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Soaking Rains Arrive Tomorrow

| January 1, 2020 @ 6:01 am

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We begin the year with a mostly sunny, cool day across Alabama. Temperatures are near the freezing mark early this morning, but we expect a high in the mid to upper 50s later today, with 60s possible over the southern counties of the state. Clouds will roll in tonight, however, in advance of a developing storm system to the west.

SOAKING RAINS AHEAD: Rain moves into the state tomorrow, becoming widespread by afternoon into tomorrow night. The rain could be moderate to heavy at times, and a flood watch has been issued for that part of Alabama north of I-59… or north of a line from York to Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Gadsden to Fort Payne.

Rain amounts of 2-4 inches are likely in the flood watch area from tomorrow through Friday night; South Alabama will see totals of 1-2 inches. We also note SPC has a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe storms defined for the southwest corner of Alabama tomorrow, and the rest of far South Alabama Friday. A few storms there could produce gusty winds, but for most of the state it will be just a soaking rain event with little thunder and lightning.

While the heaviest and most widespread rain will come tomorrow, we will still deal with periods of rain Friday. The high tomorrow and Friday will be close to 60 over North Alabama, with temperatures approaching 70 near the Gulf Coast.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A cold core upper low will move right over North Alabama Saturday; the day will be mostly cloudy and sharply colder with temperatures holding in the 40s all day. Some patchy light rain or drizzle is possible, and we can’t rule out the chance of a few snowflakes over the northern quarter of the state due to very cold air aloft and dynamic cooling associated with the upper low. But, with surface temperatures well above freezing, there won’t be any impact if we do see a touch of snow. The sky will clear Saturday night, and by Sunday morning we drop into the 20s. The day Sunday will be sunny with a high in the 52-55 degree range.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be dry, but we will bring in a chance of rain Tuesday as a cold front passes through the state. The rest of the week looks dry with cool days and chilly nights… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For today’s Outback Bowl in Tampa (Auburn vs Minnesota; 12p CT kickoff)… the sky will be sunny with temperatures rising from the mid 60s at kickoff, into the upper 60s by the second half. Very similar weather for the Citrus Bowl in Orlando (Alabama vs Michigan; 12p CT kickoff)… a clear sky with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.

For the Birmingham Bowl tomorrow (Cincinnati vs Boston College; 2p CT kickoff), the sky will be cloudy with rain likely throughout the game. Not expecting any thunder and lightning, and there is no severe weather risk. Temperatures will hover in the 54-58 degree range.

ON THIS DATE IN 1964: Bear Bryant said later that the only thing that could have messed up his eighth ranked Alabama team’s chances in the 1964 Sugar Bowl against 6th ranked Ole Miss in New Orleans would have been if it were to snow. Well, much to his chagrin, it did snow the night before the January 1st game in the Crescent City. It snowed an amazing 4 1/2 inches.

The “New Year’s Eve Snow” in the Deep South also dumped an incredible 19.2 inches at Muscle Shoals (still a record for the state of Alabama), 17.1 inches of snow on Huntsville. Much of Northwest Alabama was buried under 15-17 inches of snow. Roofs and awnings collapsed under the weight of the snow. The snow paralyzed much of the area for up to three days, closing schools and businesses. Birmingham picked up 8.40 inches of snow, the fifth biggest snowstorm in the city’s history. And, Alabama won the game by a 12-7 margin.

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Just one Weather Xtreme video will be produced today as we remain on a holiday schedule, but I will post fresh forecast notes here this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

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

About the Author ()

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.

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