James Spann: Warm weekend ahead for Alabama; rain, storms return Monday
James Spann forecasts a mostly dry weekend for Alabama, then rain from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
MOSTLY DRY THROUGH SUNDAY: Alabama’s weather won’t change much through the weekend thanks to a strong upper high over the Gulf of Mexico. Expect partly sunny, warm days and fair nights with highs between 77 and 83 degrees. A few small, isolated showers could show up over the northern quarter of the state this afternoon and Saturday, but odds of any place seeing rain will remain low.
To the west, a major storm system will form over the weekend with huge amounts of snow for parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. In the warm sector severe thunderstorms are likely through parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.
NEXT WEEK: Next week will be more like March, which is Alabama’s wettest month of the year. Rain and storms will move into the state Monday, and with a decent amount of surface-based instability involved a few strong thunderstorms are a good possibility. The overall wind fields will be weakening with the incoming system, and for now the overall severe weather threat looks low. But we always have to keep a close eye on systems like this in mid-March.
The best chance of rain on Tuesday will shift into the southern half of the state, but rain and storms are likely statewide again Wednesday as the next wave approaches from the west. It’s too early to know whether severe storms will be an issue with this feature. Rain amounts next week will be in the 2- to 4-inch range for most of Alabama. Rain moves out Thursday morning, and Friday will be dry with a good supply of sunshine. Highs will be in the 70s Monday through Wednesday, followed by 60s Thursday and Friday.
ON THIS DATE IN 1993: The “Blizzard of 93” was underway across Alabama. It came in mid-March, when the flowers were blooming, and was one of those very rare times when all 67 counties in Alabama had a snow cover. Totals included:
- 20 inches at Walnut Grove
- 17 inches at Valley Head
- 16 inches in Oneonta and Bessemer
- 13 inches at Anniston, Talladega, Pinson, Birmingham
- 12 inches at Thomasville, Childersburg, Scottsboro
- 11 inches at Sylacauga
- 10 inches at Cullman, Clanton and Heflin
- 9 inches in Thorsby
- 8 inches in Ashland, Centreville, Moulton and Guntersville
- 7 inches in Alexander City, Huntsville and Whatley
- 6 inches in Camden, Evergreen, Jasper, Livingston, Andalusia, Haleyville and Highland Home
- 5 inches in Auburn, Winfield, Muscle Shoals and Chatom
- 4 inches in Montgomery, Union Springs, Vernon, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Frisco City, Greenville, Troy
- 3 inches at Brewton, Hamilton, Bay Minette, Mobile Airport
- 2 inches at Atmore and Robertsdale
- Trace at Fairhope and Coden
Remember, this does not count drifts. Those drifts were humongous in some areas, especially by Alabama standards — 5 to 6 feet deep in parts of the Birmingham metro area. The official Birmingham snowfall of 13 inches was recorded at the airport. Naturally, there was more in the higher terrain.
Hurricane-force wind gusts accompanied the snow on ridges, and there was convective snow complete with thunder and lightning. Some had no power for more than a week after the event, and travel was shut down for two to three days.
South of Alabama in the warm sector of the system, a vicious squall line swept through Florida and spawned 11 tornadoes resulting in five fatalities.
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