James Spann: Quiet weather pattern for Alabama; very few showers through the weekend
James Spann has the midweek forecast for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
WARM, MOSTLY DRY: An upper ridge will deflect most of the major rain-producing systems well to the north and west of Alabama for the foreseeable future, and temperatures will remain above average. Look for a high between 86 and 91 degrees today with a partly to mostly sunny sky. A disturbance could squeeze out a few isolated showers across the northern half of the state tonight and early Thursday, but most places won’t see enough rain to measure.
During the day Thursday and Friday, expect a good supply of sunshine with highs in the 80s. The risk of any one spot seeing a shower will remain very low.
The weather won’t change much over the weekend. Look for partly sunny days, fair nights and only very isolated showers Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be in the 80s, and the chance of your front yard seeing rain both days are 10-20%.
NEXT WEEK: The upper-air pattern holds. There could be a day or two with isolated showers, but the pattern continues to favor mostly dry weather with afternoon highs in the upper 80s and low 90s. On the positive side, we can pretty much declare this severe weather season (November-May) over for Alabama. Now our attention will turn to the hurricane season, which begins June 1.
LUNAR ECLIPSE SUNDAY: A total lunar eclipse will occur Sunday night and will be visible in eastern North America, including Alabama. Unlike a solar eclipse, no special viewing precautions are necessary. During totality between 10:29 and 11:54 p.m., the moon turns a dark orange or red, which is often referred to as a “blood moon.” As sunlight passes through our atmosphere, the green, blue and violet portion of the light spectrum is filtered out while yellow, orange and especially red bend around the earth and onto the moon’s surface, giving it the reddish color.
Lunar eclipses occur only during a full moon. The May full moon is known as the Flower Moon because it’s the time of year when wildflowers are in full bloom.
ON THIS DATE IN 1953: A terrifying F5 tornado ripped through downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600 more. More than 850 homes, 600 businesses and 2,000 cars were destroyed or severely damaged. Losses were estimated at $41 million. The tornado is the deadliest in Texas history.
ON THIS DATE IN 2008: An EF-1 tornado moved through Heflin in Cleburne County. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted along the path. Several structures sustained damage and at least six were destroyed. At least 35 homes sustained varying degrees of damage. No injuries were reported.
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