October Arrives With Warm Afternoons

THIRD WARMEST SEPTEMBER: Based on mean temperature in Birmingham, we just experienced our third warmest September on record with a mean of 81.2 degrees. The top two warm Septembers came in 1925 (84.2) and 1921 (81.7).

WELCOME TO OCTOBER: October is the driest month of the year for most of Alabama, and usually features a wide range of temperatures. It has been as warm as 94 degrees, recorded on October 1, 1919, October 5, 1927, and October 6, 1954. And, it has been as cold as 27 degrees, measured on October 28, 1957 and October 29, 1952.

With an upper ridge hanging tough, and expected to bring unseasonable warmth to Alabama this week, here is a look at our top ten warm Octobers, based on mean temperature data at the Birmingham Airport (where records go back into the late 1800s)…

1. 1919 (74.5)
2. 1941 (72.0)
3. 1984 (71.1)
4. 2016 (71.0)
5. 1931 (69.4)
6. 1900 (69.4)
7. 1947 (69.1)
8. 2004 (69.0)
9. 1949 (68.8)
10. 1947 (68.2)

During that hot October of 1919, the high was 94 degrees on this date (October 1), and highs in the 80s continued on most days through Halloween (the high October 31, 1919 was 84). A strong upper high was parked across the southern U.S. that month that simply didn’t want to go away easily.

FYI… our latest day with a high of 90 or higher came on October 17, 1897 when the high in Birmingham was 91. And, for cool weather fans, our coolest Octobers on record were in 1987 and 1952 when the mean was 56.8.

TODAY: We are forecasting a partly sunny sky today, and scattered showers and storms are expected to form in random places this afternoon and early tonight. Chance of any one community seeing rain is in the 30/40 percent range, and the high will be in the 82-85 degree range.

REST OF THE WEEK: A very high amplitude pattern develops across North America, with a cold trough over the western U.S… and a warm ridge over the east. The ridge will be the impact player for Alabama, and this means mostly sunny days, fair nights, and above average temperatures. The high tomorrow will be in the mid 80s, followed by mid to upper 80s Wednesday through Friday. This is about ten degrees above average values for early October in Alabama.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Not much change; while the west is cold with lots of mountain snow, the ridge will keep Alabama warm and dry. Partly to mostly sunny weather Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 80s.

NEXT WEEK: Still no evident of the ridge breaking down; warm and dry for the first half of the week… but it does seem like some chance of showers and storms will return to Alabama late in the week with the approach of a cold front. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: Tropical Storm Florence is hanging around in the middle of the Atlantic, far from land. It could become a hurricane by mid-week, but it will be nearly stationary. And, over in the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Rosa will make landfall along the coast of Baja California tonight; moisture from the system will bring a threat of flooding to parts of the Southwest U.S. in coming days.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

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I have a weather program this morning at West Elementary in Cullman… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: ANC, warm

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos