Saturday Morning Thoughts
I usually stay “off the grid” on the weekend… but one of my jobs is providing accurate weather forecasts for the big college football games in Alabama, and I thought I would share a few thoughts with you here.
AUBURN: First off, there is no risk of rain for this morning’s Auburn/Tennessee game (11:00a CT kickoff)… it will be a picture perfect fall day up in Knoxville; they are reporting 44 degrees now. Should be near 50 at kickoff, rising into the upper 50s by the final whistle with a sunny sky.
ALABAMA: Alabama hosts LSU tonight in Tuscaloosa (7:00p CT kickoff), and I don’t want to foul up a forecast for over 100,000 people at Bryant Denny Stadium.
The sub-tropical jet stream is sending high altitude moisture up into the Deep South this morning…
Clouds are slowly increasing over parts of West and North Alabama at mid-morning…
And, on radar, we are seeing some scattered light rain over parts of Arkansas and Northwest Mississippi under those clouds…
So, will it rain in Alabama? I doubt it. Below is this morning’s upper air sounding from the Shelby County Airport, and note the very dry air below 15,000 feet, and especially below 5,000 feet…
BOTTOM LINE: There will be cloudy periods over Alabama this afternoon and tonight, and embedded waves in the STJ (sub tropical jet stream) will bring some very light precipitation, but because of the dry air in the low levels, most of it will evaporate before reaching the ground. But, I sure can’t rule out a few sprinkles for tonight’s Alabama/LSU game. Don’t think it amounts to much, but I just wanted you to know the potential.
The kickoff temperature will be near 54 degrees, falling into the upper 40s during the second half. The wind will be near calm.
If you are headed to the game watch for my Applebee’s Drive Home Forecast on the big screens at halftime for an update…
Category: Alabama's Weather
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
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