James Spann: Frost possible early Sunday; storms return to Alabama next week
CHILLY NIGHTS AHEAD: The sky is partly to mostly sunny across most of Alabama this afternoon with temperatures in the 60s. Tonight will be mostly fair with a low between 38 and 43 degrees.
Dry weather continues over the weekend with sunny, cool days. The highs will be in the mid 60s Saturday and between 57 and 62 degrees Sunday. Sunday morning will be cold, with lows in the 30s over the northern half of the state. Frost is likely, and colder spots will see another late-season freeze.
NEXT WEEK: The weather stays rain-free Monday and Tuesday with a warming trend. The highs will be in the low to mid 70s Monday, followed by low 80s Tuesday. Wednesday could very well be our warmest day so far this year as temperatures rise into the mid 80s.
A dynamic weather system will bring rain and storms in here late Wednesday, Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. The Storm Prediction Center has defined a risk of severe storms for the western side of the state for Wednesday night; this will probably be expanded eastward in future outlooks.
For now it looks like the main window for strong to severe storms will come from about 4 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. Storms will be capable of producing strong winds and hail, and a tornado threat could develop as well. But it is still too early to know the magnitude of the threat. We will have much better clarity by Sunday night and Monday.
Dry air returns to the state Thursday afternoon, and Friday looks dry with a high in the 70s.
ON THIS DATE IN 1901: At least 15 people were killed by an estimated F3 tornado that moved across parts of Birmingham. The twister cut a 15-mile path from the south side of the city to Avondale and Irondale.
ON THIS DATE IN 2021: Eleven tornadoes touched down across Alabama; some of them were long track. The most stunning tornado of the event was the long track EF-3 tornado that carved a path of damage spanning 80.38 miles over its 98-minute lifespan from Hale to Shelby counties. This was a single tornado, putting it at No. 7 for the longest single tornado track in Alabama.
Six people were killed by an EF-3 tornado that was down for 38 miles through parts of Calhoun and Cherokee counties. Another EF-3 tornado touched down near West Blocton, and then moved through some highly populated neighborhoods in north Shelby County. Damage was severe in neighborhoods like Eagle Point, Greystone Farms and Shoal Creek. This tornado was down for 50 miles, and there were five injuries.
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