James Spann: Alabama weather stays dry, very mild through Friday
James Spann has the midweek forecast for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
UNSEASONABLY MILD: An upper ridge will keep Alabama’s weather mostly dry and very mild through Friday. The high will be close to 70 today, followed by low 70s Thursday and potentially mid 70s Friday. The sky will be mostly sunny today and partly sunny Thursday and Friday. Showers will be almost impossible to find due to the ridge.
Here are the daily record highs for the rest of the week at Birmingham:
- Today (Dec. 15) — 77 (1971)
- Thursday (Dec. 16) — 76 (1924)
- Friday (Dec. 17) — 73 (1984)
That record high of 73 on Friday could very well be in danger.
NORTHWEST OF ALABAMA TODAY: A significant wind event is likely across much of the nation’s midsection. High wind warnings cover much of the central U.S. into the western Great Lakes. Pressure gradient (non-thunderstorm) winds could approach 70 mph in spots. There is a moderate risk (level 4 out of 5) of severe storms later today and tonight for parts of Iowa, southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The main threat there is from damaging thunderstorm winds.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A cold front will bring rain to Alabama Saturday. It won’t rain all day, but occasional showers are likely along with a few thunderstorms. Dynamic forcing is weak and severe storms are not expected. The day will be cloudy with a high between 67 and 70 degrees for most places. It now looks like Sunday will be dry with a partly to mostly sunny sky; the day will be cooler, with a high in the low to mid 50s.
NEXT WEEK: The latest global model data suggests Monday will be cool and dry, but a short wave aloft will bring some light rain to the state late Monday night into Tuesday morning. Dry weather is likely for the rest of the week and through Christmas Day. The high will be in the 50s Monday and Tuesday, followed by low 60s for the rest of the week. The latest model output statistics from the National Blend of Models is showing a high for Christmas Day of 60 for Birmingham with a good supply of sunshine.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: UAB will take on BYU Saturday in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ABC 33/40). The sky will be cloudy with occasional showers likely, possibly a thunderstorm. Temperatures will be in the 60s.
ON THIS DATE IN 1992: Cyclone John hit the sparsely populated northwest coast of Australia with winds gusting to 185 mph. John was the strongest cyclone to hit Australia in more than 100 years.
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