Bill Murray: Dry north and stormy south today
ALABAMA YESTERDAY
Yesterday featured two distinct weather patterns across the state, one in north-central Alabama and another in south-central Alabama. Much of the day was rainy in north-central Alabama, where over an inch of rain fell in Cullman, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa. Highs stayed in the upper 50s. South central Alabama, on the other hand, stayed mostly dry and cloudy, with highs reaching the mid to upper 60s.
ALABAMA THIS MORNING
Rain fell in central Alabama through the early morning hours, but skies are mostly dry right now. An exception to this is a few light showers north of Troy and south of Union Springs. Temperatures are in the low to mid 50s north and low to mid 60s south. Gulf Shores is comparatively warmer, sitting at 70 degrees. Stronger wind gusts in the upper teens to low 20s are occurring in north and south Alabama, while winds remain calmer across central Alabama. Patchy fog is present in the north as well.
The Skywatchers are reporting temperatures in the low 50s this morning.
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ALABAMA 7 DAY FORECAST
Yesterday’s pattern flips today, with north and central Alabama staying mostly dry and south Alabama gearing up for rain and storms as a cold front moves through the area. Sunday will be slightly cooler because of the front, then a warming trend takes place through the majority of next week. Another low-pressure system is expected toward the end of the week, increasing precipitation chances Thursday and Friday.
DRY NORTH AND WET SOUTH TODAY
The low-pressure system that brought rain to north Alabama yesterday is currently stationed in the middle of the state. As it moves southeast today, north and central Alabama will dry out, while scattered rain and storms develop across south Alabama, especially in the southeast. Showers are expected to begin in the south in the late morning hours and continue through the afternoon. There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe weather in the south. If storms become severe, the most concerning impacts will be damaging winds and hail, but a quick, spin-up tornado is possible. The state will be rain-free by the evening, with clouds still lingering. Highs will range from the upper 50s to low 60s north, mid 60s in central Alabama, to the low to mid 70s south.
DRY TONIGHT
As the system moves further southeast, the northern portion of the state will see skies clear overnight. Clouds will persist farther south. The clearing north will allow lows to fall to around freezing. In central and south Alabama, clouds will keep lows to the mid 30s to around 50 degrees.
COOLER SUNDAY
Clouds will continue to clear through the day Sunday, but southeast Alabama will experience stubborn cloud cover. Highs will span from the mid 50s north to the mid 60s south.
GRADUALLY WARM AND DRY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
High pressure and upper-level ridging take place at the beginning of next week, encouraging dry conditions and a warming trend. Monday, highs will top out in the 60s across the state. Tuesday, they will increase to the mid 60s north and low 70s south. By Wednesday, highs will be in the upper 60s north, low 70s centrally, and mid 70s south.
SHOWERS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
Another low-pressure system approaches the state Thursday and Friday. This will do little to impact highs, which will remain above average, but it will increase chances for rain by the end of the week. The timing of the rain will become clearer next week.
WARM (BUT STILL COLD) WYOMING
Lake Yellowstone, Wyoming, set a new record high temperature of 34 degrees yesterday. This breaks the previous record of 28 degrees set in 2006. What a cold record high temperature!
MODERATE DROUGHT FOR MAJORITY OF ALABAMA
74.39% of the state is under Moderate Drought (D1) this week. This is more than a 10% increase from last week and can be attributed to worsening drought conditions. 2.3% of the state is under no drought, a decrease of more than 3% from last week, and 10.47% is under Abnormally Dry (D1) conditions. This is more than a 10% decrease from last week. Severe Drought (D2) conditions have increased slightly by around 2% to 10.40%. Extreme Drought (D3) in southwestern Alabama remains unchanged at 2.43%, and none of the state is in Exceptional Drought (D4).
ANOTHER ATMOSPHERIC RIVER BRINGS PRECIPITATION TO WEST COAST
California will continue to get battered with heavy rain and thunderstorms through the weekend, with most of the coast in a Marginal Risk (1 of 4) and further inland in a Slight Risk (2 of 4) for Excessive Rainfall today. The threat of flash flooding is the greatest along the upslope of the Sierra Nevada through the weekend. Gusty winds are expected to impact the state as well. Heavy snow will fall in the upper elevations of the Sierra through Sunday.
The Pacific Northwest will see an uptick in rain chances this weekend as well, although precipitation will be light to moderate. Moderate and heavy snowfall will impact the Great Basin, Rockies, and Cascades into Sunday.
CLIPPER PRODUCES SNOW IN GREAT LAKES
Several inches of snow are forecast to fall downwind of the Great Lakes today before a clipper-like system produces light to moderate snowfall later Sunday. Up to 4-6 inches of snow will accumulate in the region.
ANOTHER ROUND OF WARMTH FOR MUCH OF COUNTRY
From the Interior West, Plains, to the Southeast, above-average temperatures settle in once again. Highs 30-40 degrees above normal will take place in the high plains through the weekend due to an upper-level ridge shifting eastward.
NATIONAL HIGH AND LOW
Texas is back to summer-like weather with multiple locations reaching the national high yesterday. Faith Ranch, Linn, Telferner, Hidalgo, and La Puerta all hit 93 degrees. Northumberland, New Hampshire, on the other hand, fell to the national low of –21 degrees. This gives us another mind-boggling national temperature range of 114 degrees!
UNPLEASANT BEACH CONDITIONS
Along with the chance for showers and thunderstorms on the beach today, there is a high rip current risk and high surf height of 3 to 5 feet. This means that life-threatening rip currents are likely and the waters are dangerous for everyone. Today might be better spent inside. The poor conditions will not persist for long as sunny skies and warm temperatures dominate next week’s forecast.
WEATHERBRAINS 1042
The first WeatherBrains episode of 2026 features recently retired NOAA meteorologist Peter Wolf. Wolf and the team will discuss Threat Confirmation and TV meteorologists’ role during severe weather. The episode will air on Monday, January 5th!
TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY
Jan. 3, 2000 – The Owensboro F3 Tornado
The first tornado outbreak of the new millennium arrived on January 3, 2000, producing eleven tornadoes across Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky. The most significant damage occurred in Kentucky, where one long-track supercell spawned two F3 tornadoes. This summary focuses on the Daviess County tornado that tore through Owensboro. Developing near Rome, the tornado tracked northeast across the southern end of the airport before plowing directly into the city. At its peak, the half-mile-wide twister produced estimated winds of 180 mph. Roughly 1,200 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, including 101 leveled structures and 573 with major damage. Apollo High School, Kentucky Wesleyan College, and a Winn-Dixie supermarket all sustained heavy destruction, and numerous vehicles were tossed. Eighteen people were injured, including one critically near the beginning of the path. Despite the extensive damage, no fatalities occurred.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Viewer Edward Baker submitted this photo through the AWN website of an eagle in a tree in Talladega. What a rare sight!
For more weather news and information from Bill Murray and the rest of the James Spann team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.