James Spann: Alabama’s dry pattern to continue with warmer afternoons
BLUE SKY: With a sunny sky temperatures are between 77 and 82 degrees across Alabama at midafternoon. The sky will be mostly clear tonight with a low in the upper 50s early Tuesday morning.
REST OF THE WEEK: An upper ridge should keep the weather mostly dry across Alabama through Friday. A few isolated showers could show up Wednesday over the Tennessee Valley, but even there the chance of one spot getting wet is only 10-20%. Expect mostly sunny days and fair nights with highs well into the 80s; a few spots across west Alabama could touch 90 Wednesday and Thursday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Moisture levels will rise a bit, and we will mention some risk of isolated showers Saturday and Sunday, but with the upper ridge in place many places will remain totally dry. The chance of any one neighborhood seeing a shower over the weekend is 15-20%, and mainly over the northern half of the state. Look for a good supply of sunshine both days with highs between 84 and 88 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: The blocking pattern persists and Alabama will remain under the ridge, meaning little if any meaningful rain. Temperatures will remain above average; lows 90s are possible by midweek.
RAIN UPDATE: Here are rain totals since Jan. 1, and the departure from average:
- Birmingham — 28.63 inches (6.63 inches above average)
- Huntsville — 28.52 (6.83 above average)
- Muscle Shoals — 25.74 (5.08 above average)
- Tuscaloosa — 25.52 (5.35 above average)
- Montgomery — 22.09 (2.42 above average)
- Anniston — 21.58 (0.71 above average)
- Mobile — 17.87 (4.75 below average)
- Dothan — 15.72 (4.09 below average)
ON THIS DATE IN 1933: An estimated F4 tornado moved through Monroe, Cumberland and Russell counties in Kentucky along a 60-mile path. The town of Tompkinsville was the hardest hit with 18 people killed. Overall, 36 people lost their lives.
ON THIS DATE IN 1995: An F3 tornado produced $10 million in damages along its 40-mile path across central Illinois. In Cantrall, three homes were destroyed, 10 had significant damage and 11 had minor damage. The roof and interior of a grade school sustained extensive damage. The tornado passed about 2 miles southeast of the new National Weather Service Office in Lincoln, Illinois.
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