James Spann: Nice warm-up today in Alabama; showers return tomorrow

HAPPY NEW YEAR! With sunshine in full supply, we expect highs at or over 60 degrees for much of Alabama today … upper 50s are likely for the Tennessee Valley. But clouds will move into the state tonight, and we will introduce the chance of showers into the forecast tomorrow.

Rain will be fairly widespread over the northern half of Alabama tomorrow night … then by Saturday afternoon the highest coverage of rain will shift into the southern counties. We note SPC defined a low end “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms for South Alabama Saturday.

With less than impressive wind fields and meager instability, the overall threat looks low. But a few storms Saturday could produce gusty winds over South Alabama. Rain amounts with this feature will be 1/2 to 1 inch over the northern half of the state, with amounts under 1/2 inch to the south. Expect highs in the low 60s for most places Friday and Saturday.

Sunday will be a sunny day; temperatures will be a bit lower with highs in the mid 50s over North Alabama, close to 60 for the southern counties.

NEXT WEEK: The weather will be unseasonably mild with highs in the 60s and low 70s through the week. Global models suggest rain will return by Thursday night and Friday.

ROSE BOWL: It is a very messy morning in Los Angeles with rain and thunderstorms; high resolution models continue to suggest the most widespread rain will be east of Pasadena by kickoff this afternoon (3 p.m.). However, there is still the risk of a passing shower or two during the Bama/Indiana game … temperatures will rise from the upper 50s at kickoff into the low 60s by the fourth quarter.

ON THIS DATE IN 1964: After receiving 4 and a half inches of snow the night before, snow was covering the field at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, site of the Sugar Bowl on the morning of January 1, 1964. On that cold day Alabama beat Ole Miss 12-7.

The “New Year’s Eve Snow” in the Deep South also dumped an incredible 19.2 inches at Muscle Shoals (still a record for the state of Alabama), 17.1 inches of snow on Huntsville. Much of Northwest Alabama was buried under 15-17 inches of snow. Roofs and awnings collapsed under the weight of the snow. The snow paralyzed much of the area for up to three days, closing schools and businesses. Mobile picked up 2 inches. Birmingham picked up 8.40 inches of snow, the fifth biggest snowstorm in the city’s history.

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