Clearing Today; Dry Through Monday
CALMER DAY: The heavier storms have moved out of the southeast corner of Alabama early this morning, and today will be a much calmer day for Alabama with a clearing sky along with highs in the mid 60s. Tonight will be clear and pretty cold for the end of March… temperatures will drop into the 35-40 degree range early tomorrow morning. Colder pockets could see a touch of light frost.
TOMORROW THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Look for mostly sunny days and fair nights. The exception is the immediate Gulf Coast where a few showers could show up Saturday. The high tomorrow will in the 65-68 degree range, followed by low 70s Saturday, and mid 70s Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: The weather will stay dry Monday, but rain and thunderstorms will return to the state Tuesday. Global models show some surface based instability available, so strong storms will be possible, but it is a little too early to define a severe weather threat. Showers could linger into part of the day Wednesday… then we will be dry and colder Thursday and Friday. There is also some evidence parts of North/Central Alabama could see a frost or freeze threat toward the end of the week… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
YESTERDAY/LAST NIGHT: As expected, it was a very rough weather day for Alabama. Tree and power line damage was reported in just about every county during the day due to strong gradient winds (not related to thunderstorms); the peak gust at Birmingham during the day was 58 mph. Many fires were started due to sparks from trees falling on power lines; those fires spread quickly due to the strong winds.
Tornadoes touched down last night in many counties, including Pickens, Marengo, Bibb, Shelby, Perry, Choctaw, Mobile, and Baldwin. NWS storm survey teams will begin their work today to determine the number of tornadoes, and their rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Some injuries were reported, but there have been no fatalities reported as of early this morning.
ON THIS DATE IN 1973: A devastating F4 tornado took a nearly continuous 75-mile path through north-central Georgia causing more than 104 million dollars damage. Athens was heavily damaged.
ON THIS DATE IN 2020: An EF-2 tornado passed through areas just south of Eufaula… the tornado intensified as it crossed Highway 431 and was captured on video, with the most significant damage occurring in the Country Club of Alabama neighborhood along the south side of Pebble Beach Drive. Large sections of roofs were removed from a few well built residences with collapse of some exterior walls. The tornado crossed the Walter F. George Reservoir along the Chattahoochee River and continued into Quitman County in Georgia.
BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.
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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
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
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