James Spann: Occasional rain for Alabama through Friday
James Spann forecasts wet weather for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
WET IS THE WORD: The combination of a stalled surface front and an upper wave approaching from the west will bring cloudy, wet weather to Alabama over the next 36 hours. Look for periods of rain today, tonight and Friday; rain amounts of around 1 inch are likely. There will be no risk of severe storms and probably no thunder. The far northern part of Alabama could get into drier air Friday, so places like Muscle Shoals, Athens and Huntsville could be rain-free a decent part of the day. But for a large majority of the state, occasional rain continues.
The high today will be in the low 60s over the southern two-thirds of the state, with upper 50s to the north. Highs Friday will be in the 50s as the front sags southward.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will bring a break in the rain; the sky will be mostly sunny with a high in the mid 50s. The latest model data suggests a decent part of the day Sunday will be dry as well, although a few showers could develop over the northwest part of the state late in the day. We rise into the low 60s Sunday afternoon.
STRONG STORMS MONDAY: A deep surface low will develop northwest of Alabama Monday, and a moist, unstable air mass will move up into the state with potential for temperatures to reach the low 70s. This will bring showers and thunderstorms statewide, and confidence is increasing that we will have potential for strong to possibly severe thunderstorms by afternoon. It’s still too early to be specific, but be aware that Monday could be an active weather day.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: Tuesday looks dry, but another disturbance will bring some rain to the state late Tuesday night into part of the day Wednesday. Dry weather returns Thursday and Friday. The high will be in the low to mid 60s Tuesday, followed by 50s each day for the rest of the week.
ON THIS DATE IN 1985: A deep Arctic cold wave covered much of the Deep South. The official low at Birmingham was minus 6 degrees, the second-coldest temperature on record for the city. Other lows included minus 11 at Huntsville and Muscle Shoals, zero at Montgomery and 3 degrees at Mobile. Jacksonville, Florida, recorded its all-time record low of 7 degrees.
ON THIS DATE IN 1999: A major tornado outbreak occurred from southwest into central and northeast Arkansas during the afternoon and evening. In the Little Rock Area, 30 tornadoes tracked across 15 counties. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in areas like Little Rock, Beebe, McRae and areas farther north and east. Eight deaths resulted from the tornadoes, with 140 to 150 injuries also reported.
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