Dothan, Alabama 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

Weather Forecast Discussion

697
FXUS62 KTAE 261032
AFDTAE

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
632 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Issued at 628 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

- Patchy to areas of fog are a concern the next couple mornings,
  especially Friday. Some fog may become dense.

- Record to near-record heat on Friday with potentially the first
  90-degree day of the year for isolated locations occuring about
  a month earlier than normal.

- A dry frontal passage will temporarily halt the warming trend,
  but elevate fire concerns (primary threat), and produce
  hazardous marine conditions this weekend (secondary threat).

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today and Tonight)
Issued at 251 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

Satellite imagery and surface observations show a massive upper
anticyclone over the western two-thirds of the US with surface
high pressure centered across the Eastern Gulf. This pattern
supports dry weather, morning fog/low stratus, and unseasonably
warm temperatures. Expect mostly sunny skies this afternoon
outside of some cumulus along the seabreeze front and near our
borders to NWS Mobile & NWS Jacksonville. Highs respond by
climbing the low-mid 80s.

For tonight, the main concern is patchy to areas of fog spreading
from SW to NE - some of which may become dense if winds can go
calm. Low temperatures merely drop to around 60 degrees areawide.
Record to near-record daily high temperatures are on the table
Friday afternoon as the anomalously strong anticyclone nudges
westward. Modeled 500-mb heights show peak readings up to 584 dm,
which is around the 90th percentile, per SPC sounding climo at
KTLH. Forecast soundings also highlight 850-mb temperatures in the
13-14C range (~75th percentile).

Based on the aforementioned factors, we are forecasting
widespread inland upper 80s with some locations possibly hitting
the 90-degree mark for the first time this year! For perspective,
the 30-yr (1991- 2020) climatological normal 1st 90F day is mostly
late April-early May. There are only a handful of times that
Tallahassee (TLH) reached 90 in March - the most recent was
3/21/2006. Daily record maxT`s on March 27th are the following:
Tallahassee (91, 1929), Albany (92, 2021), Apalachicola (82,
1986).

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday through Wednesday) Issued at 251 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

Friday night will be unseasonably warm with lows at or near 60
degrees before an early-morning dry frontal passage occurs. Cooler
and much drier air filters in from the north behind this front.
Expect breezy north to NE winds Saturday afternoon and a
meridional high-temperature gradient - low-mid 70s in SE AL & SW
GA; upper 70s- mid 80s along/south of the I-10 corridor. These
conditions foster elevated fire danger such that wildfires would
be easy to develop and spread, so please avoid burning. Low
temperatures tumble into the 50s (isolated upper 40s) Sunday
morning, then rebound to the mid- upper 70s in the afternoon.
Strong upper ridging re-establishes itself over the region to
start (next) work week, so the warming trend will resume. Highs
return to the 80s and lows increase to the upper 50s and/or around
60 degrees.

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 628 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

LIFR ceilings and/or visibility are impacting KVLD, KTLH, and
KABY, and will continue to migrate west through the morning. Have
included a TEMPO group for both KDHN and KECP to account for the
potential of the stratus deck making it over those TAF sites just
after sunrise.

Ceilings lift later this morning with VFR conditions prevailing
with light to moderate easterly to southeasterly winds. Winds go
calm tonight with widespread low ceilings and/or visibility
forecast to develop late tonight into early Friday morning.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 251 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

Favorable boating conditions outside of potential sea fog prevail
today and tomorrow before advisory level winds and seas overtake
the waters Saturday night into Sunday afternoon following a dry
frontal passage. Fresh to strong easterly breezes linger through
early Monday, then become gentle to moderate as surface high
pressure builds in.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 251 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

A temporary warming and moistening trend ramps up the next couple
days from prevailing onshore winds and afternoon seabreezes.
Expect unseasonably warm to hot daytime temperatures to close out
the work week with Friday being the hottest. Relative humidity
bottoms out around 40% away from the coast.

High afternoon dispersions overspread parts of SE AL & SW GA
Friday afternoon as westerly winds increase ahead of an
approaching front from the north. A dry frontal passage looks to
occur early Saturday morning and will usher breezy north to NE
winds through the afternoon in addition to tanking dew points.

Relative humidity approaching critical levels combined with the
breeziness fosters widespread high dispersions and elevated fire
danger Saturday afternoon. The latter is especially notable given
the ongoing severe to exceptional drought from minimal preceding
rainfall, antecedent warmth, and observed wildfires earlier this
week. Burning is discouraged.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 251 AM EDT Thu Mar 26 2026

Little to no rainfall is expected over the next several days.
Severe (D2) to Exceptional Drought (D4) will therefore continue or
worsen. An update to our local monitor is forthcoming later today
and it is likely that D3-D4 expands. Looking in the extended
period, the CPC 8- 14 Day Outlook shows near-normal precipitation
as of March 25th - valid April 2nd-April 8th. However, there are
signals of wetter weather late next week. Stay tuned.

For more local drought information & statements, visit the
following websites:
weather.gov/tae/LocalDrought
weather.gov/tae/DroughtInformationStatement

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not requested. However, spotters are always
encouraged to safely report significant weather conditions when they
occur by calling the office or tweeting us @NWSTallahassee.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee   85  61  88  63 /   0   0   0   0
Panama City   78  63  77  62 /   0   0   0   0
Dothan        85  59  88  59 /   0   0   0   0
Albany        83  60  89  58 /   0   0   0   0
Valdosta      84  61  90  61 /   0   0   0   0
Cross City    84  59  86  58 /   0   0   0   0
Apalachicola  74  63  75  66 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...None.
GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...None.
&&

$$

SHORT TERM...IG3
LONG TERM....IG3
AVIATION...Reese
MARINE...IG3
FIRE WEATHER...IG3
HYDROLOGY...IG3