James Spann: Rain ends in Alabama later today; dry weekend ahead
James Spann forecasts clearing this afternoon to bring in a dry Alabama weekend from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
RADAR CHECK: Rain is falling across much of Alabama early this morning ahead of an upper trough — nothing especially heavy, with very little lightning. The rain will end from west to east during the midday and most of the state will be dry by afternoon. Rain amounts will be one-half inch or less for most communities, and temperatures will continue to hover in the 50s today. Clearing begins in southwest Alabama this afternoon, progressing through the state tonight.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will be sunny; after a low in the 30s, the high will be in the mid 50s. Clouds will increase Sunday ahead of a disturbance that might squeeze out a few sprinkles over south Alabama, but there will be very little moisture to work with and most of the state will remain dry. The high Sunday will be between 54 and 59 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: A clipper-type system will push into north Alabama Monday; for now we are not expecting any rain with this feature. Dry weather continues for the rest of the week with sunny days and fair nights. The high will be in the 50s Monday and Tuesday, then close to 60 Wednesday, followed by low 60s Thursday and Friday, very close to seasonal averages for Alabama in early December.
The next chance of rain will likely come the following weekend (Dec. 12-13), but models are not in good agreement on the timing or amounts.
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 52 at kickoff to near 57 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 1952: December started off with chilly temperatures in London. This cold resulted in Londoners burning more coal to heat their homes. Then on Dec. 5, high pressure settled over the Thames River, causing a dense layer of smog to develop. The smoke-like pollution was so toxic it was even reported to have choked cows to death in the fields. The smog became so thick and dense by Dec. 7 that virtually no sunlight was seen in London. Most conservative estimates place the death toll at 4,000, with some estimating the smog killed as many as 8,000 people.
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