this week is that seasonable temperatures will finally return behind this cold front. Morning temperatures will likely cool into the low to mid 50s starting Tuesday morning and continuing for the remainder of the work week. High temperatures are forecast to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s which is close to average for this time of the year. Each day will likely end up sunny with plenty of blue sky. It should be a beautiful week to knock out yardwork. The dry weather pattern will likely continue into the weekend with highs warming into the lower 80s.
Milton forecast to become a powerful hurricane: As of the 4 a.m. CDT advisory, Tropical Storm Milton is slowly strengthening with winds at 50 mph. It is moving slowly to the east at 5 mph. Milton is a small storm at the moment, but it will likely start to rapidly strengthen tonight and into Monday as it moves to the east in the southern half of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Milton to become a major hurricane Tuesday with winds up to 115-120 mph. It is very likely that this storm could be significantly stronger as it encounters warm sea-surface temperatures and a favorable environment to intensify. Milton is forecast to approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula Wednesday morning as a powerful hurricane bringing damaging winds, a life-threatening storm surge, heavy rain and flooding. It will also produce an isolated tornado threat for the Florida Peninsula. The track for a storm like this is very rare, and it is very possible that this could be a devastating storm for the Tampa Bay area pending on the track and strength of this storm. Everyone along the west coast of the Florida Peninsula included in the cone should take this storm seriously and prepare to evacuate if necessary ahead of the storm.
I think Milton could become an intense storm Monday night into Tuesday, but several models hint that it could briefly weaken as it approaches the Florida Peninsula. Impacts could occur in spots impacted by Helene for parts of north Florida. The worst of the storm will likely remain just south of the Big Bend unless the storm track changes. The good news is that the cold front that is moving through our area tomorrow will be responsible for keeping this storm away from Alabama, the Alabama Gulf Coast, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Plan for a high rip current threat to develop along the Gulf Coast early this week as this storm intensifies in the Gulf.
The rest of the Atlantic remains very active for October. Leslie and Kirk continue to spin in the open waters of the Atlantic. Kirk will lose tropical characteristics and become an intense storm for parts of Europe Wednesday. Leslie will likely remain well east of the Lesser Antilles and not impact anyone. It is forecast to weaken a little by the middle of the week as a tropical storm in the Central Atlantic Ocean. We will watch another tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa for tropical development. Odds of development at 30% for the next seven days. Hurricane season officially ends on December 1…