Published On: 10.10.24 | 

By: James Spann

James Spann: Dry pattern continues for Alabama through next week

DRY OCTOBER WEATHER: Today will be the 12th consecutive day with no rain for most of Alabama. The last rain for Birmingham came on Sept. 28, and the total on that day was only 0.01 inch. The last significant rain was on Sept. 25, when 0.61 inch was measured.

Look for sunshine in full supply with a high between 80 and 85 degrees this afternoon. Dry weather continues Friday through Sunday with sunny, warm days and clear, cool nights. The coolest morning will come early Saturday, when some spots over north Alabama will drop into the 40s. Sunday features the warmest afternoon, with a high in the mid 80s.

NEXT WEEK: A cold front will pass through the state on Monday, but with very little moisture we don’t expect any meaningful rain. The coolest air so far this season arrives by midweek, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s for most places; colder pockets over the northern third of the state will likely see upper 30s by Wednesday morning.

Global models continue to suggest the dry weather will persist for the next 10 days.

TROPICS: Milton continues to move away from Florida this morning. Sustained winds are 85 mph, and the center is about 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral. Milton is moving to the northeast at 18 mph, and the system becomes post-tropical within the next 24 hours. Weather conditions will continue to improve today over the Florida Peninsula.

Hurricane Leslie is in the middle of the Atlantic with winds of 105 mph. It will weaken and turn northeast today; it is no threat to land.

The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Expect a clear sky for the high school games across Alabama Friday night with temperatures falling from the low 70s at kickoff into the 60s during the second half.

Saturday, Alabama hosts South Carolina (11 a.m. kickoff) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The sky will be sunny with temperatures rising from near 77 at kickoff into the low 80s by the final whistle.

UAB is on the road, playing Army in West Point, New York (11 a.m. CT kickoff). The weather will be dry. With a sunny sky, temperatures rise from 68 degrees at kickoff into the low 70s by the fourth quarter.

ON THIS DATE IN 2018: Destructive Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach with winds of 160 mph. It became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States in terms of pressure, behind the Labor Day hurricane in 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Michael was the first Category 5 hurricane on record to hit the Florida Panhandle, the fourth-strongest landfalling hurricane in the contiguous United States, in terms of wind speed, and the most intense hurricane on record to strike the United States in October.

At least 74 deaths were attributed to the storm, 59 in the United States and 15 in Central America. Michael caused an estimated $25.1 billion in damage. Along the Florida panhandle, the cities of Mexico Beach and Panama City suffered the worst of Michael, incurring catastrophic damage from the extreme winds and storm surge. Numerous homes were flattened and trees felled over a wide swath of the panhandle. A maximum wind gust of 139 mph was measured at Tyndall Air Force Base before the sensors failed. Peak storm-surge inundation was 9-14 feet from Mexico Beach to Indian Pass.

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