James Spann: Cold in Alabama tonight; rain returns Thursday
COLD JANUARY DAY: Temperatures are only in the 30s over most of north and central Alabama at mid-afternoon; a few spots north of Birmingham are still below freezing thanks to lingering clouds and snow cover. The sky will clear this evening, and tonight will be clear and cold, with a low between 24 and 28 degrees for most communities.
Tuesday will be sunny with a high in the mid 50s. Wednesday will be another dry day, but clouds will increase by afternoon ahead of the next cold front. The high Wednesday will be in the 53- to 56-degree range.
THURSDAY: The day will be cloudy and colder with periods of light rain likely. Thermal values could be low enough for the precipitation to begin as a wintry mix over the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama Thursday morning, with potential for some snow and sleet. It’s a little too early to know whether this will bring any travel impact; we will be much more specific Tuesday. Temperatures Thursday afternoon will have a hard time getting past the low to mid 40s.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Friday will be mostly sunny with a cold morning; temperatures will drop well down in the 20s. Friday’s high will be in the mid to upper 40s. Saturday will be dry, but clouds will increase during the day, and we expect rain to return Sunday as another cold front approaches. Highs over the weekend will be between 56 and 61 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: Look for clearing and colder weather Monday with a high in the mid to upper 40s. The rest of the week looks pretty quiet with seasonal temperatures (highs mostly in the 50s, lows in the 30s). Some rain could return Friday.
WET YEAR: Birmingham’s rain total for 2021 was 71.02 inches, 14.4 inches above average. Other rain totals for the year, and the departure from average:
- Mobile — 82.97 inches (15.89 inches above average)
- Tuscaloosa — 67.92 (14.4 above average)
- Huntsville — 64.24 (9.95 above average)
- Muscle Shoals — 61.35 (7.11 above average)
- Montgomery — 56.32 (5.16 above average)
- Anniston — 48.71 (3.41 below average)
ON THIS DATE IN 1949: During the late afternoon, an estimated F4 tornado destroyed Warren, Arkansas. The tornado killed 55 people and injured more than 250 others. The destruction of the Bradley mill displaced 1,000 employees.
BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.
WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute show any time on your favorite podcast app. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including the meteorologists at ABC 33/40.
CONNECT: You can find me on the major social networks:
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.
