Rain On The Way; Dry Weekend Ahead
CLOUDS MOVING IN: An upper low, now over Oklahoma, will push clouds into Alabama today as moisture levels rise. Most of the state will still be dry, however, with highs in the mid 50s. A few patches of light rain could reach the western counties this afternoon, but most of the rain comes late tonight and tomorrow. Rain amounts of around 1/2 inch are likely, and while there could be a rumble of thunder in a few spots, no severe storms are expected across Alabama. Temperatures will hold in the 50s tomorrow, and the rain will end from west to east during the mid to late afternoon hours.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Dry air returns, and the weather will be very quiet. Partly to mostly sunny days, fair nights. Highs will be in the mid 50s, the low early Sunday will be in the 31-36 degree range.
NEXT WEEK: Very uneventful weather continues through the week. A clipper type system will pull down some colder air Monday; the high will be close to 50, and we will be a bit below freezing by daybreak Tuesday. Then, the high will rise to near 60 over the latter half of the week with mostly sunny days and fair nights. The next rain producer is most likely 7-10 days away… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday Auburn will host Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium (11:00a CT kickoff)… the sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from near 50 at kickoff, into the mid 50s by the final whistle. Then, Saturday night Alabama will travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU (7:00p CT kickoff); the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 52 at kickoff, into the upper 40s by the fourth quarter.
ON THIS DATE IN 1983: The Iron Bowl was played at Legion Field on December 3, 1983; Ray Perkins first Iron Bowl after succeeding Coach Bear Bryant. The game started in beautiful warm sunshine after a stormy night of very heavy rains that caused severe flooding in the Birmingham area. 9.22 inches of rain fell at the National Weather Service Forecast Office, which was on Oxmoor Road at the time. In the second half, a line of severe thunderstorms was approaching western Jefferson County and a tornado warning was issued. The radar at Centreville showed a well defined hook echo heading directly toward the stadium. The game was not stopped. By ten minutes to go in the game, the rain was coming down in torrents as Auburn tried to control the ball and win the game in the horrible conditions as they clung to a 23-20 lead. The rain began to fall so heavily that you could barely see the field on the cameras.
Fortunately, the storm did not produce a tornado in western Birmingham, or the results would have been catastrophic. But later, the same storm dropped an F3 tornado that heavily damaged the Winn Dixie store and Sky City at Oxford’s Blue Pond Shopping Center, killing two people. A total of seven tornadoes touched down across the state that afternoon and evening.
Auburn went on to win the game 23-20; Bo Jackson gained 256 yards rushing.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!
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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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