Warmest Week So Far This Year

WARM, DRY WEATHER CONTINUES: Temperatures will rise into the mid 80s across most of Alabama this afternoon with a partly to mostly sunny sky; the beginning of what should be the warmest week so far this year. Dry weather continues tomorrow with high clouds along with a high in the 80-85 degree range.

We will bring in the chance of a few showers Wednesday afternoon/evening over the northern third of the state (mainly from I-20 north), but the main dynamic support will be well to the north of Alabama, and rain amounts should be light and spotty. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high between 77 and 82 degrees.

Thursday looks like the warmest day this week with upper 80s in many areas; the day should be dry with a mix of sun and clouds.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: A surface front will approach from the northwest, and we will bring in a chance of showers on a daily basis Friday through the weekend. Rain amounts should be generally under 1/2 inch over the these three days, and no individual day will be a wash-out. But, just understand that if you have something planned outside occasional showers are likely. The high Friday will be in the low 80s, followed by upper 70s Saturday, and upper 60s Sunday as cooler air drops into the Deep South.

There could be a rumble of thunder, but no risk of severe storms Friday through Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: Drier air returns, and much of next week looks dry with a warming trend. Highs in the 70s Monday and Tuesday, followed by low 80s over the latter half of the week. We see no high impact weather event (flooding, severe storms, etc) for Alabama for the next 7-10 days… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

RACE WEEKEND: The sky will be mostly cloudy at Talladega this weekend, and we have the risk of showers both days. Understand this won’t be a wash-out, but rain delays are certainly possible for the races Saturday, and the Geico 500 Sunday. The high Saturday will be in the 75-79 degree range, followed by upper 60s Sunday.

ON THIS DATE IN 2011: The “forgotten” tornado outbreak of April 15, 2011; 45 tornadoes touched down across Alabama.

One of the large EF-3 tornadoes to strike Central Alabama on the day created a swath of damage from northeastern Greene County, just southeast of the community of Ralph, to just south of Veterans Memorial Parkway just east of Tuscaloosa in south-central Tuscaloosa County. Winds with this tornado were estimated at 140 mph, mainly uprooting and snapping trees. A few homes and businesses received damage as the twister moved north of Shelton State Community College and crossed Alabama Highway 69 near Taylorville, and crossing I-20/59 near Alabama Highway 82.

Another large EF-3 tornado struck the Myrtlewood-Pinhook communities (Marengo County) with estimated winds of 150 mph. Several dozen single-family and mobile homes were destroyed or severely damaged. One person was killed when his mobile home was tossed several hundred feet across Alabama Highway 69.

Another EF-3 tornado moved through the Boones Chapel community in northern Autauga County. This was the third one to affect the same general area for the day, but this one was a killer. Three people were killed and four were seriously injured as the tornado destroyed the manufactured home they were in. In all, at least 50 homes and one business was either destroyed or significantly damaged.

The event was “forgotten” by many due to what would happen 12 days later, on April 27, 2011, when a generational tornado outbreak would kill 252 people in Alabama.

Look for the next video briefing here by 3:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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