Birmingham woke up to a chilly start Monday, with temperatures in the lower 40s and a few spots dipping into the upper 30s, but the cold did not bite as hard as it might have because the wind stayed light. The sky was expected to stay sunny through the afternoon, with temperatures warming into the lower 70s by noon and then reaching the mid and upper 70s later in the day.
That dry stretch matters because humidity levels are expected to stay low for the next couple of days, helping keep conditions settled across central Alabama even as the fire threat grows much greater in parts of south Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia. North-northwest winds around 5 to 10 mph were expected to continue Monday, adding little relief from the dryness but not enough to create a wind chill. For people spending the day outdoors, it was the kind of weather that feels pleasant in the shade and sharply dry in the open.
Tuesday brings a modest change, but not the kind that breaks the dry spell. Temperatures were forecast to fall into the upper 40s and lower 50s by Tuesday morning, then rise into the lower 80s in the afternoon as a weak disturbance west of the region spreads clouds into central Alabama. Even so, the sky was expected to turn only partly cloudy to partly sunny, and highs were still forecast to hold in the low to mid 80s from Tuesday through Friday.
That stretch is the heart of the forecast. Rain-free conditions are expected through Friday afternoon, with overnight lows gradually trending warmer into the mid and upper 50s. By the weekend, morning lows in the 60s are possible, a sign that the air mass will have changed before the next storm system moves closer to the Southeast.
The wrinkle comes late Friday night, when rain and a few storms could reach west Alabama. Scattered showers and storms are then possible at any point on Saturday and Sunday. The Storm Prediction Center had not highlighted any severe threats across Alabama as of Monday, but forecasters said First Alert Weather Days could be issued over the weekend if the severe risk increases. For now, the answer to today weather is simple: Birmingham gets several more warm, dry days before the weekend pattern turns less certain.
