Dry/Mild Today; Rain Storms Return Tomorrow Afternoon/Night
DRY THURSDAY: With a partly sunny sky, we expect a high today in the mid to upper 70s across Alabama, about ten degrees above average for early March. Clouds will increase tonight as moisture levels rise.
RAIN/STORMS RETURN: Showers and thunderstorms will develop tomorrow afternoon, becoming widespread tomorrow night into early Saturday morning. The rain could heavy at times; NWS Birmingham has introduced a flash flood watch for the counties in their CWA (County Warning Area) across the central part of the state. Rain amounts of 1-3 inches are likely; isolated totals to 4 inches are possible.
And we note SPC has defined a “slight risk” (level 2/5) of severe thunderstorms in their “Day 2” outlook (valid through 6:00 a.m. Saturday) for areas south of a line from Tuscaloosa to Wetumpka to Union Springs. A “marginal risk” (level 1/5) is up for most of the rest of the state.
A severe weather risk is also defined for Saturday morning (after 6a CT) for the southeast counties.
This is a somewhat conditional risk; surface based instability is expected to be very limited, and mainly across the southern quarter of the state. If severe thunderstorms do develop, the main threat will come from strong gusty winds, but a brief, isolated tornado or two can’t be ruled out.
The heaviest rain and main threat for stronger thunderstorms will come from 9:00 p.m. tomorrow through 9:00 a.m. Saturday.
Rain will end from the west by mid to late morning Saturday, and by Saturday afternoon most of the state will be dry, but clouds will linger. The high tomorrow and Saturday will be near 70 degrees.
Cooler, drier air rolls into the Deep South Saturday night, and Sunday will be a sunny, cool day with a high in the 55-65 degree range across Alabama.
NEXT WEEK: At this point much of the week looks dry. We note temperatures will drop into the 30s Monday morning over the northern 2/3 of the state, and some of the colder spots could see a light freeze. Then, a warming trend is ahead for the rest of the week with temperatures reaching the 70s Tuesday through Friday.
Next chance of rain most likely will be at some point over the following weekend (March 15/16)… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1997: The worst was finally over for states hit hard by the flooding Ohio River. The river crested on the 6th at Louisville, Kentucky, 15 feet above flood stage, after topping out at nearly 13 feet at Cincinnati, Ohio, and more than 7 feet at Huntington, West Virginia.
ON THIS DATE IN 2018: A teacher was struck by lightning outside an Ocean County, New Jersey middle school during a thundersnow event.
Look for the next video briefing 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
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
