A Sunny, Cold Friday
COLD START: Temperatures across the northern half of Alabama early this morning are generally in the 18-28 degree range, with wind chill indices between 10 and 18. We have actually seen a few reports of light snow flurries across the Tennessee Valley in the cold air. Lingering clouds will give way to a sunny sky today, and we project a high in the 37-42 degree range this afternoon. The average high for Birmingham on January 7 is 54.
Tonight will be and cold again… most places will start the day tomorrow in the mid 20s. Then, a warming trend begins tomorrow afternoon… with a mostly sunny sky we expect a high in the mid 50s. Clouds will increase tomorrow night, and widespread rain returns to the state Sunday ahead of another cold front. Temperatures reach the 58-62 degree range Sunday afternoon, and some thunder is possible, but no severe storms are forecast. This will be a good rain event… North/Central Alabama will likely see 1-2 inches of rain, with 1/2 to 1 inch for the southern counties.
NEXT WEEK: Dry and colder weather is the story Monday and Tuesday… with a sunny sky we expect highs in the upper 40s, and lows in the 20s. Some light rain could return late in the week on Friday (January 14), but the system for now looks weak and disorganized. Bottom line is that for now we see no high impact weather events for the next 7-10 days. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1873: A blizzard raged across the Great Plains. Many pioneers, unprepared for the cold and snow, perished in the tristate region of southwest Minnesota, northwestern Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota. Visibility was down to three feet. Cows suffocated in the deep drifts, and trains were stuck for days. More than 70 people died; some bodies were not found until spring.
The following appears on pages 260-261 in the “History of Dakota Territory” by George Kingsbury. “On the 7th of January, 1873, a brother and sister of “John Foster,” aged respectively fourteen and twelve years, went a short distance from home and soon afterward a blizzard came up suddenly. The children wandered in the storm to an old sod house that stood out on the prairie and there sought shelter from the driving snow. However, as the house was roofless, it afforded but poor protection against the blizzard, and the children perished, their bodies being buried in the snow. Our subject and the father were absent from home at the time. Weeks passed, and despite continued searching, the bodies of the children were not found, but in March, a neighbor dreamed that the children were in the old house, and on the 16th of that month, their bodies were found there.”
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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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