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Jul 17, 2023

James Spann: Fall feel in the Alabama air tonight; scattered showers, storms return Friday

Published On: 08.30.23 | By: James Spann  A TOUCH OF FALL TONIGHT: Alabama is rain-free this afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds; temperatures are in the 80s over much of the state, with low 90s

Published On: 08.30.23 |

By: James Spann



A TOUCH OF FALL TONIGHT: Alabama is rain-free this afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds; temperatures are in the 80s over much of the state, with low 90s around Mobile. A northerly flow on the west side of Hurricane Idalia will pull down dry, continental air into the state tonight. Some of the cooler spots across north Alabama will dip into the 50s; most places will be between 60 and 65 degrees.

Thursday will be mostly sunny with lower humidity; the high will be in the 80s for the northern two-thirds of the state, with low 90s for the southern counties.

FRIDAY AND THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND: We will bring in the chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday as an upper low moves into the region. The chance of any one spot seeing rain Friday is 50-60%, and highs will remain in the 80s with an occasionally cloudy sky.

For the Labor Day weekend, most of Alabama will be dry with mostly sunny days and fair nights. The exception is the southwest corner of the state, where a few scattered showers are possible Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s for the northern half of the state, with low 90s to the south.

NEXT WEEK: A fairly quiet pattern will continue next week with only isolated afternoon showers; highs will creep back into the low 90s for the latter half of the week.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games across Alabama Friday night, a few scattered showers are possible, but most stadiums will be dry. Temperatures will fall from the low 80s into the 70s.

UAB’s opener is Thursday against North Carolina A&T at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham (7 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from 82 at kickoff into the 70s during the second half.

Auburn will host UMass Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly sunny with a kickoff temperature near 86 degrees, falling into the low 80s by the final whistle.

Alabama hosts Middle Tennessee State Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium (6:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from near 87 degrees at kickoff into the mid 70s by the end of the game.

IDALIA NOTES: Idalia is still a hurricane at midafternoon with sustained winds near 75 mph; the center is about 70 miles west of Savannah, Georgia. A hurricane warning is in effect from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Edisto Beach north to the North Carolina/Virginia border.Damaging hurricane-force winds will occur where the core of Idalia moves across southern Georgia and southern South Carolina within the hurricane warning area through this evening. Residents in these areas should be prepared for long-duration power outages. Strong winds are also expected to spread northeastward across South Carolina and North Carolina through Thursday within the tropical storm warning area.

OTHER TROPICAL ISSUES: Hurricane Franklin, with winds of winds of 105 mph, is passing north of Bermuda this afternoon. It will become post-tropical this weekend over the North Atlantic. Tropical Depression 11 is a junk system far from land in the middle of the Atlantic and will dissipate within the next 24 hours. Other than Idalia, no tropical systems are expected near the U.S. for at least the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1838: A major tornado, possibly the worst in Rhode Island history, passed south of Providence. It uprooted and stripped trees of their branches, unroofed or destroyed many houses and sucked water out of ponds. The tornado barely missed a local railroad depot, where many people were waiting for a train.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.