James Spann: Windy, much colder weather for Alabama today
COLD AIR IS BACK: Early this morning a cold front is moving rapidly through Southeast Alabama with a narrow band of showers and strong, gusty gradient winds. It represents the leading edge of much colder air that will invade the Deep South today.
As opposed to highs in the 70s like we have enjoyed in recent days, temperatures will settle into the 40s across most of the state today, with 30s for the Tennessee Valley. A north wind of 10-20 mph (with higher gusts) will make it feel colder. On the positive side we expect a clearing sky with sunshine returning for most places this afternoon.
Tonight with a clear sky and diminishing wind, temperatures will drop quickly, and by daybreak tomorrow most communities will be in the 20s. A freeze is possible down to the Gulf Coast. Tomorrow will be a sunny but cold day with highs ranging from the upper 30s across the Tennessee Valley to the low 50s along the coast. And, another freeze is likely early Wednesday morning with lows mostly in the 20s.
WARMER DAYS: Temperatures will trend upward over the latter half of the week, reaching the upper 50s and low 60s by Friday. Mostly sunny weather continues Wednesday and Thursday, but a wave will bring rain into the state Friday afternoon and Friday night. This feature will likely bring amounts in the 1/2 to 1 inch range before it ends early Saturday.
THE WEEKEND: The weather will trend drier Saturday afternoon, although a few lingering showers are possible over the southeast counties of the state. Sunday will be dry with a good supply of sunshine; highs over the weekend will be in the 60s for much of the state as the warm-up continues.
NEXT WEEK: At this point most of next week looks dry with seasonal temperatures; highs will be in the 60s Monday, dropping into the 50s for the rest of the week. Global models suggest some rain could return late in the week.
BIRMINGHAM BOWL: It will be a cold, windy afternoon for today’s game at Protective Stadium (1 p.m. kickoff) that features Appalachian State vs Georgia Southern. Despite a clearing sky temperatures will hover in the low 40s with a gusty north wind, making it feel colder.
ROSE BOWL: Alabama will face Indiana in the Rose Bowl Thursday (3 p.m. kickoff in Pasadena, California). The sky will be cloudy and periods of rain are likely during the game. Temperatures will rise from the upper 50s at kickoff, to the low 60s by the final whistle. While there was a little light rain during the 2023 Rose Bowl, the last time there was widespread rain during the game was in 1955 (Ohio State played USC that day).
ON THIS DATE IN 2021: Three tornadoes touched down across Alabama, including an EF-1 that moved through Winfield. Several businesses sustained roof and structural damage with windows being blown out of others. A strip mall lost a large section of its roof structure. The damage here was deemed 110 mph. The tornado was also at its widest going through downtown at approximately 300 yards wide.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.