James Spann: Alabama’s weather filled with hot afternoons, pleasant nights with a dry pattern
RADAR CHECK: We actually have a cluster of showers and thunderstorms early this morning over West Alabama, dropping southward through parts of Fayette, Lamar, Tuscaloosa, and Pickens counties just before daybreak. The rest of the state is dry with temperatures in the 60s.
The showers over West Alabama will dissipate soon after sunrise, and the day will be mostly sunny with a high in the 88-92 degree range. The chance of any one spot seeing a shower this afternoon is less than 10%. No change for the weekend; sunny days, fair nights, highs in the low 90s. Showers will be almost impossible to find.
NEXT WEEK: The dry pattern continues through the week with highs remaining in the low 90s. Showers remain very scarce.
TROPICS: A tropical wave located near the west coast of Africa is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the far eastern Atlantic. Environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this system over the next several days. A tropical depression could form during the early to middle part of next week while it moves westward to west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
NHC gives it a 40% chance of development; if anything forms it will most likely gain latitude and turn north into the open Atlantic. No tropical storms or hurricanes are expected across the Gulf for at least the next 7-10 days.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Tomorrow 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 90s during the second half. It will be a hot afternoon.
Auburn hosts South Alabama tomorrow 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 90s during the game.
UAB hosts Akron tomorrow 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 1979: Hurricane Frederic made landfall at about 10 p.m., passing over Dauphin Island and crossed the coastline near the Alabama/Mississippi border. A wind gust of 145 miles per hour was measured on equipment atop the Dauphin Island Bridge. The bridge was destroyed. A wind gust of 139 mph was measured at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab before the equipment failed.
At landfall, Frederic was a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale, raking the Mobile Bay area with winds gusting from 100-145 mph for several hours on the evening of September 12 through the early morning of September 13. Hurricane wind gusts were experienced as far inland as Choctaw County during the early morning hours of September 13.
A storm surge of 12 feet was observed in Gulf Shores. Nearly all structures within 200 yards of the Alabama coast were destroyed. There were only two fatalities as a direct result of Frederic. Total damages were $2.3 billion, making Frederic the most expensive hurricane ever to strike the United States up to that point.
Frederic was the first hurricane to directly strike Mobile since 1932.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.