James Spann: Alabama stays dry through the weekend with rising heat levels

DRY: We have no rain on radar this afternoon, and Alabama’s weather will stay rain-free through the weekend. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s tomorrow, followed by low 90s Thursday and Friday. Highs over the weekend will be in the 91-94 degree range for most communities. Expect partly to mostly sunny days and fair nights.

No sign of the pattern changing for at least the first half of next week as the dry spell continues; temperatures will remain above average. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains calm, and tropical storm formation is not expected through at least the next seven days.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday Alabama will host Wisconsin at Bryant-Denny Stadium (11 a.m. kickoff) … the sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from the upper 80s at kickoff into the low to mid 90s during the second half. It will be a hot afternoon.

Auburn hosts South Alabama Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium (11:45 a.m. kickoff) … the weather will be hot and dry with a mostly sunny sky. Temperatures will rise into the low to mid 90s during the game.

UAB hosts Akron Saturday night at Protective Stadium (7:30 p.m. kickoff) … the sky will be clear with temperatures falling into the 70s during the game.

ON THIS DATE IN 1965: Hurricane Betsy made landfall during the late night hours on September 9, 1965. It moved into a rural area of the Louisiana coastline adjacent to Houma and Grand Isle at peak intensity with winds of 140 mph.

Winds of 110 mph and power failures were reported in New Orleans. The eye of the storm passed to the southwest of New Orleans on a northwesterly track. In Thibodaux, winds of 130 mph to 140 mph were reported. The Baton Rouge weather bureau operated under auxiliary power, without telephone communication.

Levees for the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet along Florida Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward and on both sides of the Industrial Canal failed. The flood water reached the eaves of houses in some places and over some one-story roofs in the Lower Ninth Ward. Some residents drowned in their attics trying to escape the rising waters.

These levee breaches flooded parts of Gentilly, the Upper Ninth Ward, and the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as well as Arabi and Chalmette in neighboring St. Bernard Parish. President Lyndon Johnson visited the city, promising New Orleans Mayor Vic Schiro federal aid.

It was 10 days or more before the water level in New Orleans went down enough for people to return to their homes. It took even longer than that to restore their flooded houses to a livable condition. Those who did not have family or friends with dry homes had to sleep in the shelters at night and forage for supplies during the day, while waiting for the federal government to provide emergency relief in the form of trailers. In all, 164,000 homes were flooded.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.