Less humid today with scattered showers ahead on Friday

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Tropical Storm Idalia’s influence on Alabama makes the weather nicer for Thursday, but the humidity and some showers return for Friday and the weekend. Check the video forecast for the latest.

A general forecasting rule of thumb plays well for Alabama on Thursday: hurricane near the East Coast, drier weather for us.

Idalia makes it to the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of North Carolina early Thursday morning, and the northerly flow around the storm’s western side ensures a beautiful Thursday around North and Central Alabama.

The northeast breeze slows and shifts more toward the southeast Thursday night, and that could set the stage for a few showers around the state on Friday: especially south of Birmingham, Anniston, and Tuscaloosa.

Thursday nights are great for college football in Alabama, and it is even better when the weather is nice.

UAB hosts North Carolina A&T at Protective Stadium on Thursday evening, and Samford hosts Shorter at Seibert Stadium. Temperatures drop from around 80 degrees at kickoff to the mid-70s in the fourth quarter. We get a clear sky and gentle north breeze along with very low humidity.

If Thursday’s weather is perfection for late August, we do get a little "fly in the ointment" on Friday. Temperatures only rise to the upper 70s and lower 80s in the afternoon, with more clouds than sun and some occasional downpours.

An upper-air low west of Alabama pulls a plume of tropical moisture north from the Gulf for Friday and Saturday, so both days could have some locally heavy downpours in spots. It will not rain all day, but you should prepare for some afternoon showers and storms if you have outdoor plans like high school football games on Friday evening.

Most games miss the rain; however, a few could get soaked. The best chance of rain Friday evening is southwest of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday all look very typical of Labor Day weekend:

The first full week of September starts with near-normal warmth (highs near 90, lows near 70). We do expect another blast of hot weather as the week goes on. Temperatures rise to the mid-90s for highs late in the week with little chance of rain whatsoever.

A strong ridge building over the East shuts down any real threat of rain or tropical influence for Alabama through next weekend, and if the wind direction is just right, we could make a run at 100 degrees again by mid-September.

For the latest Birmingham weather information and central Alabama's certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.

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