Isolated Showers Today Over East Alabama; Cooler Sunday

A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE LATER TODAY: Clouds linger over Alabama this morning with temperatures in the 60s just before daybreak. The sky will stay mostly cloudy today, and a disturbance could bring a few isolated showers to the state, mainly over the eastern counties. Nothing heavy or really widespread… highs will be in the 67-74 degree range.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Tomorrow will be a mostly sunny, mild day with a high in the 70s. Then, on Sunday, the day will be breezy and much cooler with a high in the 50s over the Tennessee Valley, with low to mid 60s elsewhere. The sky will be occasionally cloudy, and a few sprinkles can’t be ruled out. Temperatures drop into the 40s by Monday morning.

NEXT WEEK: For now the week continues to look cool and dry with highs in the 60s Monday and Tuesday, followed by low to mid 70s over the latter half of the week. We are seeing evidence rain returns to the Deep South at some point over the following weekend (October 21-22)… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games tonight, the sky will be mostly cloudy with just a small risk of a shower. Temperatures will fall from near 70 at kickoff to the mid 60s by the final whistle.

Tomorrow, Alabama hosts Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium (11a CT kickoff). The sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from near 72 at kickoff, into the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn will be in Baton Rouge to take on LSU (6:00p CT kickoff). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from near 78 at kickoff, into the upper 60s by the final whistle.

UAB is also on the road… they will take on UTSA in San Antonio (7:00p CT kickoff). The Roadrunners play their home games at the Alamodome, so weather won’t be an issue. But for the fans headed that way Saturday will be a sunny day in San Antonio with a high in the mid 80s. It will be clear Saturday night with temperatures falling through the 70s after sunset.

TROPICS: Tropical Storm Sean, with winds of 45 mph, is a weak, sheared system about 1100 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. It is expected to dissipate far from land by Sunday night.

And, a broad area of low pressure (Invest 94L) located several hundred miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing limited and disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. However, the environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive for development of this system by early next week. A tropical depression could form by the middle of next week while it moves westward or west-northwestward at about 10 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic. NHC gives it a 60 percent chance of developing; models hint it could be near northern Leeward Islands in 5-7 days.

SOLAR ECLIPSE TOMORROW: The annular solar eclipse (the path runs from parts of South Texas to Oregon) will be visible in Alabama as a partial eclipse. For Birmingham (and most of Alabama), it begins at 10:38a CT, peaks at 12:08p CT, and ends at 1:43p CT. At the peak 57.5 percent of the sun will be obscured by the moon. For now it looks like the sky will be mostly clear during the event here… be sure and use eclipse glasses from a reputable dealer! Never watch a solar eclipse with the naked eye or sunglasses.

ON THIS DATE IN 2006: The October 2006 Buffalo storm was an unusual early-season lake effect snowstorm that hit the Buffalo, New York area, and other surrounding areas of the United States and Canada. Downtown Buffalo reported 15 inches from this event.

Just one video briefing today, but I will post fresh forecast notes here this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: ANC, cloudy, featured

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