James Spann: Showers for Alabama Thursday with falling temperatures
MILD AFTERNOON: Temperatures are mostly in the mid 70s across Alabama this afternoon with a good supply of sunshine. Clouds will slowly increase tonight ahead of an approaching cold front.
Thursday will bring a cloudy sky, scattered rain showers and falling temperatures. Temperatures begin to fall over northwest Alabama early in the day; the front should reach I-59 (Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Gadsden) around noon, and Montgomery by 5 p.m. Once the front passes, temperatures will fall from the 60s into the 40s with a brisk north wind. The sky will clear Thursday night.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Friday will be sunny but cool. After a low between 32 and 35 degrees, the high will be in the upper 50s. Saturday will be sunny with a high in the mid 60s, and the weather stays dry during the day Sunday with a high in the upper 60s. Clouds return Sunday night, and rain will likely push into the state after midnight ahead of the next cold front.
THANKSGIVING WEEK: Rain will end Monday morning, followed by a clearing sky. The day will be colder, with some places across north Alabama holding in the 40s all day. By early Tuesday morning, most communities over the northern half of the state will drop into the 20s. Tuesday and Wednesday will be cool and dry, with highs in the 50s.
The latest global model data set suggests most of Alabama will remain cool and dry Thanksgiving Day, followed by some chance of rain Thursday night and Friday. There are considerable differences Friday (the European model is very wet, while the American GFS is dry), so forecast confidence is not especially high.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games Friday night, the sky will be clear with temperatures falling through the 40s, possibly reaching the upper 30s by the final whistle.
For the college games Saturday:
HUNTINGDON AT BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN (noon kickoff at General Krulak Stadium): A sunny day for football with temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees.
FURMAN AT SAMFORD (noon kickoff at Seibert Stadium): The sky will be sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 60s.
NORTH ALABAMA AT HAMPTON (noon CT kickoff at Hampton, Virginia): The sky will be sunny with temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees during the game.
JACKSONVILLE STATE AT EASTERN KENTUCKY (1 p.m. CT kickoff in Richmond, Kentucky): The sky will be partly sunny with a kickoff temperature near 52 degrees, holding in the low to mid 50s during the game.
ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA (2:30 p.m. kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium): It will be a sunny afternoon with a kickoff temperature around 65 degrees, falling into the 50s by the fourth quarter.
UAB AT UTSA (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff in San Antonio, Texas): This game will be played inside the Alamodome. Outside, the sky will be partly sunny with afternoon temperatures in the low to mid 70s.
APPALACHIAN STATE AT TROY (2:30 p.m. kickoff at Veterans Memorial Stadium): The sky will be sunny; about 68 degrees at kickoff, falling to near 60 by the final whistle.
AUBURN AT SOUTH CAROLINA (6 p.m. CT kickoff in Columbia, South Carolina): The weather will be clear and cool; temperatures will fall from near 52 at kickoff to near 45 by the final whistle.
SOUTH ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE (6:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Knoxville, Tennessee): The sky becomes mostly cloudy with temperatures falling through the 40s. No risk of rain.
ON THIS DATE IN 1927: A tornado (at times to 260 yards wide) cut a 17-mile path through Alexandria, Virginia, across the District of Columbia from the Navy yard to Benning Road and 19th Street NE to East Riverdale, Maryland. This storm injured 31 people. The tornado struck the Naval Air Station, where a wind gust of 93 mph was recorded.
ON THIS DATE IN 2013: An unusually powerful storm system spun up five dozen tornadoes from the Great Lakes to the Tennessee Valley. Two EF4 twisters struck Illinois, hitting the communities of Washington and New Minden.
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