James Spann forecasts rain in Alabama today, more heavy on Wednesday from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.
Radar scan: We have mostly light rain falling across parts of western and southern Alabama this morning; Otherwise, the sky will be cloudy, with temperatures ranging between 47 and 57 degrees at the beginning of the day. The weather today will be cloudy with light rain, especially in the morning. Temperatures will rise into the 60s statewide this afternoon as significant snowmelt continues.
Rest of the week: Widespread rain is likely Wednesday, Thursday and into Friday morning. Rain may be heavy at times, and a flood warning has been issued north of the line from York to Brent to Calera to Sylacauga to Spring Garden.
2-4 inches of rain is possible between today and Saturday night across the state, with isolated amounts of 5-6 inches possible in northern counties. This could lead to some flooding.
Some strong thunderstorms will be possible in far south Alabama on Wednesday and Thursday. The most severe storms there can produce strong, gusty winds. Far southern Alabama is at a marginal risk (Level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms on Thursday. Highs will be in the 60s, with lows likely in the 70s across the southern third of the state.
Weekend in Alabama: We expect the rain to stop Friday afternoon and Friday night, but another round of rain and storms is expected on Saturday. Global models indicate that there will be some instability at the Earth's surface, and strong statewide storms are likely. It's too early to tell whether severe thunderstorms will be a problem, but it's certainly possible. High levels will remain in the 60s across much of the state, with lows in the 70s in some south Alabama communities.
Sunday will be cloudy and cool with some rain possible; Highs drop into the low to mid 50s.
next week: At this point, next week's weather looks mostly dry across the Far South with seasonally high temperatures – highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.
On this date in 1940: A winter storm dropped 9.5 inches of snow on Birmingham, the second highest snowfall on record (less than the 13 inches received during the Blizzard of '93). All roads leading into and out of the city were glazed with a thick layer of ice. Ethelsville reported 14 inches of snow. The entire country was covered. Other amounts included 9 inches in Gadsden, 7.5 inches in Anniston, 6 inches in Tuscaloosa and Decatur, 4 inches in Butler, and 3 inches in Florence. A foot of snow fell in Columbus, Mississippi.
On this date in 1969: An F4 tornado cut a 120-mile path from Jefferson through Copiah, Simpson, Smith, Scott, and Newton counties in Mississippi, killing 32 people and injuring 241 others. Property damage was estimated at $2 million. A Delta Air Lines plane reported a hook echo in its range with this storm.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.
