Dry Through Thursday; Showers Return Friday
COLD EARLY DECEMBER DAY: Temperatures are only in the 38-44 degree range over the northern half of Alabama this afternoon; the average high for December 2 at Birmingham is 59. The sky is mostly cloudy over the northern third of the state, with a good supply of sunshine for the southern counties. Tonight will be fair and cold; we project a low between 25 and 30 degrees for most places early tomorrow morning.
MID-WEEK: Dry weather is the story tomorrow through Thursday with a warming trend. Mostly sunny days, fair nights… the high tomorrow will be close to 50, then we rise to near 60 degrees Wednesday, and low 60s Thursday.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: A wave will bring a few periods of rain to the state Friday; moisture will be limited, so rain amounts should 1/2 inch or less for most communities. Temperatures will be in the 50s, and the air will be stable, so I doubt if we hear any thunder. Certainly no risk of severe storms. Then, Saturday will be dry with a partly sunny sky along with a high in the low 60s. Moisture levels begin to rise Sunday, but for now it looks like the showers will be confined to the southern quarter of the state. The high Sunday will be in the low 60s with an increase in clouds.
NEXT WEEK: A cold front will bring rain, and possibly a thunderstorm, to the state Monday, followed by noticeably colder air for Tuesday and Wednesday. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
WELCOME TO DECEMBER: It is a time of the year when you can have a very wide range of weather conditions in Alabama. We almost always have warm spells; since 1900, December temperatures have exceeded 75 degrees in 27 of those 119 years. Our warmest December day came on December 7, 1951, when the high in Birmingham was 80 degrees. The high in Birmingham Christmas Eve, 1964, was 77 degrees. Kids were playing in shorts the following Christmas morning; the high that day was 72. On the other hand, the coldest December temperature on record at Birmingham is 1 degree, recorded on December 13, 1962 and December 23, 1989. And, don’t forget severe storms and tornadoes are possible this month as well… part of our November/December “second” season in Alabama.
ON THIS DATE IN 1959: Between November 19 and December 2, an estimated 20 inches of rain fell near the town of Frejus on the French Riviera. This rain caused the Malpasset Dam to collapse which sent a 130-foot high wall of water into the towns of Malpasset and Bozon. The wall of water 10 feet tall reached Frejus, flooding the western half of the city. The dam breach killed 423 people and caused $68 million in damages.
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I had a great time today visiting with the crowd at the Gardendale Civic Center, including the second graders from Fultondale Elementary… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
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James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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