Published On: 01.20.23 | 

By: James Spann

James Spann: Cool, dry day ahead for Alabama; rain returns over the weekend

James Spann forecasts a dry Friday, wet weekend for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

SUNNY FRIDAY: A dry air mass covers Alabama this morning. Look for a mostly sunny sky today with a high in the 50s over north Alabama and 60s over the southern counties. Tonight will be fair and cold, with a low between 30 and 38 degrees.

RAIN RETURNS: Clouds roll in Saturday, and rain breaks out initially across south Alabama during the day. Then, rain becomes widespread statewide Saturday night into Sunday morning. Some thunder is possible, but the air will be cool and stable and there is no risk of severe storms. Rain will end from west to east Sunday afternoon as dry air begins to push into the state; rain amounts over the weekend will be around 1 inch. Highs will be in the 50s both days.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be dry with highs in the 50s and 60s, but a dynamic weather system will bring rain and storms back into Alabama Tuesday and Tuesday night, possibly into early Wednesday morning. The Storm Prediction Center has introduced a risk of severe thunderstorms for the southern half of the state.

The big question involves thermodynamics for this event. There will be very little instability over the northern two-thirds of the state, but no doubt this system could bring severe storms to the Gulf Coast region. We will have a much better handle on how this one plays out once we get past the weekend rain producer.

Thursday and Friday will be cool and dry, with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.

ON THIS DATE IN 1937: It was the wettest Inaugural Day on record, with 1.77 inches of rain in 24 hours. Temperatures were only in the 30s as Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in for his second term.

ON THIS DATE IN 1985: The most intense cold wave to invade the Southeast since the great arctic outbreak of February 1899 was underway. Birmingham’s low was 4 degrees below zero. All-time cold records were set at many significant sites from Chicago to Charleston, South Carolina.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.