James Spann: Alabama turns sharply colder today with rain pushing southward
James Spann forecasts a cold, wet day for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
COLD, WET: A cold front continues to push southward across Alabama early this morning, accompanied by a large area of rain. Temperatures are approaching the freezing mark across the Tennessee Valley at daybreak, and there remains some outside chance of a little light freezing rain or drizzle over the northern third of the state through midmorning, but major icing is not expected. The rain should be confined to the southern half of the state by afternoon; parts of north Alabama could see a bit of clearing as the air becomes drier. Temperatures will likely hold in the 30s most of the day across north and central Alabama with a chilly north wind.
For most of Alabama, tonight and Friday will be cold and dry; after starting the day in the 20s early Friday, the high will be between 38 and 44 degrees. Some sun is possible over the northern counties, but clouds hang tough over south Alabama, and some rain is possible near the Gulf Coast as a wave forms on the front to the south. Odds of any freezing rain in south Alabama now look very low Friday morning.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Look for a good supply of sunshine both days; the highs will be between 46 and 50 degrees Saturday, followed by highs between 48 and 54 Sunday. Morning lows will be well down in the 20s; some colder spots over north Alabama could reach the upper teens by daybreak Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: Monday will be dry with a high in the 50s, but rain returns to the state late Monday night into Tuesday morning with the next wave moving in from the west. Rain amounts should be one-half inch or less, and no wintry precipitation is expected. The weather looks dry Wednesday through Friday with temperatures a little below average.
ON THIS DATE IN 1937: It was the wettest Inaugural Day on record, with 1.77 inches of rain in 24 hours. Temperatures were only in the 30s as Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in for his second term.
ON THIS DATE IN 2010: One of the strongest January tornado outbreaks in recent memory unfolded across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. This event included the strongest tornado to hit the ArkLaTex in at least two decades. Six tornadoes touched down across the region. Thankfully, no deaths were reported.
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