James Spann: Colder days ahead for Alabama; a few sprinkles this morning
James Spann forecasts chilly weather for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
RADAR CHECK: We have a few “illegal” showers over north Alabama early this morning (showers that weren’t in the forecast); those should dissipate by midmorning. Otherwise, we expect a partly sunny sky today across the state with a high in the low 60s for most communities. The average high for Nov. 2 at Birmingham is 70.
The weather will turn colder Wednesday and Thursday; we expect highs between 50 and 55 degrees both days. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and some scattered light rain is possible as a wave of low pressure scoots along a stalled front near the Gulf Coast. Moisture will be very limited, and rain amounts will be very light, generally less than one-tenth of an inch.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: We will forecast a clearing sky Friday with a high between 55 and 60 degrees. The weekend will feature sunny, cool days and fair, cold nights. Highs will be in the low 60s Saturday, followed by mid 60s Sunday. Lows will be in the 30s and 40s both mornings. While guidance has trended a little warmer, there is still a chance of some frost both mornings over the northern half of the state.
NEXT WEEK: The weather remains very quiet; the week will be mostly dry with seasonal temperatures. A cold front could bring some rain toward the end of the week. Highs will be mostly in the 60s, with lows in the 40s.
TROPICS: Tropical Storm Wanda is in the North Atlantic with winds of 50 mph. It will stay far from land this week and should dissipate this weekend or become post-tropical. There is a disturbance over the far southwest Caribbean, but it is moving into Central America this morning. The rest of the Atlantic basin is very quiet.
FALL COLOR PEAK: Fall foliage colors will peak in Alabama Nov. 5-19; the cool snap this week will really bring out colors beginning this weekend, initially over the northern half of the state. Cheaha and DeSoto State Parks are always great places to see the colors; another good one is the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge near West Blocton.
RAIN UPDATE: These are rain totals for the year and the departure from average:
- Mobile — 77.51 inches (20.33 inches above average)
- Birmingham — 63.5 (15.85 above average)
- Tuscaloosa — 61.89 (17.82 above average)
- Huntsville — 57.91 (13.62 above average)
- Muscle Shoals — 56.28 (11.56 above average)
- Dothan — 56.16 (10.86 above average)
- Montgomery — 50.17 (7.84 above average)
- Anniston — 41.74 (1.39 below average)
ON THIS DATE IN 1743: Benjamin Franklin’s “eclipse hurricane” unlocked the key to storm movement. A rainstorm prevented Franklin from viewing a lunar eclipse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but his brother in Boston saw it, though the rain began an hour later.
ON THIS DATE IN 1992: Another infamous November Great Lakes Storm brought windy conditions to Minnesota’s Lake Superior shoreline. The 70 mph winds caused waves to crash over 130-foot walls along the shore. This is often called the “Witch of November.”
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