James Spann: Alabama stays mostly dry through Labor Day
RADAR CHECK: Most of Alabama is rain-free this afternoon as a nice push of dry settles into the state. We see just a few isolated showers on radar near the Alabama/Florida state line; otherwise the sky is mostly sunny with temperatures in the 80s. Tonight will be mostly fair and very pleasant, with lows in the 60s. Cooler spots across north Alabama could visit the upper 50s early Friday.
FRIDAY THROUGH LABOR DAY: The weather will stay very quiet across Alabama and the Deep South through the holiday weekend. Look for mostly sunny, warm days and fair, pleasant nights Friday through Sunday with highs between 87 and 90 degrees. We will bring some risk of isolated showers Sunday night into Monday, but moisture will be very limited and many places will stay dry. The high Monday will be in the mid to upper 80s.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: A few isolated showers are possible Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by another surge of dry air Thursday and Friday. Highs will be mostly in the upper 80s, very close to seasonal averages for early September in Alabama.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Auburn hosts Akron Saturday (6 p.m. kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium); the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 85 at kickoff into the upper 70s by the final whistle. Alabama takes on Miami in Atlanta Saturday (2:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC 33/40); the game will be played inside at Mercedes Benz Stadium, but outside the weather will be great, with a sunny sky and temperatures in the 80s.
TROPICS: Hurricane Larry in the Central Atlantic now has winds of 85 mph and is expected to become a major hurricane by Saturday morning. It will gain latitude over the weekend and recurve into the Atlantic well east of the U.S.
A small area of low pressure over northeastern Nicaragua is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity over portions of the western Caribbean Sea. A portion of the low’s circulation could move over the Gulf of Honduras on Friday. However, development there, if any, is expected to be slow to occur. This system could then move over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico during the weekend and early next week, but by then strong upper-level winds would likely limit significant development. Regardless of development, heavy rains are possible across portions of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula through the weekend. The National Hurricane Center gives this only a 20% chance of development over the next five days.
Another wave in the far eastern Atlantic has a 30% chance of development over the next five days. No tropical systems will threaten the central Gulf Coast through the middle of next week.
ON THIS DATE IN 1935: The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 made landfall near Long Key, Florida. To this day is remains the strongest and most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States. A total of 408 people died in the Florida Keys; the region was swept by a massive storm surge as the eye passed over the area. The storm destroyed Henry Flagler’s railroad that connected Key West to the mainland and is said to have cleared every tree and every building off Matecumbe Key.
The waters quickly receded after carving new channels connecting the bay with the ocean; however, gale-force winds and high seas persisted into Tuesday, preventing rescue efforts. The storm continued northwestward along the Florida west coast, weakening before its second landfall near Cedar Key on Sept. 4.
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