James Spann: Showers for Alabama today with falling temperatures
James Spann forecasts big weather changes for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
RADAR CHECK: A band of showers has pushed into northwest Alabama early this morning ahead of a cold front that will bring a significant weather change today. Look for occasional showers and temperatures going the wrong way. We are starting the day around 60 degrees ahead of the cold front, but after it passes temperatures fall into the 40s with a chilly north wind. The front should reach I-59 (Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Gadsden) by noon and Montgomery by late afternoon. Rain amounts should be less than one-half inch, and the sky will clear from northwest to southeast late in the day.
Tonight will be clear and cold; many places will be at or just below freezing early Friday morning.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Look for a sunny sky Friday with a high in the upper 50s. Saturday will be another sunny day with a high in the mid 60s. The day Sunday will be dry; with a partly sunny sky temperatures will rise into the 65- to 68-degree range. Clouds increase late in the day, and rain will likely push into the state Sunday night ahead of another cold front.
THANKSGIVING WEEK: Rain will end early in the day Monday, followed by a clearing sky. The day will be considerably colder, with a high around 50 degrees. Tuesday morning will be the coldest so far this season as most communities will drop well down in the 20s. Sunny, cool weather is the story for Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs in the 50s.
A disturbance has the potential to bring some light rain to the northern third of Alabama Thanksgiving day, but the rest of the state will be cool and dry, with a high around 60 degrees. Rain will be more likely statewide Friday.
LUNAR ECLIPSE LATE TONIGHT: We will be able to see a near-total lunar eclipse after midnight tonight. 99.1% of the Moon will be in Earth’s shadow at maximum eclipse at 3:03 a.m.; the sky will be clear over Alabama. While the statement “longest partial eclipse of the decade” is technically true, it is not that significant. Next year’s total lunar eclipse on May 16 (visible from the Americas, western Africa and Europe) will be one minute shorter.
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 1957: An F2 tornado moved through the western and northern part of the Birmingham metro. After touching down in Ensley, the tornado moved northeast through the Pratt area and North Birmingham and eventually into Tarrant. Many homes between 22nd and 24th Streets on 35th and 36th Avenues North were damaged, with numerous large trees down around the area. The Birmingham Airport reported winds of 69 mph and sighted the funnel just to the northwest. Damage in Tarrant was mainly to the industrial area.
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