James Spann: nice warmup today; rain returns Thursday
COLD START: Temperatures are in the 20s across most of Alabama early this morning. A few spots have dipped into the teens:
Gadsden 17
Margaret 18
Fort Payne 19
Expect a nice warm-up today with a sunny sky; temperatures will be in the 50s this afternoon; some South Alabama communities will reach then low 60s. With a mix of sun and clouds tomorrow the high will be in the 54-64 degree range; a few spotty showers could show up as moisture levels begin to rise.
RAIN RETURNS: An approaching cold front will bring period of rain to the state Thursday and Thursday night; a few thunderstorms will be possible as well. The day will be mild for December with highs mostly in the 60s; rain amounts will be around 1/2 inch.
Friday will be mostly sunny and colder with highs between 44 and 54 degrees. A freeze is likely for the northern half of the state by daybreak Saturday morning.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will be a sunny day with highs ranging from the upper 50s over North Alabama to the upper 60s near the coast. The sky becomes mostly cloudy Sunday, and we will mention a chance of scattered showers during the day, but nothing really heavy or widespread. Sunday’s high will be in the 60s statewide; a few places across South Alabama will touch the 70 degree mark.
CHRISTMAS WEEK: A ridge expanding into the Deep South from the Gulf will bring above average temperatures through the week, with highs mostly in the 60s, and lows in the upper 40s and low 50s. A few isolated showers are possible early in the week … at this point Christmas Day looks dry.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Tonight Troy and Jacksonville State will battle in the Salute To Veterans Bowl at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery (8 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling through the 40s.
Alabama will be in Norman to take on Oklahoma in the first round of the college football playoffs Friday (7 p.m. kickoff) … the sky will be clear with temperatures falling from the mid 50s at kickoff, to near 50 by the final whistle. It will be a windy at times with a south wind averaging 12-22 m.p.h.
ON THIS DATE IN 2000: An F4 tornado tore through the southern part of Tuscaloosa, killing eleven people and injuring over 100. Nine of the fatalities occurred in mobile homes, one in a vehicle, and one in a commercial building converted to residential use. Ages of those fatalities ranged from 16 months to 83 years old. The tornado was on the ground for a total of 18 miles, all within Tuscaloosa County. The tornado path was estimated to be 750 yards wide at maximum intensity.
There was an excellent warning for the tornado; a warning was issued at 12:40 p.m. on that deadly Saturday, 14 minutes before the twister first touched down in a rural area southwest of Tuscaloosa near the Black Warrior River. The tornado crossed Alabama 69 near Shelton State Community College and Hillcrest High School, destroying a shopping center and many homes. The Bear Creek Trailer Park was hit, where many of the deaths occurred. The tornado moved to the east/northeast, south of Skyland Boulevard, and finally crossed I-59/20 near the Cottondale exit.
Later in the day, the same parent storm dropped an F3 tornado which stuck the Coats Bend region of Etowah County, near Gadsden, destroying 250 homes and injuring 14 people. Like the Tuscaloosa tornado, excellent warnings were issued by the National Weather Service long before the damage occurred.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.