Sunny Day Ahead; Summer-Like Warmth Tomorrow Through Saturday
HELLO APRIL: We are forecasting a very nice spring day for Alabama on this first day of April; a mostly sunny sky with highs generally in the 70s. South Alabama could reach the low 08s this afternoon.
SUMMER PREVIEW: A strong upper ridge will build cross the Gulf Coast region, setting the stage for the warmest weather so far this year over the latter half of the week. Highs rise into the 85-90 degree range, right at record levels for early April in Alabama. The ridge will also help to keep showers and thunderstorms north and west of Alabama, but a few isolated showers or storms could creep into the northwest counties tomorrow night.
Here are the daily record highs for Birmingham…
April 3 87 (1999)
April 4 88 (1934)
April 5 88 (2010)
If we do reach 90 degrees on one of these days, it won’t be the earlier 90 degree temperature on record; that happened on March 21, 1907.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will be another summer-like day, with a partly sunny sky along with a high in the upper 80s. Then, the ridge breaks down, allowing showers and storms to move into the state Saturday night and Sunday. We note SPC has defined a risk of severe storms late Saturday night over the northern and western counties.
We will be much more specific about any threat of strong to severe storms later in the week; the risk will likely come late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Highs drop into the 70s Sunday with clouds and periods of rain.
SPRING CHILL: A pattern flip means much colder air for Alabama next week. Some North Alabama communities won’t get out of the 50s Monday, and lows will drop into the 30s Tuesday morning. Frost will be likely over at least the northern half of the state, with a freeze for colder spots. Most of the week will be dry… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1960: The first weather satellite, TIROS 1 (Television and Infra Red Observation Satellite,) began sending pictures back to earth. The TIROS series would have little benefit to operational weather forecasters because the image quality was low and inconsistent. The most important understanding achieved from the new technology was the discovery of the high degree of organization of large-scale weather systems, a fact never apparent from ground and aircraft observations.
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.
