James Spann: A few scattered showers over west Alabama this afternoon
RADAR CHECK: We have a few scattered showers on radar over the western half of the state this afternoon; most of them are north of I-59/20 and west of I-65. The rest of the state is mostly sunny and very warm, with temperatures between 86 and 91 degrees. The showers will fade away after sunset and tonight will be mostly fair with a low in the 60s.
Thursday will be partly sunny and warm with only isolated afternoon showers; odds of any one spot getting wet are only 10-20%. The high will again be somewhere between 85 and 90 degrees for most communities. On Friday we expect an increase in the number of scattered showers and thunderstorms over the northern half of Alabama ahead of a cold front. It won’t rain everywhere, but the chance of rain for any one spot Friday afternoon will be 35-45%. The best chance of showers will come from about 1 until 10 p.m., and a few heavier storms over north Alabama could produce gusty winds or small hail.
The Storm Prediction Center maintains a low-end marginal risk (level 1 of 5) for Alabama north of I-59 (north of a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Gadsden).
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: A drier, cooler air mass will cover most of Alabama Saturday through Monday, meaning mostly sunny, pleasant days and clear, cooler nights. Highs Saturday and Sunday will be between 76 and 83 degrees over north and central Alabama, with lows dropping into the cool 50s early Sunday and Monday. A few brief, isolated showers can’t be ruled out near the coast over the weekend, but even there most places will be dry. The weather doesn’t get much better in late May in Alabama.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: Global models continue the idea of increased rain chances for Alabama and the Deep South over the latter half of next week, especially Thursday and Friday, June 3-4, as an upper trough approaches from the west.
SEC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Very warm and generally dry weather continues in Hoover tonight and Thursday with only a very small risk of a shower. Highs will be between 85 and 90 degrees. A brief passing shower or storm is possible late Friday or Friday night; then the weekend will feature beautiful weather, with sunny days, fair nights and lower heat levels. Highs Saturday and Sunday will be around 80 degrees.
TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the holiday weekend.
ON THIS DATE IN 1917: A major tornadic thunderstorm took a 293-mile track across parts of central Illinois and Indiana. Once believed to be a single tornado, a later study indicated it was likely at least eight separate tornadoes. The first touchdown was about 50 miles south-southeast of Quincy, Illinois. The tornadic storm tracked due east before beginning a northeast curve near Charleston; separate tornadic storms then curved southeast from Charleston. The towns of Mattoon and Charleston bore the brunt of the tornado.
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