Alabama starts autumn with some heat and weekend sunshine

We get a little hotter for the first weekend of autumn. Some showers are possible for the upcoming week, but don't get too excited about the amount of rain. Check the video forecast for the latest.FALLING INTO THE WEEKENDSaturday, Sept. 23 marked the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere. The Autumnal Equinox occurred at 1:50 a.m. CDT, but it gets a little hotter as the new season begins. After a comfortable start to Saturday morning, the heat really built into the afternoon. Some areas approached 90 degrees! It will be nice for outdoor activates this evening as temperatures fall through the night.Sunday starts in a similar way, and it gets just as warm, with high temperatures back into the upper 80's once again. Some spots in west Alabama could hit 90 degrees!No rain is expected through the remainder of the weekend. WHERE’S THE RAINSeptember and October are usually Alabama’s driest months. Birmingham has measured rainfall only three times in September, and the odds are not good for widespread, soaking rain in the area for the next few days.What we do see is a chance of some spotty, generally light rain at times starting Monday lasting through Thursday of next week. The probability of more than 0.1 inch of rain is around 70 to 80 percent through next Friday. That drops to around 40 to 50 percent for rainfall greater than a half-inch.Each day (Monday to Thursday) brings a few patchy areas of rain. Be prepared for some occasional showers at almost any time next week.The clouds and showers help hold down temperatures significantly, too. An east wind pushes cooler air in from Georgia. Combine that with less direct sunshine, and temperatures stay well below normal for several days.TROPICAL OUTLOOKThe National Hurricane Center is tracking Ophelia as the system impacts the East Coast. It moved into North Carolina early this morning as a high-end tropical storm and leaves us on the dry side of the system: classic bone-dry pattern for Alabama on Saturday.The remnant low lingers around the mid-Atlantic through the weekend.Another disturbance in the far eastern Atlantic has developed into Tropical Storm Philippe today. Neither of these potential storms pose a threat to the Gulf Coast.Remaining storm names for 2023:OpheliaPhilippeRinaSeanTammyVinceWhitneyCLICK 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.