High temperatures some 10 degrees below normal? Much lower humidity levels? In late August? In Alabama?
Forecasts are predicting a much cooler period for the coming week, after the passage of a cold front through the state on Sunday. From the Shoals to the beaches, Alabama will see a respite of summer-like conditions with highs in the mid to upper 90s and humidity in the ick levels.
Faux Fall
The average temperatures for the Montgomery area in August are a high of about 94 and low of about 75. Add a few degrees to those numbers if you head south, and take a few off if you go north. Dewpoints, the measurement of humidity levels, are usually in the mid to upper 70s for the entire state.
Call it fake fall, or faux fall, but starting Tuesday, it will feel more like October than late August through at least Saturday, forecasts from the National Weather Service office in Birmingham predict.
"It's very unusual to have systems like this, this time of year," said Daniel Martin, a meteorologist with the NWS Birmingham office. "Temperatures will be much below normal. But the real difference will be the lower humidity levels. Tuesday through Thursday will see dewpoints in the 50s, where we've been seeing dewpoints in the upper to mid-70s in July and August."
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The drier than normal conditions mean rain chances are going to be slim.
Highs for the state will be in the upper 70s to mid-80s through Saturday, and lows will be in the mid 50s to upper 60s, forecasts hold.
Cool weather coming
Montgomery
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a low of 68 and a high of 85.
Wednesday: Sunny with a low of 65 and high of 86.
Thursday: Sunny with a high of 64 and low of 87.
Gadsden
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a low of 62 and a high of 77.
Wednesday: Sunny with a low of 61 and high of 80.
Thursday: Sunny with a high of 56 and low of 81.
Selma
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a low of 67 and a high of 84.
Wednesday: Sunny with a low of 65 and high of 83.
Thursday: Sunny with a high of 63 and low of 86.
Tuscaloosa
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a low of 67 and a high of 81.
Wednesday: Sunny with a low of 65 and high of 83.
Thursday: Sunny with a high of 61 and low of 85.
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How long will the cooler weather stay?
The cooler than normal conditions will stick around through Saturday. But after then? Dare we ask if the nice weather hangs around until Labor Day? Temperatures and humidity levels will begin increasing Sunday, forecasts show. Rain chances will likely increase on Labor Day.
The good news is the rain will be part of another cold front, which could once again push through the state bringing lower temperatures and humidity levels.
September in Alabama can be as hot as August in Alabama, so don't count the summer out yet. Meteorologist James Spann reminds people on his social media platforms that highs in the 90s and higher humidity levels will likely return for September.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at [email protected]. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: How cool will the weather get this week in Alabama? What we know
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