James Spann: Spring-like afternoons for Alabama Thursday, Friday; much colder over the weekend
James Spann forecasts spring-like days, then a colder weekend for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
ANOTHER NICE WARM-UP AHEAD: Temperatures are between 28 and 38 degrees across the state early this morning, but the dry air mass in place will heat very effectively, and we project a high in the mid 60s this afternoon with a sunny sky. The average high for Birmingham on Feb. 10 is 58. Sunny weather continues Friday with a high between 65 and 70 degrees.
MUCH COLDER AIR ARRIVES SATURDAY: Global models are faster with the arrival of our weekend cold front. It will move through the state Saturday morning in dry fashion, and colder air will move quickly into the state. Guidance now suggests some places over the Tennessee Valley could actually hold in the 30s through the day, with 40s and 50s to the south. Southeast Alabama will reach the 60s Saturday afternoon before the front arrives.
Behind the front, a few snow flurries are possible in the cold air Saturday night, but the air will be dry and we still expect no impact. Sunday will be cold and dry; the sky becomes partly sunny and the high will be in the mid 40s.
NEXT WEEK: Thankfully the cold snap won’t last long. The weather will be dry during the first half of the week with a warming trend; the high will be in the low 50s Monday, followed by low 60s Tuesday and mid 60s Wednesday. A significant weather system will bring rain and thunderstorms into the state Thursday and Thursday night; it’s too early to know whether severe storms will be an issue. Drier air returns Friday.
ON THIS DATE IN 1921: Gardner, Georgia, was devastated by a massive, estimated F4 tornado that caused an entire small town section to disappear. The tornado killed an estimated 31 people and injured 100.
ON THIS DATE IN 1981: A morning tornado at Bay Minette struck the local middle school, severely damaging the gymnasium. The twister hit the school about 8:50 a.m., shortly after classes had been called to order. There were 62 injuries, 44 of whom were students. Most of the injuries apparently were minor — cuts, bruises and broken bones — and were a result of flying glass and bricks.
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