FIRST ALERT: Flash Flood Watch continues until 10 AM; Drying out Monday afternoon and evening
Good Monday #GoodMonday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Monday. It’s been incredibly stormy and wet across Alabama over the past 24 hours with waves of showers and storms. The good news is that the severe threat has shifted southeast of Central Alabama this morning. The bad news is that we’ve seen a lot of heavy rainfall especially for areas south of I-20/59.
A Flash Flood Warning continues for Chambers, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Randolph, Shelby, Talladega, and Tallapoosa counties until 8:15 AM. The areas under the flash flood warning have already recorded 3-6 inches of rainfall and an additional 2-3 inches is possible. Just remember to never drive through flooded areas. Turn around, don’t drown. We also have a flood watch that has been extended until 10 AM this morning for areas along and south of I-20/59.
First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar is showing spotty showers along and north of I-20/59. Nothing too heavy or strong. The nastiest weather is set up across Greene, Hale, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, and Tallapoosa counties shortly before 6 AM. Heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, gusty winds, and small hail are the main issues as it all pushes off to the east. I do think this stormy weather will be out of our area late this morning and into the afternoon hours. Temperatures are starting off very warm with most of us in the mid 60s. We should see clouds decrease this afternoon as drier air filters into the state. Most of the active weather will push off into south Alabama and into southern Georgia by this afternoon and evening.
We are forecasting high temperatures to climb into the mid to upper 70s today with northwest winds at 5-10 mph. If you have any evening plans, we will likely remain dry with a mostly clear to partly cloudy sky. Temperatures are forecast to cool into the upper 60s by 7-8 PM.
Isolated Showers Possible Tuesday: We will hold on to a 20% chance for an isolated shower or storm tonight and into Tuesday morning. The best chance for stray showers or storms will likely occur in our far southern counties such as Sumter, Greene, Hale, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, and Tallapoosa. We’ll start tomorrow morning off with cooler temperatures. Most of us will end up in the low to mid 50s. If you live north of I-20/59, you could see lows drop into the upper 40s. We’ll likely see a mostly cloudy to a partly sunny sky tomorrow with high temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Winds will end up breezy as dry air moves in from the northwest at 10-15 mph. Cloud cover will likely decrease late Tuesday night as colder and drier air filters into the state.
Cool and Dry Wednesday: We want to give everyone a first alert for the chance to see frost in far north Alabama Wednesday morning. Temperatures are forecast to cool into the upper 30s and lower 40s. It would not surprise me if some of our northern counties cool into the mid 30s on Wednesday morning. If you are worried about any sensitive plants, you might want to cover them up Tuesday evening. I would also recommend bringing your pets inside so they can stay warm. Wednesday is forecast to be our coolest day of the week with highs in the upper 60s. We will likely see a partly cloudy to mostly sunny sky Wednesday afternoon with low humidity.
Warming Up By the End of the Week: We are forecasting warmer temperatures by Thursday and Friday. We’ll likely see another chilly morning Thursday with lows in the low to mid 40s. A few upper 30s will be possible to the north with a low-end threat for patchy frost. Thursday is looking like a beautiful day with a mostly sunny sky with highs in the mid 70s. Friday will end up even warmer with highs in the lower 80s. Winds will begin to shift from the south giving us higher humidity values by the end of the week. We’ll hold on to a 30% chance for rain and storms Friday evening as another cold front approaches the state.
Next Big Thing: Our next rain maker will likely arrive by the end of the week. Severe storms could develop in parts of north Texas and Oklahoma Thursday afternoon and evening. By Friday, severe weather will likely ramp up across the Midwest and down into the Southeast. The Storm Prediction Center has already highlighted a severe threat for both days. Areas that could see the most significant threat for severe weather include Illionois, Missouri, western Tennessee, Arkansas, and into parts of northeast Texas, northern Louisiana, and northwest Mississippi.
Rain and storm chances will likely increase Friday night into Saturday morning for Central Alabama. We might have just enough ingredients for storms to become strong or possibly severe. The main threat will be damaging winds and hail. An isolated tornado can’t be ruled out, but the details are still uncertain this far out in time. The first half of Saturday could end up wet and stormy, but we are forecasting drier conditions Saturday afternoon with highs in the upper 70s. The system that impacts us on Saturday could stall and give us another chance for showers and storms early next week.
Make sure you download the WBRC First Alert Weather App for the latest weather information.
Have a safe Monday!
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