Needed Rain Moves Into Northwest Alabama Tonight
RAIN GETTING CLOSER: Alabama is dry early this morning, but we are watching a band of rain and a few thunderstorms from near Dallas to St. Louis to Chicago ahead of a surface front. These showers will likely move into the northwest corner of the state late this afternoon or early tonight, then progressing slowly to the southeast through tomorrow.
The most significant rain will come across Northwest Alabama from the Shoals down to places like Russellville and Hamilton, where 1/2 to 1 inch is expected. Amounts will be much lighter near I-59 (Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Gadsden), and little if any rain is expected over the southern 2/3 of the state.
Any lingering showers should end late tomorrow afternoon, and the weather looks dry across Alabama tomorrow night through the weekend with warm days and pleasant nights. Highs will be in the low 80s Saturday and Sunday, with lows in the 60s.
NEXT WEEK: Forecast confidence is not especially high with inconsistent output from global models, but parts of the state could see some chance of rain by mid-week ahead of another surface front. If rain does fall amounts most likely will be light; highs will be around 80 Monday through Wednesday, then falling into the low 70s by Thursday and Friday. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
TROPICS: A broad area of low pressure is likely to develop over the southwestern Caribbean Sea by the end of the week. Gradual development is possible thereafter, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend or early next week while the system drifts generally northward or northwestward over the central or western Caribbean Sea.
NHC gives it a 50 percent of development over the next seven days; most global models continue to show a weak tropical low meandering around the northern Caribbean or southern Gulf of Mexico.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games tomorrow night most stadiums across Alabama will be dry with temperatures falling through the 70s, reaching the 60s by the fourth quarter.
Saturday Auburn hosts Vanderbilt at Jordan-hare Stadium (11:45a CT kickoff)… expect a good supply of sunshine with temperatures rising from near 78 at kickoff into the low 80s by the second half.
UAB will host Tulsa at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham (1:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be partly to mostly sunny with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees during the game.
Troy will host Coastal Carolina (3:00p CT kickoff); it will be a mostly sunny Saturday with temperatures falling from near 82 at kickoff into the 70s by the fourth quarter.
ON THIS DATE IN 1991: A severe winter storm, dubbed the Great Halloween Mega Storm, struck the upper Midwest. Minnesota bore the brunt of this storm. Blizzard conditions occurred with winds gusting frequently to 40 and 50 mph. By the time it was all over on November 2nd, Duluth recorded 37 inches, Minneapolis 28 inches, International Falls 18 inches and 11.2 inches in 24-hours at Sioux Falls, SD, their earliest heavy snowfall of 6 inches or more and snowiest October on record. For Duluth and Minneapolis, the snow amounts set new all-time records for the greatest amount of snow in a single storm.
Look for the next video briefing 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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