Dangerous Weekend Heat
This weekend brings a significant surge in temperature and humidity, with highs reaching between 93° and 98° Saturday and 94° and 99° Sunday. With high humidity in place, the heat index will likely exceed 110° at times both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Dewpoints will surge into the mid to upper 70s this weekend, leading to an extreme heat exhaustion potential into the extreme category for the middle of both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. With this kind of heat, our advice is to eliminate all strenuous outdoor activity from 10 am to 5 pm.
It is of note that the heat exhaustion potential is forecast to hit values that would force American armed forces to stop all outdoor physical training both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. If conditions are considered too dangerous for them to conduct PT, we strongly advise against any outdoor exercise during that time. Overnight lows will only drop into the mid 70s, meaning those without access to air conditioning are at a particularly high risk of developing heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Please make sure your friends, family, and neighbors all have a way to cool off each day.
More Weekend Storms
Additional scattered storms are likely both Saturday and Sunday. Slightly higher coverage of storms are expected Saturday, although much of the day will be dry. Storms develop by late afternoon across North Alabama and move south into the evening. Some storms could produce isolated instances of hail, gusty winds, and locally heavy rain. The highest rain chances Saturday will be along the eastern 2/3rds of the state, with storms more scattered and less intense across West Alabama. We’ll dry out overnight, but see a few isolated showers and storms re-develop Sunday.
Next Week
Isolated storms and extreme heat continue into Monday, with the heat index again likely at or above 110° and a high temperature in the mid to upper 90s. A cold front moves in Tuesday, which could trigger some mid-day rain and storms, but behind that front comes a shot of dry air through the middle of the week. That should shut down rain chances and render the heat index a moot point through Thursday, with the humidity slowly returning by the end of the week.
