James Spann: Alabama stays dry through the weekend with chilly nights
CALM: The sky has cleared across most of Alabama this afternoon; temperatures are between 55 and 65 degrees. Tonight will be mostly fair and cold, with lows in the mid to upper 30s; there could be a touch of light frost in scattered spots.
Dry weather continues Friday through the weekend with sunny, pleasant days and fair, chilly nights. The highs will be in the mid 60s Friday, low 70s Saturday and mid 70s Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: Monday will be dry and mild, with a high in the 70s. The next weather system will bring rain and thunderstorms back into the state Tuesday. Global models hint that strong to severe storms will be possible with this system, but it is too early to know the magnitude of the threat. Rain could be heavy as well, and we will have to watch for flooding potential. The latter half of the week will be dry with below-average temperatures; I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a late-season frost or freeze threat by Friday morning.
STORM SURVEY: National Weather Service Birmingham has rated the Chelsea tornado in Shelby County EF-1; it was on the ground for 4.52 miles with peak winds of 110 mph. Other survey teams are across Alabama looking at other storm damage; it will take days for the work to be completed. It’s likely that tornadoes touched down in Pickens, Marengo, Greene, Perry, Bibb, Choctaw, Mobile and Baldwin counties as well.
ON THIS DATE IN 1973: A devastating F4 tornado took a nearly continuous 75-mile path through north-central Georgia, causing more than $104 million in damage. Athens was heavily damaged.
ON THIS DATE IN 2020: An EF-2 tornado passed just south of Eufaula. It intensified as it crossed U.S. 431 and was captured on video, with the most significant damage occurring in the Country Club of Alabama neighborhood along the south side of Pebble Beach Drive. Large sections of roofs were removed from a few well-built residences with collapse of some exterior walls. The tornado crossed the Walter F. George Reservoir along the Chattahoochee River and continued into Quitman County in Georgia.
BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.
WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute show any time on your favorite podcast app. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including the meteorologists at ABC 33/40.
CONNECT: You can find me on the major social networks:
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.
