CALMING DOWN: A band of heavy rain showers moved across north and central Alabama this morning, producing high winds in a few spots. Wind damage was reported at Hueytown, and also across Calhoun County from Alexandria to Jacksonville to Rabbittown. All of the damage in these areas was the result of strong straight-line winds; there was no tornado involved.
Rain will end from northwest to southeast in coming hours, and the sky will clear late tonight. Temperatures will drop into the 37- to 42-degree range early tomorrow.
TOMORROW THROUGH SUNDAY: Tomorrow will be sunny, but cool and breezy, with a high around 60 degrees. The weekend will feature sunshine in full supply; highs will be in the low 60s Saturday and mid 60s Sunday. Mornings will be cold with a good chance of frost; most places will see a low between 30 and 35 degrees, but colder pockets will visit the 20s.
NEXT WEEK: A cold front will bring showers into the state late Monday and Monday night, followed by noticeably cooler air over the latter half of the week. There is a chance parts of north Alabama won’t get out of the 40s Wednesday and Thursday, and lows will be at or below freezing in many areas.
ON THIS DATE IN 2007: An EF-4 tornado moved through Enterprise at 1:12 p.m. The tornado left severe damage throughout a large section of the city. A section of Enterprise High School was destroyed; eight students were killed at the school and 50 other people were taken to local hospitals. It was the first killer tornado at a U.S. school since the Grand Isle, Louisiana, tornado in 1993, and the deadliest tornado-related school disaster since one in Belvidere, Illinois, in 1967. One other death was reported in Enterprise at a nearby private residence when a woman’s living room window was shattered by the tornado.
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