James Spann: Alabama will see occasional showers and storms through Thursday
NEEDED RAIN: For a change we have elevated rain chances for Alabama during the next 48 hours ahead of a cold front. We have a large mass of rain and a few thunderstorms early this morning just before sunrise moving through the northern half of the state; there will be multiple waves of rain and storms through tomorrow.
SPC maintains a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms for much of North and West Alabama today, and for the southern 2/3 of the state tomorrow.
Heavier storms today and tomorrow could produce hail and strong, gusty winds. Most Alabama communities have a good chance of seeing one inch of rain between now and tomorrow night, some spots could see more. The high today will be near 90, but in the low 80s tomorrow as the front continues to push southward.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: An upper low could bring a few small, isolated showers to Alabama Friday and Saturday, but most places will be dry with a partly sunny sky along with highs in the 81–85-degree range. Sunday looks rain-free … with a good supply of sunshine temperatures reach the mid 80s by afternoon.
NEXT WEEK: For now most of the week looks dry; showers should be hard to find with a northerly flow aloft and relatively dry airmass.
TROPICS: This morning Hurricane Gabrielle, with winds of 115 mph, is about 1,360 miles west of the Azores. It is moving to the east/northeast at 25 mph and becomes post-tropical by the end of the week. We do note a hurricane warning is in effect for the Azores.
There are two tropical waves in the Atlantic with a high chance of development…
*Invest 93L is about 700 miles east of the Leeward Islands; it will turn north and not impact the U.S.
*Invest 94L is near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it will also turn northward. Most (but not all) model ensemble members keep this one east of the U.S. before it turns northeast out to sea.
No tropical storms or hurricanes are expected across the Gulf for at least the next 7-10 days.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Auburn travels to College Station to take on Texas A&M Saturday (2:30 p.m. kickoff) … the sky will be sunny with temperatures near 90 degrees during the first half, dropping back into the mid to upper 80s by the final whistle.
Alabama will play Georgia in Athens Saturday night (6:30 p.m. kickoff) … the sky will be mostly cloudy, and a little light rain or drizzle can’t be ruled out at times. Temperatures will fall through the 70s during the game.
ON THIS DATE IN 1956: Hurricane Flossy made a second landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Fort Walton Beach and Destin in Okaloosa County. Flossy was the only hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States during the 1956 Atlantic hurricane season. After making landfall, Flossy quickly weakened to a tropical storm and then extratropical as it progressed east-northeast out of the area.
ON THIS DATE IN 2005: Hurricane Rita came ashore near the Texas/Louisiana border as a category three storm with winds of 115 mph. At one point it was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Milton in 2024. In Louisiana, Rita’s storm surge inundated low-lying communities along the entire coast, worsening effects caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month prior, such as topping the hurriedly-repaired Katrina-damaged levees at New Orleans. Parishes in Southwest Louisiana and counties in Southeast Texas where Rita made landfall suffered from severe to catastrophic flooding and wind damage.
As an estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people evacuated the Texas coastline, a significant heat wave affected the region. The combination of severe gridlock and excessive heat led to between 90 and 118 deaths even before the storm arrived. According to a post-storm study, which reported 90 evacuation-related deaths, nine people perished solely as a result of hyperthermia. However, it was suspected that most of the 67 deaths attributed to heat stress were a combination of hyperthermia and chronic health conditions. In addition to the heat-related deaths, 23 nursing home evacuees were killed after a bus caught fire on Interstate 45 near Wilmer.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.