First Alert Weather: Canadian wildfires bring hazy skies on Thursday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - First Alert AccuTrack looks dry tonight across Central Alabama with hazy skies sticking around overnight thanks to wildfires in Quebec, Canada streaming smoke down the Atlantic Coast. We do not expect air quality to be anywhere near as bad as our neighbors to the northeast, but you can expect the haze around for tomorrow at least, which could make for some picturesque sunrises and sunsets. In the meantime, for tonight, some more clouds will move in overnight as well as a cool front approaches from the north.

Next Big Thing: The big story tomorrow is the arrival of a rare cold front for June. With drier air and haze filtering into the state, rain chances don’t look super promising. We’ll start tomorrow morning off in the mid to upper 60s with a partly cloudy sky. By the afternoon, most of us will end up dry with a chance for some isolated storms south of I-20. Winds will continue from the northwest at 5-10 mph with highs climbing into the mid 80s. By tomorrow evening, we’ll likely end up dry with humidity levels dropping.

Beautiful Weather Friday and Saturday: The first half of the weekend is shaping up to be pleasant and quiet. With dry air settling in, we could see cooler morning temperatures. Temperatures could drop into the upper 50s and lower 60s Friday and Saturday morning. Friday and Saturday will end up mostly sunny and warm with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. With lower humidity, it should feel really comfortable. The weather will be great for all outdoor activities this weekend. Just make sure you apply the sunscreen, grab the hat/sunglasses, and stay hydrated if you plan on being outdoors for an extended period. Saturday is your best day of the weekend to get some yardwork out of the way. Rain becomes very likely Sunday.

Stormy Sunday: Our best chance for showers and storms will likely occur Sunday evening and Sunday night. We will likely see another disturbance develop in the Central United States over the weekend and spread showers and storms into our area early next week. We’ll likely start Sunday morning in the mid to upper 60s with a partly cloudy sky. By Sunday afternoon, showers and storms will become more likely starting in west Alabama and spreading to the east. I can’t rule out a few strong storms Sunday thanks to the combination of unstable air and some wind shear. The main threat will be damaging winds and large hail. High temperatures Sunday afternoon could climb into the lower 90s before the storms develop. Rain and storms will likely continue Sunday night into Monday morning.

Unsettled Pattern Next Week: We will enter a weather pattern next week called “northwest flow.” It is where disturbances move along a ridge of high pressure. Storms will likely develop to our northwest and move to the southeast. In these kinds of setups, storms can form and sweep through the Southeast at any point during the day. They can also pack a punch with the potential for strong and severe storms. We could see storms in the daytime and during the nighttime. This kind of pattern can be tricky to forecast. We’ll have a better handle on our rain chances and the overall pattern for next week as we approach the weekend. If you are hoping for some rain, this weather pattern is promising for your yard and garden.

Make sure you download the WBRC First Alert Weather app for the latest weather information. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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