textproduct: Huntsville

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 607 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

- A warm, moist air mass will remain in place through Saturday, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s each day, and lows in the 60s.

- Much higher chances for showers and storms are forecast Saturday evening/night into early Sunday morning as a strong cold front pushes through the Tennessee Valley. There is a Marginal Risk for severe storms west of I-65.

- Colder conditions return to the area next week; with high temperatures in the 60s and lows in the 40s.

NEAR TERM

(Rest of tonight and Friday) Issued at 926 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

Tranquil conditions are forecast overnight as the earlier breezy winds have weakened to under 5 MPH in most locations. However, mid to high clouds will continue to increase across the Tennessee Valley, especially after Midnight. These clouds and the southerly flow will make for another mild night as low temperatures won't fall below the mid 60s in most locations. High pressure to our east will remain the dominant weather influence again across the region on Friday. Morning cloud cover will gradually wane by the afternoon as breezy southerly winds and ample sunshine help to warm high temperatures into the low to mid 80s once again. Very limited forcing will largely hinder any convection, but a few diurnally driven showers and storms (10-20%) may develop for a brief window in the mid to late afternoon.

SHORT TERM

(Friday night through Sunday) Issued at 926 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

Yet another mild night is forecast Friday night as southerly flow will reinforce this warm, mild air mass -- keeping lows in the mid to upper 60s. A deepening upper-low will shift from the Dakotas into the UP of Michigan on Saturday, dragging a cold front through the Mid South and Tennessee Valley from late Saturday afternoon and evening into Saturday night. Bulk shear values of 25-30 kts will favor at least some organized convection (likely in a line), but it also appears very unidirectional as well on model soundings. The timing of this front and the associated line of showers and storms will be important. Should it move in earlier in the afternoon, steep low-level lapse rates and sufficient instability (SBCAPE around 1000-1500 J/jg) would support a few strong to perhaps marginally severe storms, with localized damaging wind gusts being the main threat. Should this line move in a little later, during the late evening/overnight hours, instability values will be much lower, limiting the threat. PWATs will reach 1.4" to 1.6", meaning locally heavy downpours will also be present with any of this activity. Have increased PoPs to 50-80% during the late afternoon, before it increases to around 100% Saturday evening (00-06z) -- then gradually tapering off from west to east after Midnight. As a result, a much needed wetting rain of 1" to 1.5" is forecast for the region.

Light showers will linger during the early morning hours on Easter Sunday morning, before quickly tapering off from west to east. A notably cooler and drier air mass will filter in behind the front. Despite decreasing clouds in the afternoon, northwest flow will keep high temperatures in the mid to upper 60s in most locations.

LONG TERM

(Sunday night through Thursday) Issued at 926 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

As an upper trough progresses over the Northeast, northwest flow will set up over the local area early next week until midweek when an upper ridge moves into the region. This then looks to quickly push east towards the Carolinas on Thursday. Meanwhile, surface high pressure from south-central Canada is expected to punch southward over the central CONUS by Monday morning, then continue its south/southeastward trajectory towards the Southeastern states through early next week. This feature is then shown to shift east over the New England coast by Thursday, but still stretch to the southwest over the Appalachians and into Alabama and Mississippi. Overall, this means little to no precipitation and a significant cooldown for the Tennessee Valley.

Highs in the 60s to around 70 degrees will be common through midweek, with lows in the 40s Sunday and Monday nights. The coldest night still appears to be Tuesday night, with lows forecast to dip into the upper 30s to lower 40s. One thing we will need to keep an eye on is the potential for frost, especially if temperatures trend colder. Although it has been warmer recently, it's not yet time to pack away warmer clothes! In addition, these colder temperatures (especially Tuesday night) may be concerning for those with agricultural interests or even those with outside plants or gardens. Therefore, keep that jacket handy and take steps to protect sensitive vegetation early next week into Wednesday.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your like or dislike for colder weather) this "cold snap" will be fairly short-lived. As the aforementioned high pressure shifts eastward, temperatures will then begin to moderate back into the lower 70s by Thursday.

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1245 AM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

Even where radar returns are occurring west and north of the terminals, not seeing much actually reaching the ground until you get into north central and northwestern Tennessee. Further south dewpoint depressions are even higher, between 10 and 12 degrees. This would likely limit most activity aloft to mainly virga. Thus, left any mention of -SHRA directly affecting either airport out of TAF issuance for now. Lower (but still VFR) CIGS should push east from Mississippi into both terminals around daybreak (KMSL~10Z and KHSV~12Z). Winds should become more from the ESE. VFR CIGS will likely become scattered in coverage after 16Z or 17Z at both terminals.

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

AL...None. TN...None.