James Spann: Hit-and-miss showers, storms for Alabama

Published On: 04.17.17 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Hit-and-miss showers, storms for Alabama

RADAR CHECK: The radar looks more like June instead of April; we have a classic case of widely scattered, totally random showers and storms on radar this afternoon. They are moving northeast. A few spots are getting heavy rain; many places have yet to see a drop.

We will maintain the chance of showers and storms tonight with a weak surface front to the north.

TOMORROW THROUGH FRIDAY: There will be some risk of showers tomorrow and Wednesday, but for now it looks like they will be very widely spaced, and many places will be dry. Best chance of a shower will come during the afternoon and evening, generally between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Otherwise, we will forecast a mix of sun and clouds on these two days with a high close to 80 tomorrow, followed by low to mid 80s Wednesday.

Thursday looks warm and generally dry with a high in the mid 80s, but we will mention a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday as another surface front approaches from the north. Friday’s high will be close to 80 degrees.

POTENTIALLY STORMY WEEKEND: Global models continue to show a fairly dynamic weather system that will impact Alabama over the weekend. It is very difficult to pin down the exact timing this far in advance, but based on new model data, it looks like the main window for showers and storms will come from noon Saturday until 9 a.m. Sunday. We should be able to narrow this down even more in coming days.

There will also be a risk of strong or severe storms; seems like the main threat from the stronger thunderstorms will come Saturday night. Again, too early to determine if there will be enough lift, instability and shear for a significant threat. We will know much more as the weekend gets closer.

The high Saturday will be in the 77- to 80-degree range; Sunday will be much cooler, with a high between 67 and 70 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: The week begins with a cool, dry airmass; there’s a good chance we reach the 40s early Monday morning. Looks like we will have another chance of rain late in the week.

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN! The Honda Indy Grand Prix will be April 21-23 at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park. Make plans for the event that has been voted “Best Annual Event” & “Best Sporting Event” in Birmingham. Kids 15 & younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult, and three-day general admission tickets are $69. Single-day tickets are $15. Pack a picnic cooler and bring the family out for a weekend full of activities and racing. Get tickets and more information here. For now it looks like the best chance of showers and storms over the weekend at Barber will come late Saturday afternoon into Saturday night. Get the detailed race forecast here.

Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

STORM SPOTTER TRAINING IN JASPER THURSDAY: The last spotter training event of the year will be held in Jasper Thursday; we will be at the Jasper Civic Center, and the session begins at 6:30. It is free, and there is no need to register. Just come with a curious mind.