Rain/Storms Tonight; Warm Weekend Ahead

SHOWERS MOVING IN: An approaching upper trough will bring showers and thunderstorms to Alabama tonight; rain amounts should be in the 1/2 to 1 inch range for most communities over the next 12-15 hours. The air is stable, and SPC has dropped the “marginal risk” for most of the state… it now covers only the southern half of Mobile and Baldwin counties for tonight.

TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND: Rain will end very early in the day tomorrow, and the sky becomes partly sunny with a high in the mid to upper 70s. Then, we will enjoy the warmest weekend so far this year with highs between 78 and 82 Saturday and Sunday. Look for a mix of sun and clouds both days, and while a few widely scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected, a decent part of the weekend will be dry. Showers and storms will become more numerous Sunday night as the next trough approaches from the west.

NEXT WEEK: Rain and thunderstorms are likely Monday; a few strong storms are possible thanks to an unstable airmass expected to be in place. Tuesday looks mostly dry with only an outside risk of a stray shower. Wednesday will feature a good supply of sunshine… then we could see a band showers and storms late Thursday or Thursday night with the approach of a cold front. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

ON THIS DATE IN 1977: A violent EF-5 tornado tore through the northern part of Birmingham… it began around 3 pm CST, 4 miles northwest of Birmingham near U.S. Highway 78, and then traveled northeast for 15 miles at 60 mph, crossing Interstate 65. At its widest point, the tornado was 3/4 of a mile wide. Over 150 homes were damaged with almost 50 destroyed. A total of 22 people were killed with over 130 injured. Daniel Payne College near U.S. Highway 78 sustained heavy damage from this massive tornado with estimates over $1 million dollars. The college, opened in 1880, later closed its doors in 1977, likely a result of the enormous cost and amount of damage. There were six other tornadoes on this day including five F2 tornadoes and an F3 tornado across North and Central Alabama.

PASSENGER JET DISASTER: The same thunderstorm complex was responsible for the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242 in Georgia; it was a flight from Huntsville to Atlanta. The passenger jet went down after suffering hail damage and losing thrust in both engines; Sixty-three people on the aircraft (including the flight crew) and nine people on the ground died; twenty passengers survived, as well as the two flight attendants. One of the initial survivors succumbed to his injuries several weeks later.

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN FOR INDYCAR AT BARBER: The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be tomorrow and over the weekend at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park! Make plans for the event that has been voted “Best Annual Event” & “Best Sporting Event” in Birmingham. Kids 15 & under are admitted free with a ticketed adult, and three-day general admission tickets are $69. Single day tickets are as low as $15. Pack a picnic/cooler and bring the family out for a weekend full of activities and racing! For tickets, CLICK HERE.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute show anytime on your favorite podcast app. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Snapchat: spannwx

I enjoyed seeing students today at Columbiana Baptist Kindergarten, and Cahaba Elementary in Trussville… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 and 6:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: ANC, rain

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos