James Spann: Windy, cool April day for Alabama

Published On: 04.06.17 |

By: James Spann

James Spann: Windy, cool April day for Alabama

James Spann: Cooler-than-average weather for Alabama through Saturday morning from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

WAVE TRAIN SHUT DOWN FOR A WHILE: The last in the series of deep, mid latitude upper waves brought strong to severe thunderstorms to much of Alabama yesterday and last night. In many cases, hail was golf-ball size or larger, and strong winds brought down many trees. There were no confirmed tornadoes in our state despite a number of tornado warnings; that is the one part of the forecast that didn’t verify, and most are thankful for that.

More about yesterday’s forecast in this post I wrote last night.

We have some light rain over northeast Alabama this morning.

That rain will dissipate later this morning; otherwise, today will be windy and much cooler. A wind advisory is in effect for about the northern two-thirds of the state; northwest winds will average 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 35. The sky should become partly sunny later today as drier air continues to work into the state.

Tonight will be clear, breezy and chilly, with a low between 38 and 42 degrees early tomorrow. Then, during the day tomorrow, the sky will be sunny with a high in the mid 60s, about 5 to 8 degrees below average for mid April in Alabama.

SATURDAY MORNING FROST: With a clear sky and light wind, we project a low between 35 and 40 degrees for most communities at daybreak Saturday with potential for frost. Colder spots will have a good chance at seeing a late-season freeze.

The rest of the weekend will be delightful, with sunshine in full supply both days and a warming trend. We reach the upper 60s Saturday, followed by upper 70s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: A surface boundary will bring the chance of a few showers Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday night, but moisture will be limited, and there is little upper support, so rain amounts should be light. The rest of the week looks mostly dry; highs will be generally in the 70s.

Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

STORM SPOTTER TRAINING IN BIRMINGHAM SATURDAY: The big day will feature both the basic and the advanced storm spotter classes; I will be speaking as well. If you love weather, don’t miss this. It is at the BJCC in Birmingham, and will run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. It is free. No need to register; just show up with a curious mind. I hope to see many of you there.