textproduct: Huntsville

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 857 AM CDT Wed Aug 19 2026

- A very low risk of strong to severe storms exists this afternoon and evening.

- Strong to severe storms will be possible again tomorrow afternoon into the evening with slightly higher confidence in seeing strong to severe storms.

NEAR TERM

(Rest of Today and Tonight) Issued at 857 AM CDT Wed Aug 19 2026

Post frontal cooler air can be felt across the area this morning as overnight lows dipped into the high 60s to low 70s. The forecast today will be split east vs west. In our eastern areas, drier and cooler post frontal air will remain through the day limiting both dew points and temperatures with heat indices staying below 100. To our west, warmer moist air will begin to filter in and increase both our dew points and temperatures. Highs will surge into the high 90s with heat indices well into the triple digits. Our far western zones will likely see 105+ heat indices however it does not look widespread enough across our western counties to warrant a heat advisory.

A secondary threat in our western areas will be a low risk of strong to severe storms this afternoon into overnight. Currently a complex of storms is moving through MO/IL/KY supported by a weak shortwave. Storms are expected to diminish through the morning with significant boundary layer recovery through the afternoon. Storms are expected to initiate this afternoon over the same region and push ESE through the afternoon into the evening. There is currently a low chance of these storms making it this far south and clipping NW AL. Most models keep us dry with a few CAMS actually clipping us with some showers and storms late tonight/early tomorrow morning. If storms do make it this afternoon, damaging winds will be the main threat as we will be lacking forcing and significant shear. Fair to say we have a decent amount of uncertainty regarding when and if we may see storms. Highest chance for strong to severe storms would be if we get clipped by anything this afternoon into evening. Any storms that approach into the night will have a much lower severe risk as they will be weakening on approach. Please check back for updates as patterns like this can change quickly.

SHORT TERM

(Thursday through Saturday) Issued at 857 AM CDT Wed Aug 19 2026

Light showers and heavier cloud cover may be present Thursday morning north of the TN river as the storm system mentioned in the near term dies through the morning. Despite the slightly muggier start to the day, Thursday will again have a risk for strong to severe storms as a weak shortwave moves through the Mid MS Valley. SPC has again highlighted NW AL in a marginal for a risk of damaging winds with afternoon storms. CAMs are in okay agreement with storms initiating to our west and pushing east through NW AL. While we will have slightly more shear and forcing than today, damaging winds will remain our primary threat. The threat just may be a little bit more widespread with every storm posing a risk for strong to severe wind gusts. Timing wise the threat looks to follow our typically summer storms, popping up in the afternoon and dying off shortly after sunset. Please check back for updates.

Through the remainder of the short term forecast the CONUS will maintain a ridging west/troughing east setup. This will put us solidly in NW flow and promote slightly cooler temperatures (closer to seasonal norms) through the end of the week. Temps will fall into the low 90s with heat risk dropping to a level 1/4. this will be a much welcomed pattern after the heat the first half of August brought.

LONG TERM

(Friday night through Tuesday) Issued at 1006 PM CDT Tue Aug 18 2026

Dry conditions in the wake of the frontal boundary will prevail this weekend, which will be a far cry from this time last weekend when we saw Heat Advisory/Extreme Heat Warning criteria across the Southeast. Heat Index values this weekend won't even crack the century mark, topping out a few degrees on either side of 95F. Rain returns by Tuesday, but otherwise seasonable temperatures will prevail during this time with daytime highs in the lower 90s and morning lows in the middle 60s (with even a few pixels of lower 60s in sheltered valleys of NE AL)!

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

AL...None.

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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