Clearing Later Today; Warming Trend Ahead
IMPROVING WEATHER: We expect a clearing sky for Alabama today as drier air works into the state, but temperatures will remain below average. Highs will be in the 40-45 degree range for most communities… the average high for Birmingham on February 19 is 60. Tonight will be clear and cold… we drop into the 17-25 degree range early tomorrow morning.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A welcomed warning trend begins. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the mid 50s… then on Sunday with a partly sunny sky we rise into the mid 60s. Clouds will move in Sunday night, and showers will push into the northern part of the state late Sunday night and Monday morning ahead of a Pacific cold front. Moisture will be limited, and rain amounts will be a quarter inch or less for the northern half of the state. South Alabama won’t see much rain at all… the high Monday will be between 55 and 60 degrees.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: The weather looks dry and very pleasant Tuesday through Thursday with highs in the 60s…. a few showers will return Thursday night and Friday, but for now it doesn’t look like a big rain event. The latest CPC outlook suggests temperatures will be above average across Alabama and the eastern third of the U.S. through early March. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1884: The 1884 Enigma tornado outbreak is thought to be among the largest and most widespread tornado outbreaks in American history, striking on February 19–20, 1884.
The first tornadoes of the day touched down in Mississippi during the late morning, near Louisville and Columbus, passing into Alabama north of Carrollton. A deadly tornado touched down near Oxmoor at 1:20 p.m. This tornado roared northeast toward the new industrial town of Leeds, southeast of Birmingham. The tornado was deadliest there, killing thirteen people and sweeping away many homes.
About 2:30 p.m., what was likely an F4 tornado roared from the sky near Jacksonville in East Alabama. This would be the deadliest tornado of a very deadly day. Ten people were killed at Germania (now Piedmont). Fourteen people died at Goshen. The school at Goshen was “blown to atoms” killing the schoolmaster and injuring many of the children. The tornado killed thirty people along its thirty five mile path into Georgia. Georgia was especially hard hit. In fact, the day is still Georgia’s deadliest tornado disaster, with at least 69 fatalities from at least seventeen significant tornadoes.
The rampage would continue into the Carolinas during the late afternoon and evening hours. One of the deadliest tornadoes of the outbreak killed at least fifteen people around the community of Philadelphia, North Carolina.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
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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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