First Alert: Rain/storm chances rise mid-to-late week

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - It has been a mostly sunny day across central and south Alabama. Limited cloud cover helped our area warm into the low and mid 80s. Today in Montgomery, we set a new record high temperature of 84°... it is the second day in a row we have reached for the record books and won. For the last night in February, we will keep it mild; temperatures will hover in the 50s and 60s under a fair sky and south to southwest winds around 5 to 10 mph.

Clouds build through the morning Wednesday all thanks to a warm front that will lift across the region. Ahead of that front we could see a few showers and thunderstorms form... a few thunderstorms could be robust with damaging winds and hail. Best chance to see a storm or two tomorrow will be for locations north of the U.S. Highway 80/Interstate 85 corridors during the afternoon hours.

While we don’t see showers and storms everywhere, we do see more warmth! Wednesday will be above average with highs once again climbing to either side of 80 degrees with breezy southwest winds that will continue through the night. Lows Wednesday night will be in the 60s with a lingering shower or storm.

Forecast models continue to support the idea of strong storms Thursday night into Friday morning, all thanks to a strong cold front that will move through the state. Ahead the front will be warm, Temperatures Thursday rise into the 80s with breezy south winds.

Timing is still being ironed out with each forecast model run that comes into the WSFA Storm Track Zone, but the general consensus remains, the main line of showers and storms arrive during the early morning hours on Friday and exit by midmorning. With this robust system, all modes of severe weather are possible with damaging winds, hail and tornadoes, but the timing could play a key role on what impacts we end up seeing here in Central and South Alabama.

But, as we see it now, there’s a risk for strong to severe thunderstorms Thursday going into Friday. There is no reason to worry, be scared or anxious - simply be aware and ready.

Behind the front will be breezy, as colder air moves into the region. By the weekend, highs will be noticeably different, in the 60s with lows in the 40s. Giving us a more seasonal feel in the air as we move through the first weekend in March.

While moving into next week, forecast models indicate we will start warming right back into the 70s for the start of next week.

As always, remember to download the free WSFA 12 News First Alert Weather app. That way you can gain the latest weather information from the First Alert Weather Team wherever you go. Just search WSFA Weather in the Apple App Store or Google Play store today.

Copyright 2023 WSFA. All rights reserved.