384 FXUS64 KBMX 171129 AFDBMXArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 629 AM CDT Wed Sep 17 2025
...New AVIATION...
.SHORT TERM... (Today through Thursday) Issued at 110 AM CDT WED SEP 17 2025
Additional subtle impulses aloft will drift southward atop our region today, guided by a low pressure system over coastal Virginia. In the low levels, a broad pattern of confluence will continue. This setup will support isolated shower and thunderstorm activity at times.
As suggested by models yesterday, we`ve a batch of showers and a few thunderstorms moving south from Tennessee (at 1:10 am Wednesday) along a low-level axis of convergence and outflow propagation. This activity should primarily affect areas northeast and then east of Birmingham through the early-morning hours.
Additional isolated activity is forecast to dot central Alabama this afternoon. Then, high-resolution models again show a southward-moving, low-level axis of lift Wednesday evening/night, with a few CAMs suggesting spotty activity between the 20 and 85 corridors during this time. Overall, afternoon to evening shower and thunderstorm activity won`t be significant due to limited coverage and duration, but certainly welcome where it occurs.
The Mid-Atlatic low pressure system will zip northeastward Wednesday night into Thursday as it is absorbed by a larger trough to its north. This will allow shortwave ridging to overspread our region. While the forecast does not include any shower/thunderstorm chances at this time for Thursday, it`s conceivable that a few cells could develop along an axis of somewhat higher PWAT values draped across part of the Gulf Coast region. A ~10-20% chance may be introduced pending trends.
High temperatures will run between 5-10 degrees above seasonal normals, with upper 80s to lower 90s forecast for today and more- so in the lower 90s for Thursday.
89^GSatterwhite
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.LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Tuesday) Issued at 110 AM CDT WED SEP 17 2025
Above-normal warmth, by a margin of between 5-10 degrees, continues through late this week, along with nil to very limited shower/thunderstorm chances. A pattern of troughing is then progged to develop next week, which should allow us to shave a few degrees off temperatures with a chance for diurnally driven showers and thunderstorms, though chances are low at this time (~20 percent).
89^GSatterwhite
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.AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 625 AM CDT WED SEP 17 2025
A VFR TAF forecast is expected for the next 24 hours with surface ridging. Winds will be generally light/variable. Another round of weak upper disturbances through NRLY flow around an upper low now over VA will bring an isolated chance for a TSTM or two this afternoon with heating for the C AL TAF sites, but the chances are too low to mention ATTM in TAFs.
08
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.FIRE WEATHER...
D0 to D1 drought conditions are most prevalent across the western half of Alabama, though locations elsewhere are trending in this direction. Through the weekend, afternoon RHs as low as the lower to middle 30s are forecast, along with minimal shower and thunderstorm chances, and light winds (
NWS BMX Office Area Forecast Discussion