Tropical Downpours Across Alabama
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HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES THROUGH TOMORROW: A well organized, very wet weather system will impact Alabama during the next 24 hours with potential for heavy rain and some flooding problems.
The NWS in Huntsville has already issued a flash flood warning for Colbert and Lauderdale Counties in NW Alabama; a few streets in Florence are closed due to high water, and a few water rescues have been reported as well.
Additional rain amounts of 1 to 3 inches are likely, with a few spots possibly getting more. A flash flood watch is up for the Tennessee Valley of extreme North Alabama, and we sure can’t rule out some flooding issues for the rest of the state based on radar trends and the high precipitable water content of the atmosphere over our state. If you live in a flood prone area, pay attention to any flash flood warnings that are issued tonight.
SEVERE STORMS? SPC has updated their convective outlook, and now about the eastern half of Alabama is in the standard “slight risk” for tonight. There is a decent amount of helicity with this dynamic system, and despite limited instability we will have to watch for rotation signatures that become tight on radar during the night. Can’t totally rule out a tornado warning somewhere, but it shouldn’t be a major issue. The flooding is the larger concern.
TOMORROW: The heaviest rain will move east of Alabama, but the big upper trough will keep the chance of showers going through the morning hours. The rain should end from west to east during the afternoon.
COOLEST AIR SO FAR: The sky clears tomorrow night, and thanks to a full latitude upper trough we are expecting the coolest air so far this season by Wednesday morning. The NAM is printing a low of 47 for Birmingham early Wednesday, and I think it is on the money (the GFS has been way too warm over the past six months). Wednesday promises to be a splendid day with ample sunshine, low humidity, and a high in the mid 70s. Thursday morning will be cool as well, with most places winding up somewhere between 46 and 54.
Thursday and Friday will be dry with a slow warm-up; the high Thursday will be in the upper 70s, followed by low 80s Friday.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Another cold front will move through Alabama late Saturday or Saturday night as the upper trough intensifies again. A few light showers or sprinkles might be found along the front over North Alabama, but the air will be very dry, and for now any really significant rain seems unlikely. We reach the upper 70s Saturday, but on Sunday we might have a hard time getting out of the 60s with a fresh north breeze. Looks like we will see lows in the 45 to 50 degree range early Sunday and Monday as the cool air keeps coming south. The sky Sunday should be bright and sunny.
AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: We should note that fall “officially” arrives Saturday morning at 9:49 a.m. CDT… the moment of the equinox. We will have approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness as the sun will be directly over the Earth’s equator.
TROPICS: Tropical Storm Nadine is drifting northeast over the East Atlantic, and the rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet for now.
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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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