James Spann: A few showers for Alabama today; rain likely Thursday, Friday
James Spann forecasts some light, spotty rain for Alabama today from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
CLOUDS MOVING IN: The sky will become mostly cloudy across Alabama today, and a few scattered showers are possible later this morning and this afternoon as moisture moves northward into the state. Rain today should be fairly light and spotty; amounts will be one-tenth of an inch or less for most places where showers develop. Temperatures reach the mid 50s this afternoon. The average high for Birmingham on Jan. 19 is 54.
REST OF THE WEEK: Wednesday will be dry; with a partly to mostly sunny sky the high will be back in the mid 50s. Clouds return Wednesday night, and the weather turns wet Thursday and Friday with a cloudy sky and occasional rain both days. There will be no risk of severe storms and probably no thunder. Rain amounts of around 1 inch are likely, with isolated heavier amounts. The high will be close to 60 Thursday and between 53 and 57 degrees Friday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: No rain is forecast Saturday as a dry slot of air moves in; the day will be partly sunny with a high in the mid 50s. But clouds return Sunday with a chance of showers as moisture surges northward again. Sunday’s high will be close to 60. The best chance of showers Sunday will come during the afternoon, and mainly over the northern and western counties of the state.
NEXT WEEK: Rain is likely Monday as a surface low forms northwest of Alabama. Global model data shows some instability, so a thunderstorm will be possible as well. Then, the weather looks generally dry for the rest of the week. The high will be in the low 60s Monday and Tuesday, followed by 50s over the latter half of the week. There’s still no sign of any bitterly cold Arctic air for the Deep South for the rest of January. Will February make us shiver? We will just have to wait and see.
ON THIS DATE IN 1961: Eight inches of snow fell and caused crippling traffic jams around the Washington, D.C., area on the eve of John Kennedy’s inauguration. The president-elect had to cancel dinner plans and, in a struggle to keep other commitments, is reported to have had only four hours of sleep. Former President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into Washington National Airport due to the weather, and he had to miss the swearing-in ceremony.
ON THIS DATE IN 2008: A winter storm affected parts of central and south Alabama; amounts of 3-4 inches were common from near Butler in Choctaw County to near Rockford in Coosa County. Most of the significant snow was south of I-20; Birmingham had only snow flurries.
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