James Spann: Rain for Alabama at times tonight, Friday
RADAR CHECK: Light rain is falling over parts of northwest Alabama this afternoon ahead of an upper low to the west. Elsewhere, the sky has become mostly cloudy with temperatures in the 50s. Rain will gradually increase statewide tonight.
Periods of rain will continue into part of the day Friday; it ends from west to east Friday afternoon. Rain totals should be around one-half inch for most of the state. There could be a rumble of thunder in a few spots, but there is no risk of severe thunderstorms. Temperatures will hold in the 50s Friday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Dry air returns. The sky will be mostly sunny Saturday and Sunday with highs between 54 and 59 degrees. Sunday morning will be chilly, with a low in the low to mid 30s.
NEXT WEEK: Monday will stay dry with a high in the mid 50s; then cooler air slips into the state Monday night. We drop into the upper 20s and low 30s early Tuesday and Wednesday mornings; the high will be around 50 Tuesday, rising to near 60 by Thursday and Friday. The week will be dry with mostly sunny days and fair nights. The next chance of rain will come at some point the following weekend (Dec. 12-13).
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday Auburn will host Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium (11 a.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from near 50 at kickoff into the mid 50s by the final whistle.
Saturday night, Alabama will travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU (kickoff at 7); the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 52 at kickoff into the upper 40s by the fourth quarter.
ON THIS DATE IN 1983: The Iron Bowl was played at Legion Field on Dec. 3, 1983, Ray Perkins’ first Iron Bowl after succeeding Alabama Head Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. The game started in beautiful, warm sunshine after a stormy night of very heavy rains that caused severe flooding in the Birmingham area with 9.22 inches of rain falling at the National Weather Service Forecast Office, which was on Oxmoor Road at the time. In the second half, a line of severe thunderstorms approached western Jefferson County and a tornado warning was issued. The radar at Centreville showed a well-defined hook echo heading directly toward the stadium. The game was not stopped. By 10 minutes to go in the game, the rain was coming down in torrents as Auburn tried to control the ball and win the game in horrible conditions, clinging to a 23-20 lead. The rain began to fall so heavily that you could barely see the field on the cameras.
Fortunately, the storm did not produce a tornado in western Birmingham, or the results would have been catastrophic. Later, the same storm dropped an F-3 tornado that heavily damaged the Winn-Dixie store and Sky City at Oxford’s Blue Pond shopping center, killing two people. A total of seven tornadoes touched down across the state that afternoon and evening.
Auburn went on to win the game 23-20; Bo Jackson gained 256 yards rushing.
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