Elevated fire danger today, breeziness continues

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The three constants in our forecast (sunshine, low humidity and a bit of breeze) will continue again today, and really for the rest of the workweek. Highs have easily made their way into the upper 70s across central and south Alabama, which is upwards of 10° cooler than normal... but no one is complaining, because we finally have some fall-like weather that looks to stick around for the foreseeable future.

The chance of rain in association with Ian has dropped considerably Friday and Saturday. — The chance of rain in association with Ian has dropped considerably Friday and Saturday.(WSFA 12 News)

Only some high cirrus clouds in our eastern and southern counties are possible through Friday - otherwise it will be entirely sunny and comfortable.

High temperatures will only reach the upper 70s again Thursday before inching closer to 80° Friday.

The winds will stay elevated at 10-20 mph with gusts of 20-30 mph. This, combined with dry conditions and very low relative humidity, will create a critical fire weather risk today. Fires will start easier and spread quicker than normal. Outdoor burning is highly discouraged.

Gusts of 20-30 mph are likely through the weekend. — Gusts of 20-30 mph are likely through the weekend.(WSFA 12 News)

While the winds will stay elevated through Saturday, the fire weather concerns do drop after today. Still, breezy conditions could cause issues if outdoor burning is conducted.

Hurricane Ian is still forecast to move northward though central Florida toward the Carolinas over the next several days. The latest forecast path would likely mean virtually no rain from Ian for Alabama. Most models are leaning in that drier direction, so we’ve lowered rain chances considerably for Friday and Saturday.

Cooler than normal and mostly dry, this forecast remains quiet for the next week or so... — Cooler than normal and mostly dry, this forecast remains quiet for the next week or so...(WSFA 12 News)

The only change in the weather you will notice is some additional cloud cover this weekend into next week as moisture wraps behind Ian and the humidity goes up a little bit. It won’t be gray, dreary or overcast, but there will be more of a partly cloudy sky every day instead of entirely sunny skies.

Temperatures will top out around 80° this weekend before climbing into the lower 80s next week; low temperatures will stay comfortable to cool in the 50s for at least the next week.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Copyright 2022 WSFA. All rights reserved.