James Spann: Hot afternoons, isolated showers for Alabama

Published On: 09.27.19 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Hot afternoons, isolated showers for Alabama

ANOTHER HOT ONE: Temperatures are generally in the low to mid 90s across Alabama this afternoon and, like recent days, we have a few isolated showers and thunderstorms. One of those passed over Oxford and Anniston earlier this afternoon, dropping the temperature at the Anniston airport to 79 degrees. Any lingering showers will fade away after sunset.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The ridge aloft remains in place, and the weather won’t change. Temperatures will be near record levels, with highs in the mid 90s. Afternoon showers will remain few and far between, and mainly over the eastern half of the state.

NEXT WEEK: It will be hot and mostly dry. However, there are signs the ridge will finally begin to weaken late in the week, with lower heat levels and a slightly better coverage of afternoon showers.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: It will be mostly clear and warm for the high school games tonight. Temperatures will fall from the low 80s at kickoff into the 70s by the second half of the games.

Saturday, Alabama hosts Ole Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 90s at kickoff, falling back to near 90 by the fourth quarter. There is an outside risk of a brief shower during the game.

Auburn will host Mississippi State Saturday evening at Jordan-Hare Stadium (kickoff at 6). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from near 89 at kickoff into the low 80s by the final whistle.

UAB travels to Bowling Green to take on Western Kentucky Saturday evening (kickoff at 6). Clear weather is the forecast with a kickoff temperature near 87 degrees, falling to near 80 by the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville State will also be on the road, playing Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee, Saturday afternoon (kickoff at 2). Expect a partly sunny sky with temperatures in the low 90s at kickoff, falling into the upper 80s by the end of the game. There’s a small risk of a shower.

TROPICS: Hurricane Lorenzo, in the central Atlantic, will turn north and then northeast in coming days while slowly weakening well east of the U.S. Karen is now a tropical depression in the Atlantic and should dissipate over the weekend well east of the Bahamas. The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.

ONE FOR THE RECORDS: As it stands now, this month is tied for the second-warmest September on record at Birmingham. Here is the top 10, based on mean monthly temperature: