Record Warmth Possible This Weekend
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WARM IS THE WORD: Get ready for the warmest weather so far this year. We are starting this day with a low stratus deck over much of Alabama, with some very dense fog along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Birmingham is at 70 degrees at 5:00, which is just two degrees below the average high for April 8. We should see a few intervals of sunshine later today as the low clouds burn off, and we will maintain the chance of widely scattered showers today. A strong thunderstorm is even possible in spots as the air will be very unstable, but warm air aloft with the incoming upper ridge to the south will mean that the showers and storms should be widely spaced.
RECORDS POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND: The GFS is showing a high of 88 degrees for Birmingham tomorrow… and I fully expect Sunday to be just as warm. The record high for tomorrow is 87 set in 1965, and Sunday’s daily record is 88 set in 1995. So, this could very well be a weekend for the record books thanks to the 5880 meter 500 mb ridge. The weekend should be generally dry; the chance of any one spot seeing an afternoon shower is so small we won’t mention it in the forecast for now. The sky will be partly sunny both days… it will be more like late June instead of April.
MONDAY: The big upper low way out west will open up and lift northeast late in the weekend, dragging a surface cold through Alabama early next week. With the main dynamic lift and the surface low well to the north, severe weather chances look pretty limited, and rain should be fairly light.
REST OF NEXT WEEK: The weather looks dry and pleasant Tuesday and Wednesday, but the next round of showers and storms is due in here Thursday afternoon, Thursday night, and possibly into Friday morning. Strong storms will be possible with this feature with good upper support… too early to determine if severe weather will be a big issue. The good news is that dry air returns to Alabama the following weekend (April 16-17), which is race weekend at Talladega. Highs that weekend should be in the 70s Saturday, and close to 80 Sunday.
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Category: Alabama's Weather
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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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