The First Alert Weather Day continues on Saturday with rain showers and possible flooding

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Good morning and happy Saturday! I have good news and bad news to report. The good news is that we are seeing some beneficial rains across the state thanks to the remnants of Francine. The bad news is that heavy rains could cause flooding in some locations over the next 24 hours. The First Alert Weather Day continues today due to possible flooding. A Flood Warning is in effect for most of central Alabama until 7 a.m. CDT Sunday morning. Some locations could easily see 2 to 4 inches of rain, others much less. It all depends on where the rain band settles. The focus today is likely along and east of I-65. The rain could move west tonight and linger in our area tomorrow.

First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar shows us cloudy weather with rain moving south to north along I-65. Most of the rain will be light to consistent, with a few heavier showers. We’ve received some flood warnings for parts of Jefferson County that have minor flooding concerns. The problem today is that we’ll see multiple waves of rain moving over the same areas that could bring several inches of rainfall. If it rains a lot in a short period of time, flooding can’t be ruled out. Just remember to never drive through flooded areas today. Turn around, don’t drown. The remnants of Francine continue to move west. They’re allowing southerly currents that will bring tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to Alabama. It’ll likely stay cloudy today, with a few spots of cloud breaks, and some sunshine this afternoon. If it stays rainy and cloudy, temperatures could only rise to the mid-70s this afternoon. If it stays mostly dry and some sunshine arrives, temperatures could rise into the lower 80s. I think the best chances for drier and warmer temperatures will probably be in Sumter, Greene, Hale, Pickens and southwest Tuscaloosa counties. If you plan on being outside today, you’ll need to put on your rain gear. Winds will continue to be east today at 5-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.

We could see some thunderstorms this afternoon, which could increase the risk of flooding today. I think the threat of a severe storm or spin-up tornado is unlikely, as the spin rate in the atmosphere is lower compared to the past two days. If you have any plans for the evening, keep an eye on the forecast and bring rain gear. Rain will likely continue to fall in many locations tonight. Temperatures should remain around 21 degrees between 7 and 8 p.m. CDT.

Rain likely on Sunday: The flood warning is in effect until tomorrow morning, but there is a small chance it will be extended as the remnants of Francine will give us more showers and some thunderstorms tomorrow. Areas south and west of Birmingham could see more rain Sunday morning. Temperatures are expected to be between 18 and 21 degrees. I think the greatest chance of rain tomorrow will probably be in western Alabama Sunday morning, with isolated showers continuing along and south of I-20 Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow will likely remain mostly cloudy with highs around 25 degrees. Winds should continue to be east at 5-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Isolated flooding cannot be ruled out tomorrow either.

Isolated showers possible on Monday: We’ll probably have a 40-50% chance of scattered showers and a few thunderstorms on Monday. Temperatures are expected to be above 18 degrees on Monday morning, with mostly cloudy skies. Compared to the weekend, Monday looks drier. There won’t be as much chance of rain. We’ll probably have a little sunshine on Monday afternoon, pushing our temperatures above 27 degrees.

Drying during the week: It looks like it will drier again on Tuesday and for the rest of the week. The chance of rain on Tuesday looks very low, with only a few isolated showers possible. It will probably be partly cloudy with highs around 27 degrees. It will probably drier again on Wednesday and Thursday so it won’t feel as muggy. Highs will get closer to average again, with most of us staying in the 27-30s. Overnight lows are expected to drop to 18-18 degrees. There could be some isolated rain again next weekend, but it won’t be as rainy as we have seen over the next 48 hours.

Tropical Update: The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a weak low pressure system along a stagnant front off the coast of South Carolina. The chance of formation has increased to 50% for the next five to seven days. Models show this low pressure system will hit the Carolinas early next week with rain and gusty winds. There is a chance it will develop into a tropical depression or storm, but the chances of it developing into a strong system seem low. It will likely cause strong rip currents along the southeast coast over the next few days. I do not expect this system to affect our weather as it will stay east of us.

Tropical Storm Gordon: Tropical Depression Seven became Tropical Storm Gordon yesterday. It is located well out in the eastern Atlantic. Winds are steady at 45 mph and it is moving west-northwest at 9 mph. Gordon is battling wind shear that will likely keep this system weak over the next few days. It could downgrade to a tropical depression as it moves west-northwest in the Atlantic. Most of our long-range models keep this system away from the United States and it will likely drift into the North Atlantic over the next five to seven days. We will monitor it as it moves away in the Atlantic. The rest of the Atlantic remains calm. Hurricane season officially ends on November 30.

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