James Spann: Alabama will see higher rain coverage by Wednesday

CHANGES AHEAD: Alabama’s weather won’t change much today and tomorrow … on both days we will have random, scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms around like recent days. The chance of any one spot seeing rain is 20/30%, and highs will be in the low 90s. However, an approaching upper trough and cold front will bring an increase in the number of showers and storms to the Deep South by Wednesday and Thursday.

SPC has defined a “marginal risk” (Level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms for much of North and West Alabama Wednesday.

Heavier storms Wednesday could produce gusty winds and hail as they pass through. A few strong storms are possible Thursday, then the weather trends drier Friday with just a few lingering showers. Rain amounts over the northern half of the state will be in the 1-2 inch range through Thursday; South Alabama communities can expect around 1/2 to 1 inch.

Highs drop into the 80-85 degree range Thursday and Friday, close to average for late September.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: At this point most of the state looks dry with mostly sunny days and fair nights; most of North Alabama will see lows in the 50s both mornings. We will mention a small risk of a shower over the southeast corner of the state Sunday afternoon.

At this point the weather looks generally dry next week with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s.

TROPICS: This morning Hurricane Gabrielle, with sustained winds of 90 mph, is about 210 miles southeast of Bermuda. It is moving to the north/northwest at 10 mph, and will pass east of Bermuda late this afternoon and tonight. From there it heads out into the open Atlantic and is no threat to land.

There are two tropical waves that trail Gabrielle in the Atlantic, but if there is any development they should remain well east of the U.S. We see no threat of tropical storms or hurricanes across the Gulf for the rest of September. But, keep in mind the hurricane season runs through the end of November.

FIRST DAY OF FALL: The autumnal equinox is today at 1:19 p.m. … the moment when the sun crosses the equator, moving from the Northern Hemisphere into the Southern Hemisphere. Today day and night are nearly equal in length everywhere on Earth (the word equinox comes from Latin for “equal night”). In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the first day of fall, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it signals the start of spring.

ON THIS DATE IN 2006: The tristate area of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky was struck by the worst tornado outbreak in the recorded history during the month of September. One supercell produced a long-track F4 tornado across southeastern Missouri into southwestern Illinois. This tornado traveled 27.5 miles.

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