James Spann: Warm weekend ahead for Alabama, with a few showers
James Spann forecasts a mostly dry Friday, some weekend showers for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
MOSTLY DRY TODAY: We note a few small, isolated showers over the Tennessee Valley of far north Alabama early this morning; those should end very soon, and most of Alabama will be warm and dry again today with a partly sunny sky. The high will be in the low 80s; the average high for Birmingham on April 29 is 78.
Highs will remain mostly in the low 80s over the weekend. Look for a mix of sun and clouds Saturday with a few widely scattered showers. The chance of any one spot seeing a shower is 15-20%, so rain won’t be widespread. A weakening cold front will bring a general increase in showers and thunderstorms Sunday, but they will still be scattered and it won’t rain everywhere. Odds of any one location seeing rain Sunday are 40-50%, with the higher odds over the northern third of the state. No washout at all, but if you have something planned outdoors a passing shower or storm is not out of the question.
NEXT WEEK: An upper ridge will stay in place and will keep the main rain-producing systems north and west of Alabama. There will be enough moisture for a few widely scattered showers each day; otherwise we expect partly sunny days, fair nights and highs in the 80s. There’s no chance of any severe storms around here for the next seven days; it is a summer-like pattern with the ridge in place.
ON THIS DATE IN 1910: The temperature at Kansas City, Missouri, soared to 95 degrees to establish a record for April. Four days earlier the afternoon high in Kansas City had been 44 degrees following a record cold morning low of 34 degrees.
ON THIS DATE IN 1991: Southeast Bangladesh was devastated by a late-night tropical cyclone with sustained winds of approximately 155 mph. A 20-foot storm surge inundated the offshore islands south of Chittagong and pushed water from the Bay of Bengal inland for miles. The loss of life from this cyclone was estimated between 135,000 and 145,000 people.
ON THIS DATE IN 2014: An EF-1 tornado touched down in Sardis City (northern Etowah County) before dawn. The tornado was at its peak intensity along Mountainboro Road between Shady Grove Road and Lawson Gap Road, with maximum winds between 90 and 100 mph.
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.
