First Alert Weather: Plenty of sunshine and breezy conditions Wednesday afternoon

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Wednesday!

We are starting out another morning with a clear sky and temperatures in the 40s. You’ll likely want to grab a jacket before you step outside. The winds have thankfully calmed down after yesterday. We had wind gusts up to 30-40 mph in many spots Tuesday afternoon. We saw a few reports of branches and trees down thanks to the windy conditions yesterday. Winds should end up lower today, but it will likely remain breezy.

Potential Wind Gusts Today(WBRC)

Winds should come from the northwest this afternoon at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 20-25 mph. First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar is showing us dry and clear. High pressure remains in place, and we should see another blue sky with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures this afternoon may end up a few degrees cooler than yesterday with highs in the low to mid 70s. If you have any evening plans, we will see a clear sky with temperatures cooling into the lower 60s by 8 p.m.

High Temperatures Today(WBRC)

Increasing Clouds Thursday: If you love cool and dry mornings, I have bad news for you. Tomorrow morning will likely be our last dry and cool start to the day for the next seven days. Temperatures will likely start out in the mid to upper 40s with a mostly clear sky. Thursday will end up beautiful with high temperatures climbing into the mid to upper 70s. Winds will remain light from the northwest at 5-10 mph. We will likely see increasing clouds tomorrow afternoon, but no rain is expected. The sky will likely end up partly cloudy tomorrow afternoon. We could end up partly to mostly cloudy heading into Friday morning. 

Widely Scattered Storms Possible Friday: The big story this week is the return of warmer temperatures and the chance for showers and storms by this weekend. Friday morning will likely start out dry with a partly cloudy sky. Temperatures are forecast to end up a little warmer with most of us waking up in the mid 50s. Our weather models are showing a weakness in the weather pattern that could allow showers and storms to develop in parts of Arkansas and Tennessee and slide to the southeast. The latest trends show a slightly higher chance for showers and storms developing in parts of west-northwest Alabama Friday afternoon and evening. I bumped up the rain chance to 30% with highs approaching 80°F Friday afternoon.

Next Big Thing: Northwest flow will become the dominant weather feature impacting the Southeast over the weekend and into the first half of next week. Disturbances will likely ride along a ridge of high pressure giving us waves of showers and storms. The big question is knowing when and where these storms develop. Long-range models normally have a difficult time pinpointing specific information in this kind of setup. A pattern like this can produce showers and storms during the day and in the overnight hours. We could see storms Friday night into Saturday morning and another chance for storms Saturday into Sunday. I have a rain chance up to 50% for Saturday with a slightly lower chance for rain and storms Sunday at 30%. Storms over the weekend will have the potential to become strong or severe. The main threats will be heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and hail. Humidity levels over the weekend will likely increase, so it will feel a little muggy. High temperatures Saturday and Sunday could climb into the low to mid 80s with overnight lows in the 60s. 

First Alert Muggy Meter(WBRC)

Stormy Pattern Continues Next Week: We will likely have to watch storm development to our northwest for the first half of next week. We are forecasting a partly sunny to mostly cloudy sky for next Monday and continuing into next Wednesday. Temperatures will likely end up above average with highs in the mid 80s. Upper 80s can’t be ruled out early next week for areas south of I-20. Rain and storm chances will be possible at any point during the day. I’m holding on to a 40% chance for rain Monday through Wednesday. Overnight lows will remain warm with temperatures in the 60s. It will likely remain muggy going into next week.

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Have a safe and wonderful Wednesday!

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