textproduct: Huntsville

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 813 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026

- Gusty winds at times today, with strongest gusts up to 25 to 30 mph mainly in higher terrain areas. - An unsettled pattern will develop next weekend bringing additional chances for rain and storms.

NEAR TERM

(Today) Issued at 320 AM CDT Sun Apr 19 2026

Early morning analysis shows a highly meridional longwave trough centered over the East CONUS. An attendant cold front has moved across the local HUN area during the overnight period, with colder air filtering into the region. Temps as of 3 AM have fallen into the mid/upr 40s at most locations, with the possible exception of areas just downstream from the warmer large TN River lakes. Gradient winds have been gusty with speeds generally around 20-30 mph but mainly in the vicinity of and largely just following the front. Mostly lgt/mdt rain showers have fallen behind the front with warm/moist advection in SWRLY flow atop the elevated frontal surface. The rain has tended to taper off from W-E as deeper CAA continues, and it is expected that the remnants of the rainband will push out of eastern areas by daybreak. Mid/upr clouds will initially be present, but satellite imagery indicates that the western edge of this band of clouds will push eastward and across the area during the morning into the afternoon. By late morning, deeper mixing of slightly stronger NRLY winds aloft will allow for the regeneration of gusty winds today. Gusts may reach 25-30 mph, especially in higher terrain areas, but a Wind Advisory does not appear to be warranted. Temperatures today will be about 20F (or more) degrees cooler than recent days, with expected high temps only in the low/mid 60s.

SHORT TERM

(Sunday night through Tuesday) Issued at 813 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026

Through the short term, surface high pressure will pass from its current position to our west over to the mid Atlantic. This will keep clear and calm conditions in the forecast through Tuesday. As the surface high shifts, we will see a gradual increase in temps and dew points from Monday to Tuesdays as surface flow shifts to the ESE. Highs will warm from the mid 70s on Monday to the low 80s on Tuesday. Dew points will rise from the mid 30s to high 40s by Tuesday afternoon. The low dew points will keep min RH near 30%, however high pressure will suppress winds through the period, decreasing fire weather concerns.

LONG TERM

(Tuesday night through Saturday) Issued at 813 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026

By the middle of the week, sfc high pressure centered across eastern GA and SC will be the main driver of the local weather pattern. As a result, a dry forecast is expected to continue through Thursday. A gradual warming trend is also anticipated as mid level ridging slowly amplifies by the end of next week. Expect afternoon highs in the lower 80s Wednesday and mid 80s on Thursday with morning lows in the mid 50s. On Friday, an upper level trough across the Rockies digs southeast into the Plains. As a sfc low pressure system ejects eastward across the Upper Midwest into the Great Lakes region, a cold front to its south will stretch into the Ohio River Valley. Latest ensemble guidance suggests that the far southern edge of this front will reach the Tennessee Valley during the second half of the day on Friday bring a low to medium (40-60%) chance of showers and thunderstorms. The cold front stalls across the local forecast continuing medium rain chances through Saturday. This far out, severe storms chances appear quite low, but this will be something to keep an eye on as we head through next week.

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1230 AM CDT Sun Apr 19 2026

A post-frontal band of low clouds (MVFR and VFR ceilings) and SHRA/RA will continue to affect KHSV and KMSL TAF sites early in the period. However, improvements will occur first at KMSL, with RA expected to end by 07Z. Otherwise, VFR conditions are anticipated throughout the period at KMSL with gradually lifting cloud bases. At KHSV, the latest timing of the back edge of the band of precip indicates it moving to the east of KHSV by ~09Z. Current MVFR ceilings should improve to VFR likewise ~09Z.

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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