Our quiet weather from the last several days will finally break down today. We start the day with a few scattered showers lifting north from the coast, but they aren’t anything huge. You may be sweating a little more this afternoon as south winds crank up humidity, dewpoints will rise to near 70°; that’s gross air. Meanwhile, highs will jump back into the low and middle 80s with wind gusts near 20mph. I can’t stress enough to you that it won’t be a wash out of a day but one more of the summery variety with a few storms dotting the map. I’m not expecting these storms to be severe but they’ll have the muscle to throw down some heavy rain and gusty winds. Our main severe risk comes with a cold front late tonight and early Friday morning. A line of organized thunderstorms will be marching across the central Gulf of Mexico during the daylight hours today. Storms in this line will have the potential to put down wind, heavy rain, hail, lightning and isolated tornadoes. Current timing paints the line close to the tri-state area around 2am EDT, Thomasville/Tallahassee/St. Marks: 4am EDT, Valdosta/Madison/Perry: 5:15am EDT. The line will weaken as it moves east from there and the severe risk will be much lower. The storms will be done with the area by lunch at the latest and we’ll clear out quick; highs Friday push 80° with more sun. Yes, it is a cold front we’re working through but the air behind it will only be slightly cooler. Lows Saturday morning will fall to near 50° with a quick warm through the day; Saturday afternoon with highs will be near 80° with scattered clouds. Another wave of low pressure will lift out of the Gulf Sunday afternoon through Monday giving us another chance at storms. We’ll stay slightly unsettled Monday through Wednesday with plenty of warmth and moisture around to spark a couple storms each day. It’s a complex forecast, there’s no doubt about it. If you’ve got questions about your weather free to email me; sparker@wtxl.tv or find me on social media: Facebook or on Twitter and I’ll be happy to clear it up!
Be safe and have a great day!
-Meteorologist Sean Parker
