Dry Through Mid-Week
**No afternoon Weather Xtreme video today… we are on the road**
STORM ALERT 2012: Our last stop is tonight at Pleasant Valley High School in Calhoun County… we begin at 6:30… hope to see many of you here!
The forecast discussion below is from J.B. Elliott….
WHAT A CHANGE A WEEKEND MAKES: A big turn around in our weather situation over the weekend and that turn around is most welcomed and it could not be more timely. Friday and Saturday were volatile times with numerous tornadoes all the way from Alabama to Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Some of those tornadoes were long-track storms that created a lot of damage and a lot of injuries. According to our figures, the death toll from the multi-state tornadoes is thirty something and a lot of injuries. The newspapers and other news sources are full of information about these tornadoes. Some of those stories are so sad that I hate to write about them. Probably the most moving one was tge 20-month old youngster that was carried into a large open field by one of the tornadoes. The youngster was found later, but in critical condition. Unfortunately, the mom and dad and two other siblings died also. It was decided by family members to discontinue life support in the hospital for the youngster.
THE ALABAMA STORY: Tornadoes in Alabama started hitting the ground Friday morning across the Tennessee Valley and created a lot of damage and a number of injuries. Late in the day Friday, a second line of intense thunderstorms had been building all afternoon from Louisiana and Mississippi. These started giving trouble soon after sunset. One of the most dramatic incidents late Friday night was when a tornado touched down south and west of Alexander City and moved eastward. It later lifted over Tallapoosa County. But it sure did play havoc while it was on the ground.. The tornado destroyed a number of mobile homes killing one person and injuring several others. The big tornado remained on the ground for 31 miles. It was responsible for uprooting thousands of trees and some other homes along the way. It will take a long, long time just to clean up the trees.
NOW FOR SOME NICE WEATHER: We foresee little risk of any real mean thunderstorms most of this week. We are forecasting some storms to move into Central Alabama after midnight Thursday night. The most likely time for thunderstorms will be during the day Friday. By then we will have afternoon temperatures in the lower 70s. It is way too early to speculate if these storms will be severe. At this time we do not foresee a repeat of last weekend. Meanwhile, look for some near freezing temperatures late tonight and when you get up early tomorrow morning. After that, we see cool nights and mild afternoons all the way through this weekend.
WEATHER NOTEBOOK: Revised death toll from Friday’s tornado outbreak across the Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley and Deep South is now at 39. State by state totals include 21 in Kentucky, 13 in Indiana, 3 in Ohio, 1 in Alabama and 1 in Georgia. The NWS has confirmed seven tornadoes in Alabama. Undoubtedly, advance forecasts, watches and warnings saved countless lives.
ON THIS DATE IN 1963: An afternoon tornado injured thirty five as it hopped and skipped along a path from Bessemer to Homewood to Mountain Brook. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter. I am @wxhistorian at Twitter.com.
USA NOTES: To show you how much the weather has improved, the Storm Prediction Center has only the extreme outer edge of the North Carolina Outer Banks and the southeast corner of Virginia under a slight risk today. It was 95 degrees in Fullerton, California Sunday afternoon. Cold spots this morning included 18 below zero at Pellston in Upper Michigan. It was 38 below at Arctic Village, Alaska. Valdez, Alaska has lost a few inches of snow, but is still sporting 88 inches on the ground. Good old Deadhorse was reporting a wind chill of 65 below for much of the morning.
MY TINY CORNER OF THE WORLD: We have a back porch that is completely screened in with no furniture in it. It has turned into a playground for M&M. They love to go out there and run and chase each other and also to watch people go by on the walking track. They cannot get out into the yard, so they are safe and we leave the backdoor open just in case we hear a troubling noise. After they play for 15 or 20 minutes, they will come running back in the backdoor and become airborne and land in our lap and want a rubdown. By that time they are so excited they can’t be still. Life goes on often rushing by faster than we can manage.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. A reminder we will produce this week’s show Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. CST…
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
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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