Rain Moves Out This Morning; Dry Tomorrow/Friday
RADAR CHECK: Rain is still fairly widespread over Alabama early this morning, especially the eastern two-thirds of the state. The rain will continue to taper off from west to east over the next few hours as the upper trough moves on to the east. The sky will stay mostly cloudy through the day with temperatures holding in the 40s over the northern half of the state.
The sky will clear early tomorrow, and we expect a good supply of sunshine both tomorrow and Thursday as dry air settles into the Deep South. The high tomorrow will be in the upper 40s, followed by mid 50s Friday. Mornings will be cold; we drop into the upper 20s tomorrow, and mid 20s early Friday.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A disturbance will have the potential to bring a little scattered light rain to Alabama Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, and early Sunday, but moisture will be very limited, and rain amounts should be under a quarter of an inch. Otherwise, the weekend will be mostly cloudy with highs in the 50s.
CHRISTMAS WEEK: For now the weather looks dry Monday and Tuesday with highs in the 57-61 degree range. A cold front will bring a chance of showers Wednesday night or Thursday, followed by dry and sharply colder air on Christmas Day. For snow fans, it doesn’t look like a set-up for any significant snow for Alabama, but a few flurries after the cold front passage might be possible at some point Thursday or Thursday night. For now we are forecasting highs in the 40s on Friday, but some North Alabama communities might hold in the 30s. This is still nine days out, and expect forecast changes. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY: An F4 tornado tore through the southern part of Tuscaloosa, killing eleven people and injuring over 100. Nine of the fatalities occurred in mobile homes, one in a vehicle, and one in a commercial building converted to residential use. Six of those killed were females and five were males. Ages ranged from 16 months to 83 years old. The tornado was on the ground for a total of 18 miles, all within Tuscaloosa county. The tornado path was estimated to be 750 yards wide at it’s maximum intensity.
There was an excellent warning for the tornado; a warning was issued at 12:40 p.m. on that deadly Saturday, 14 minutes before the twister first touched down in a rural area southwest of Tuscaloosa near the Black Warrior River. The tornado crossed Alabama 69 near Shelton State Community College and Hillcrest High School; destroying a shopping center and many homes. The Bear Creek Trailer Park was hit, where many of the deaths occurred. The tornado moved to the east/northeast, south of Skyland Boulevard, and finally crossed I-59/20 near the Cottondale exit.
We caught the tornado live on our tower camera in Tuscaloosa; we were able to show live video of the twister on ABC 33/40 for almost 10 minutes as it rolled through the southern part of the city of Tuscaloosa.
Later in the day, the same parent storm dropped an F3 tornado which stuck the Coats Bend region of Etowah County, near Gadsden, detroying 250 homes and injuring 14 people.
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…
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
About the Author (Author Profile)
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
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
