James Spann: Cool with some rain for central, south Alabama tonight, Tuesday
James Spann forecasts some rain for southern, central Alabama tonight from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
COOL WITH SOME RAIN AHEAD: Temperatures are at or below freezing across parts of north and central Alabama early this morning. Here are some reports just before sunrise:
- Cullman — 28
- Gadsden — 29
- Haleyville — 29
- Huntsville — 31
- Decatur — 31
- Hueytown — 31
- Talladega — 31
- Pell City — 32
- Muscle Shoals — 32
- Albertville — 32
- Birmingham — 33
- Northport — 33
- Anniston — 34
- Tuscaloosa — 34
- Montgomery — 41
- Mobile — 41
- Dothan — 45
Clouds will increase across Alabama today as a surface low develops in the Gulf of Mexico. Rain is likely tonight and Tuesday mainly for the southern two-thirds of the state; the heaviest rain will be south and east of Montgomery. Otherwise, the weather will be cloudy and cool, with highs in the mid 50s today and low 50s Tuesday. Parts of north Alabama won’t get out of the 40s Tuesday afternoon.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: Wednesday will be partly to mostly sunny with a high in the mid 60s. Expect sunny weather Thursday and Friday with warmer afternoons; the high will be close to 60 Thursday, followed by mid to upper 60s Friday.
CHRISTMAS DAY: Christmas Day will be mild, with a high between 65 and 70 degrees. We expect a mix of sun and clouds with some potential for a few brief, isolated showers as moisture levels will increase a bit.
Here are the years (10 of them since 1900) when temperatures have reached 70 degrees on Dec. 25 at Birmingham:
- 2016 — 78
- 2015 –77
- 1987 — 74
- 1982 — 73
- 1942 — 73
- 1964 — 72
- 1926 — 71
- 1922 — 71
- 1919 — 70
- 1901 — 70
It’s safe to say we won’t have a snow threat this year on Christmas Day, unlike 2010, when parts of the state had more than 5 inches of snow on the ground Dec. 25. Temperatures this year on Christmas will be below average over the western third of the nation, and the weather looks brutally cold over the western half of Canada.
SUNDAY AND NEXT WEEK: At this point the weather looks mild and mostly dry Sunday through most of next week as an upper ridge persists across the Deep South.
ON THIS DATE IN 1836: A famous “sudden freeze” occurred in central Illinois. A cold front with 70 mph winds swept through around noon, dropping the temperature from 40 degrees to near zero in a matter of minutes. Many settlers froze to death. Folklore told of chickens frozen in their tracks and men frozen to saddles. Ice in streams reportedly froze to 6 inches in a few hours.
ON THIS DATE IN 2012: A pre-dawn EF-1 tornado moved through the western part of Mobile. The tornado formed around 4:49 a.m. near Davidson High School and lifted near Telegraph Road in Prichard. The tornado path was approximately 7 miles long and 50 to 75 yards wide.
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