James Spann: mostly dry weekend; very cold Monday/Tuesday
RADAR CHECK: Showers and a few thunderstorms persist across Southeast Alabama this afternoon … the rest of the state is dry with temperatures mostly in the 70s.
A line of showers and storms will move into the Tennessee Valley tonight ahead of a surface front. A few strong storms are possible; The Storm Prediction Center maintains a low end “marginal risk” of severe thunderstorms, but with only modest instability and weak wind fields the overall threat is low. Heavier storms across the Tennessee Valley tonight could produce small hail and gusty winds; the storms will weaken as they move southward after midnight.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Most of the weekend will be dry. We will mention the chance of a few small, isolated showers tomorrow, but the chance of any one spot seeing rain is only 15-20 percent. The weather stays mild with a high in the 70s. An Arctic front mill race through the state early Sunday, but with limited moisture showers along the front will remain hard to find.
There will be a huge temperature spread across the state Sunday as the coldest air so far this season rolls into the state. By afternoon temperatures will range from the 40s across the Tennessee Valley to the 70s over the southern quarter of the state. A brisk north wind will develop behind the front.
COLD! Monday will be a cold, blustery day with highs only in the 40s over the northern two-thirds of Alabama. A few snow flurries are likely over the northeast corner of the state, mainly over Madison, Jackson, Marshall, DeKalb, and Cherokee counties (no accumulation or impact). Some communities across the Tennessee Valley won’t get out of the 30s.
A freeze is likely pretty much statewide early Tuesday morning with a clear sky and light wind. Lows will be in the 20s for most places; a few colder spots over North Alabama could reach the upper teens. Mid 30s are likely all the way down to the Gulf Coast.
The rest of the week looks dry with a warming trend; highs will be in the low 70s by the end of the week… See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains quiet and tropical storm formation is not expected for at least the next seven days.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Tomorrow Auburn plays Vanderbilt in Nashville (3 p.m. kickoff) … with a partly to mostly sunny sky temperatures will fall from the low 70s at kickoff into the upper 60s by the final whistle.
Alabama will host LSU tomorrow night at Bryant-Denny Stadium/Saban Field (6:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly cloudy, and we will mention just a small risk of a passing shower during the game. Temperatures will fall slowly through the 60s.
ON THIS DATE IN 1957: A historic tornado outbreak impacted southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Ten people were killed.
ON THIS DATE IN 2001: Typhoon Lingling struck the southern Philippines, killing 171 people with 118 missing in Camiguin. The typhoon then struck Vietnam five days later, killing an additional 18 people.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.