Hot and humid with a few showers Thursday, strong storms are possible Friday and Saturday

T hursday: Thursday will stay hot and humid with a low chance for a pop-up shower/storm with a partly cloudy sky. Highs will be in the lower 90s, and the heat index around 100°.

Friday: NW flow aloft will bring scattered showers and storms from the north across Alabama. Some of the storms could be strong with gusty winds. SPC has placed the northern third of Alabama in a Level 1/5 Marginal risk for strong winds. High temperatures will be in the middle 90s, and the heat index will be around 100-105°.

Weekend Outlook : The muggy weather will continue on Saturday ahead of a cold front. A cluster of storms, MCS, could be moving across Central Alabama. These storms will move through during the afternoon into the evening. Then the cold front will push across the state late on Saturday. Some storms could be strong to possibly severe with gusty winds and heavy rain. Highs will be in the lower 90s, and the heat index will be around 100-105° before it storms.

The cold front will move into South Alabama by Sunday afternoon. It will be partly cloudy with spotty showers and storms mainly in the first half of the day. Highs will be in the lower 90s. It will become less humid by Sunday night into Monday after the cold front with cooler lows in the 60s.

Tracking the Tropics : Hurricane Ernesto continues to strengthen as it moves north of Puerto Rico. Ernesto will turn north as it rides along the western edge of high pressure in the central Atlantic and strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday night and track near Bermuda by Saturday morning. Then it will continue to move north toward Nova Scotia on Monday.

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