Alabama gets one last comfortable night before temperatures skyrocket into the weekend

The next big thing for Alabama’s weather is a big, hot, pattern-changing ridge. That means some very hot and exceptionally dry weather in the days ahead. Check the video forecast for the latest.BACK TO THE 90SYou can feel the humidity slowly creeping up again as the heat begins to build. We still have one final comfortable night before things get too hot. Expect a low in the mid-60s early Friday, but the warmup into Friday afternoon reminds us that it is still August!Temperatures jump back to the lower and middle 90s on Friday with a mostly sunny sky and a light northwest breeze. Humidity stays low enough that the heat index stays below 100°F for one more day; things get a lot hotter from the weekend into next week.IMPACT WEATHER: HEATWAVE AHEADThe first half of August brought incredible thunderstorms in a very active pattern that lasted most of the summer. A major weather pattern shift turns things around for at least the next two weeks making it much hotter, much drier, and much calmer.Since August First, the National Weather Service in Birmingham and Huntsville combined for one of the most active summer severe weather periods on record: 220 warnings (Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flood) 576 storm damage reports (wind, lightning, and hail damage) More than double the average monthly rainfall in some communities, including 12.55” in Oneonta, 12.38” in Springville, 8.30” in Decatur, 7.15” in Trussville, and 5.12” at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.This major pattern shift brings in a feature called a ridge. Ridges do two primary things: keep it hot and keep it dry. This summer’s over-active jet stream gets blocked away from Alabama and neighboring states through most of next week (and potentially the rest of the month), setting the stage for fast and effective drying.How dry? Most of North and Central Alabama has above-average soil moisture as of August 16th. We have no ‘significant’ rain in the forecast through next week (slim chance of a brief shower is not zero, but it’s low).Hot summer sunshine, no rain, and higher-than-usual temperatures serve to dry things out quickly: to the point of needing to water lawns and gardens by the weekend to maintain moisture levels. How hot?Late August to September is often the hottest stretch of the year because similar patterns (ridges) often happen this time of year.As of now, we do not expect any record-setting heat. Daytime highs likely top out in the upper 90s (few 100s) from Sunday to next Wednesday, and limited moisture means little hope of any healthy soaking downpours. The drier it gets, the hotter it will get. The heat index likely goes into 'Excessive Heat Warning' territory next week, with feels like temperatures as hot as 110°F again.TROPICAL UPDATEThe tropical Atlantic quieted down about three weeks ago, but it gets active again soon. Two waves in the far eastern Atlantic have medium potential for development in the next week, and the National Hurricane Center outlooks a low risk of a tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico next week.It is too soon to know specifics on this, but it does not look like a major risk to the Alabama or Northwest Florida Gulf Coast through the middle of next week. If you have interests down that way, pay attention for any necessary changes to the forecast.CLICK TO SEE THE 7-DAY FORECASTSTAY WEATHER AWARE For the latest Birmingham weather information and central Alabama's certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.Current Weather ConditionsHourly Forecast | 10-Day ForecastInteractive RadarBirmingham SkycamsLive Doppler RadarSign Up For Email Weather AlertsDownload the WVTM 13 AppDon't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.