Dry Through The Weekend; Warmer Tomorrow
COLD, DRY DAY: Temperatures are generally between 38 and 45 degrees across Alabama this afternoon with a mostly sunny sky… the average high for Birmingham on January 26 is 55. Tonight will be clear and cold with a low in the mid to upper 20s.
The weather stays dry tomorrow with a partly to mostly sunny sky… the high will be in the mid to upper 50s. Then, on Friday, clouds move into the state ahead of an upper trough and cold front. Low levels will remain very dry, and rain is not expected despite the clouds. Temperatures will likely hold in the 40s over the northern counties of the state Friday, with 50s for South Alabama.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Much colder air rolls into Alabama Friday night with a clearing sky; by early Saturday morning temperatures will drop into the 18-24 degree range. Saturday will be a sunny but cold day… many North Alabama communities won’t get out of the 30s. Then, on Sunday, after a low in the 20s temperatures rise into the 50s by afternoon with a good supply of sunshine.
NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look dry and pleasant with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s. Then, the latter half of the week looks unsettled with rain and possible thunderstorms moving into the state in the Wednesday/Thursday time frame. Some guidance suggests the air could become unstable by Thursday with strong storms possible, but too early to know if severe thunderstorms will be a possibility. Colder air returns late in the week on Friday… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1772: Possibly the greatest snowfall ever recorded in the Washington DC area started on this day. When the storm began, Thomas Jefferson was returning home from his honeymoon with his new bride, Martha Wayles Skelton. The newlyweds made it to within eight miles of Monticello before having to abandon their carriage in the deep snow. Both finished the ride on horseback in the blinding snow. The newlyweds arrived home late on the night of January 26th. In Jefferson’s “Garden Book,” he wrote, “the deepest snow we have ever seen. In Albermarle, it was about 3 feet deep.”
ON THIS DATE IN 1940: Alabama was in the midst of a long, severe cold wave. On the morning of Friday January 26, 1940, the morning low at the U.S. Weather Bureau in the Fountain Heights neighborhood of Birmingham was 1F. A Birmingham News photo showed the giant billboard thermometer at Avenue F and 24th Street stuck at 0F. The next day, Saturday the 27th, skaters took to the Black Warrior River northwest of Birmingham as the ice grew to a thickness of six inches near the banks. Nearly every building and house in the city had icicles as long as seven feet hanging from their eaves. The falling icicles were posing a serious peril. Suffering was widespread, and there was a serious coal shortage. A total of 361 people had died nationally, including three Alabamians.
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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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