FIRST ALERT: Hot and steamy with more isolated showers and storms Friday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Patchy fog, temperatures in the lower 70s, mostly cloudy skies, and a slight chance for a shower as we kick off Friday morning. Our Friday will likely end up slightly drier, with only a 30-40% chance for widely scattered showers and storms. The greatest coverage will once again set up across south Alabama and the Gulf Coast. Temperatures will end up warmer thanks to a partly sunny sky; highs in the mid to upper 80s. Most high school football games will end up dry; however, we’ll hold on to an isolated rain chance, with temperatures in the 70s Friday evening.

Looks like a more typical summer setup for the weekend, with scattered storms and showers mainly in the afternoon. The Gulf Coast looks to see a 50-60% coverage. No need to cancel outdoor plans for the threat of rain and storms. Just note that the best chance to see rain will be in the afternoon and early evening hours. Remember to seek shelter and go inside if you hear thunder or see lightning. We’ll likely start the weekend morning hours dry with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. I would plan for a partly to mostly cloudy sky over the weekend with high temperatures in the upper 80s. A few spots could be close to 90°F. When you factor in the humidity and warmer temperatures, the heat index could climb well into the mid to upper 90s. Stay cool and don’t forget to apply the sunscreen!

The warm and muggy pattern will stay with us going into next week. There is a chance for pop up showers and storms daily, but it is a little tricky to nail down the coverage this far in advance. Keep checking back with us over the weekend as data improves. Temperatures will be near average with highs in the upper 80s and lows in the lower 70s.

The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor two tropical waves in the Atlantic. The first tropical wave will likely impact the Windward Islands later today producing showers and gusty winds. It remains very disorganized, but it has a low chance to slowly develop once it moves into the Caribbean. If this system can hold itself together, environmental conditions could become more favorable as it moves into the western Caribbean. It’ll be something to watch over the next seven days, but it has no immediate concerns to the United States. The second tropical wave will move off the coast of Africa and it has a 20% chance to develop into a tropical depression or storm in the next five days. Our long-range models are more aggressive on this system developing next week. It remains too early to know if it’ll impact the United States. Odds are low that it will. We are entering the peak of the season, so it’s very normal to start seeing an uptick in tropical activity. The hurricane season officially ends on November 30.

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