James Spann: Alabama stays dry Wednesday; periods of rain Thursday, Friday
CLOUDS FOR SOME, SUN FOR SOME: The northern half of Alabama is covered in clouds this afternoon with some patchy, light rain, but the southern half of the state is enjoying a bright, sunny day. Temperatures under the cloud cover are in the upper 40s and low to mid 50s, but we are looking at 60s over south Alabama where the sun is out. The clouds over north Alabama will move out tonight, and all of Alabama should enjoy a good supply of sunshine Wednesday. Highs will be in the 50s over the northern half of the state, with 60s again to the south.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Clouds return Wednesday night, and as deep moisture surges northward we expect periods of rain across all of Alabama Thursday and Friday. Rain amounts of around 1 inch are likely, with isolated heavier amounts. There will be no risk of severe storms and probably no thunder. The high will be near 60 Thursday, followed by mid 50s Friday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We will sneak in a dry day Saturday; with a mostly sunny sky temperatures will reach the mid 50s. But moisture returns quickly, and showers are possible Sunday with a high in the upper 50s. It won’t be a washout, and the more numerous showers Sunday should be over the northern half of the state.
NEXT WEEK: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely Monday as a surface low passes north of the state. For now we are not expecting any severe thunderstorms with this system. Tuesday looks dry before some risk of rain returns Tuesday night. Then, the latter half of the week looks dry. Temperatures will be in the 60s Monday and Tuesday, and in the 50s Wednesday through Friday. There’s still no sign of any bitterly cold, Arctic air around here for the rest of January.
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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