The mainly dry weather continues; highlights in the 80s

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – AccuTrack first warning shows mostly clear skies over Central Alabama this evening. Although some isolated showers broke through earlier in the day, any rain chances are now long gone. Unfortunately, the places where it rained didn’t see enough to make any dent in the drought. Neither Birmingham nor Anniston recorded any measurable rainfall with the patchy passing showers, so we may still be on track to have the driest October on record for both cities.

The abnormally dry and warm pattern will continue into the coming week. Temperatures should ultimately be slightly cooler than last week, but we remain above average. Our average high temperature for late October is in the lower 70s. I think we will remain a few degrees above average next week, with highs in the lower 80s. Overnight lows will also remain mild and above average, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

Next big thing: Long range models indicate a cold front could approach Alabama next Thursday and Friday. There is a chance we could see a few showers in northwest Alabama during the evening hours of Halloween. I would probably plan for a mostly dry Halloween with highs in the lower 80s with partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures Thursday evening will likely remain in the 70s for trick-or-treaters. Friday afternoon we could see a few showers along and north of I-20/59 with highs around 80 degrees. The mild weather pattern is likely to continue into the first weekend of November. By the way, we still see no signs of significant rainfall or cooler temperatures in the first week of November.

Tropical update: Although the tropics are calm for now, the National Hurricane Center now indicates a medium chance that a potential low-pressure area will develop in the Caribbean late next week. If anything does form, we don’t expect any problems along the Gulf Coast. The hurricane season lasts until November. Normally it is very rare for anything tropical to hit the Southeast in November. Cold fronts and high pressure areas normally divert tropical systems away from us.

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