Record Warmth Today/Tomorrow; Much Cooler Friday

NEW RECORDS LIKELY TODAY AND TOMORROW: We are projecting highs in the 87-90 degree range across North/Central Alabama both days, and a very good chance we establish new daily record highs. The record high for Birmingham today is 86 set in 1947… and tomorrow’s record is 88 set in 1938.

Interesting to note we have not set a new daily record high during the month of October since 1984.

Expect a good supply of sunshine today; tomorrow will be partly sunny, and we will mention the chance of isolated showers or storms tomorrow afternoon over the northern third of the state. Nothing widespread or especially heavy.

BIG CHANGES LATER THIS WEEK: A cold front will bring showers and storms to Alabama late Thursday and Thursday night. Global models have trended faster, and it now looks like the main window for showers and thunderstorms will come from 6:00 p.m. Thursday to 2:00 a.m. Friday. We note the guys at SPC have introduced a “marginal” severe weather risk for North Alabama Thursday night…

A few storms Thursday evening could produce small hail and gusty winds, but with limited instability and dynamic support, I don’t think we have a big issue with severe storms.

Unfortunately rain amounts won’t be too heavy, and this certainly won’t be a “drought buster”. Most North Alabama communities will see under 1/2 inch of rain, and a good chance South Alabama will wind up with nothing in the rain bucket.

Much cooler air flows into the state on Friday; the sky becomes mostly sunny, and we won’t get out of the 60s with a fresh north breeze of 10-20 mph.

FINE FALL WEEKEND: Coldest morning will come early Saturday with most places dropping into the 38-42 degree range, the coldest so far this season. There is a chance colder pockets across North and Central Alabama could actually see a little light frost. Saturday and Sunday will feature sunshine in full supply; the high Saturday will be in the upper 60s, followed by mid 70s Sunday. Doesn’t get much better.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For high school games Friday night, it now looks like the sky will be mostly clear, and temperatures will be cool, falling through the 50s. You will need a jacket this week.

Alabama will host Texas A&M Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium (2:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be sunny; 68 degrees at kickoff, falling into the upper 50s by the final whistle.

Auburn hosts Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday evening (5:00p CT kickoff)… the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from near 67 degrees at kickoff, into the upper 50s by the end of the game.

RACE WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA: It now looks like rain will end during the pre-dawn hours Friday; the sky becomes sunny during the day, and it will be breezy and much cooler with a high in the 60s. Expect a bright sunny sky Saturday and Sunday with fantastic temperatures; the high Saturday will be close to 68, followed by a high of 75 Sunday. Temperatures will drop to near 40 degrees early Saturday morning at the Superspeedway.

NEXT WEEK: For now the weather looks dry and pleasant with highs mostly in the 70s, and lows mostly in the 40s and 50s. Still no sign of a big rain event. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

AT THE BEACH: Mostly sunny days and fair nights on the Gulf Coast through the weekend. Highs in the 80s through Thursday, dropping into the 70s Friday and over the weekend. See a very detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

TROPICS: Nicole has become “post tropical” in the North Atlantic… and a few disturbance east of the Bahamas could develop into a depression soon, but it should remain east of the U.S. as it moves generally northward.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. Scroll down for the show notes on the new episode we recorded last night.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram

I have a weather program this morning at Leeds Elementary School… be looking for my next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: ANC, warm

Category: Alabama's Weather