Dry Weather Continues For Alabama; Ian Stays Far To The East
LONG DRY SPELL TO CONTINUE: Birmingham has recorded only 0.19″ of rain over the past 20 days, and the dry pattern will continue into October. We are forecasting sunny pleasant days and fair cool nights through Friday, with highs 70s and lows in the 40s and 50s.
Ian will remain well east of Alabama over the weekend, and most of the state will stay dry with a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday. A few raindrops are possible near the Georgia state line Saturday afternoon, but odds of meaningful rain there look lower as the track of Ian shifts eastward. Highs over the weekend will hold in the 70s, with lows in the 50s.
NEXT WEEK: No real change; no sign of any major rain event for Alabama. Mostly sunny days with highs in the 78-82 degree range… lows will be in the upper 50s and low 60s most mornings. See the daily Weather Briefing video for maps, graphics, and more details.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games in the state Friday night, the sky will be mostly clear with temperatures falling through the 60s.
Saturday, Alabama travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas (2:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be sunny with temperatures in the low 80s as the game begins. No risk of rain.
Auburn hosts LSU Saturday evening (6:00p CT kickoff) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from near 72 at kickoff, into the 60s during the game.
UAB will be in Houston to take on Rice (6:30p CT kickoff)… the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff into the mid 70s by the final whistle.
RACE WEEKEND: The weekend looks great for Talladega as Ian stays to the east. Expect a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid 70s.
IAN MAKES LANDFALL: NOAA Doppler radar imagery indicates that the eye of Ian made landfall along the southwestern coast of Florida near Cayo Costa around 2:05p CT. Data from an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Ian’s maximum sustained winds were estimated to be near 150 mph (category four strength). The latest minimum central pressure estimated from reconnaissance data is 940 mb (27.75 inches).
Ian will slowly weaken inland over the Florida Peninsula tonight; it will ultimately dissipate across parts of the Carolinas over the weekend.
TD ELEVEN FORMS: Tropical storm eleven has formed in the middle of the Atlantic… it will move northward and dissipate far from land in a few days. If it becomes a tropical storm, the name will be “Julia”. The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.
ON THIS DATE IN 1998: Hurricane Georges made landfall near Biloxi with maximum winds of 110mph and a minimum pressure of 964 mb. After landfall, Georges moved very slowly across southern Mississippi and weakened to a tropical depression by the morning of the 29th when the center was about 30 miles north northeast of Mobile. There was one fatality reported in the mainland United States directly related to the hurricane. That lone fatality occurred in Mobile due to freshwater flooding. In Escambia County, FL, there were 3 fatalities indirectly related to Georges. Insured property damage was estimated to have cost 2.955 billion dollars in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Throughout the area, agriculture took a beating with the cotton, soybean and pecan crop almost totally destroyed.
BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
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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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