James Spann: Fantastic fall weather for Alabama

Published On: 10.18.17 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Fantastic fall weather for Alabama

James Spann: Great weather continues all week in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

ANOTHER CHILLY MORNING: Our Skywatcher at Black Creek, Vic Bell, reported 37 degrees just before sunrise. Black Creek is in a bowl atop Lookout Mountain northeast of Gadsden, and is traditionally one of the cooler spots in the state. Most locations are in the 40s this morning with a clear sky.

We expect another cloudless sky today with temperatures reaching the mid 70s this afternoon. And no real change tomorrow and Friday — mostly sunny, pleasant days and clear, cool nights. Highs will be in the upper 70s both days, early morning lows in the upper 40s for most communities.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Winds veer around to the south Saturday; the day will be partly to mostly sunny with a high around 80 degrees. Then, on Sunday, we will bring in the chance of widely scattered showers by afternoon, but rain is more likely Sunday night into at least part of the day Monday ahead of an advancing cold front.

The Storm Prediction Center has parts of Texas and Oklahoma under a severe weather risk on Saturday, but for now severe storms are not expected in Alabama with this system. Rain amounts of one-half to 1 inch look likely, with most of the rain coming from around 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Friday night should be a great night for high school games; the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from near 72 degrees at kickoff into the low 60s by the final whistle.

On Saturday, Alabama hosts the Tennessee Volunteers (2:30 p.m. kickoff) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be played under a partly sunny sky. Temperatures should be about 80 degrees at kickoff and in the mid 70s by the fourth quarter as the sun begins to fade in the west.

Auburn travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the Razorbacks (6:30 p.m. kickoff). We will need to mention a chance of showers and thunderstorms during the game. Temperatures will fall from near 70 degrees at kickoff to near 60 degrees by the fourth quarter. We will be able to fine tune the specific chance of rain during the game later in the week; there is a chance the most widespread rain holds off until the late night.

UAB will also be on the road, taking on the Charlotte 49ers Saturday (5:30 p.m. kickoff). Expect a clear sky with temperatures falling from near 71 degrees at kickoff into the low 60s by the final whistle.

NEXT WEEK: There is model disagreement about the weather on Tuesday; the Global Forecast System suggests a wave forms on the surface front and keeps our weather wet, while the Euro (ECMWF) model brings in cooler, drier air on Tuesday. We will side with the drier solution on Tuesday for now; the rest of the week looks cool and dry with highs mostly in the 60s and lows in the 40s.