A COLD START BUT A NICE MONDAY AHEAD
After morning temperatures starting off in the mid to upper 20s across Central Alabama, your Monday will be an absolutely beautiful day with mild temperatures. Afternoon highs will be in the 60 to 66 degree range across the area under sunny skies. Clear skies and cold once again for the evening and overnight hours, with lows dipping down into the 25 to 32 degree range for most across Central Alabama, with a few colder spots possibly reaching the upper teens to the low 20s.
BIRMINGHAM’S CLIMATOLOGY AND RECORDS
The normal high for November 21st is 63, while the normal low is 40. The record high for today was set back in 1900 at 81. The record low was set back in 1937 at 22.
NO OUTDOOR BURNING AT ALL
A Drought Emergency continues in effect, banning any outdoor burning for the northern two-thirds of the state. A Fire Alert remains in effect for the whole state. Click here for more information. According to the latest drought monitor data, over 65% of Alabama is now classified under an “exceptional” or “extreme” drought condition, which is 13% more of the state than this time last week. Be sure to conserve water as well, as the Birmingham Water Works remains in a “Stage 4 Drought Emergency.”
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR TUESDAY
It will be another day featuring a cold start, but warming very nicely under sunny skies. Afternoon highs will be in the 66 to 72 degree range across the area. A few clouds will start to roll in over the northwestern parts of Central Alabama after midnight, and skies will become partly to mostly clear. Overnight lows will be quite warmer, only dropping into the 37 to 42 degree range for the eastern half of the area, and in the 43 to 47 degree range in the western half.
THE NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA
A low pressure system will be over the Eastern Iowa area on Wednesday morning, and will be dragging a front along with it to the south and west. A band of showers and a few thunderstorms will be crossing Mississippi, but will become weaker as it makes its way into the state. Time frame for showers across Central Alabama will be from around 8AM to 6PM, and rain amounts from the latest run of the GFS is painting about 3/10ths of an inch for the Birmingham area, with slightly heavier amounts up to 1/2 inch for the northwestern parts of the area. Not a drought-busting rain by any means, but we will take what we can get. Afternoon highs will be in the mid 60s to the low 70s for most of the area, with low 60s for the northwestern parts of the area. Hopefully, everyone in Central Alabama will get some precipitation on Wednesday.
THANKSGIVING DAY AND BLACK FRIDAY
A mix of sun and clouds for the beginning of “Turkey Day” before clouds start to thin out for the later part of the day. Rain will be gone, and afternoon highs will be in the mid to upper 60s for most, with a few low 70s in extreme southern portions of Central Alabama. “Black Friday” will start off rather chilly under mostly clear skies and temperatures in the mid 30s to the low 40s, before warming nicely under sunny skies and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 60s for most, with a few low 70s in extreme southern portions of Central Alabama.
THE WEEKEND AHEAD
“Iron Bowl Saturday” will be an absolutely beautiful day across Central Alabama with mostly sunny skies, and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 60s across the area, with low 60s for locations in the northwestern part of the area. Kickoff for the Iron Bowl will be a 2:30PM CST, and the temperature will be near 65, and dropping into the upper 50s by the final whistle. Sunday will start off with sunny skies, but clouds will start to move in during the evening and overnight hours. Afternoon highs will be in the 60s across the area.
ANY RAIN CHANCES OUT THERE IN “VOODOO LAND?”
The latest run of the GFS has some rain falling across the area during the day on Monday the 28th, with rain totals less than 1/2 inch for most in Central Alabama. The system that is expected to move through later in the week on Wednesday night and Thursday morning has a impressive look to it, as far as rainfall. According to this run, Birmingham could receive up to 1.5 inches, while some places just a few miles south and southwest of town receiving up to and possibly over 4 inches. Now that is some rain we can use. The image above is total expected rainfall between now and Thursday Dec. 1st at 6PM. Bring it on.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE BEACHBOUND
Maximum sunshine for your Monday and Tuesday on the coast from Ft. Morgan to Panama City Beach, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 30s. Mostly cloudy skies and a few showers are possible on your Wednesday, before mostly sunny skies return for the rest of the week. Highs will be in the 70s with lows mostly in the 50s.
UPDATE ON THE TROPICS
A little better organization and environment that is conducive for additional development has allowed the National Hurricane Center to give this well-defined low pressure area over the extreme Southwestern Caribbean Sea an 80% chance of forming into a tropical depression within the next 24 to 48 hours. Good news is that it is holding stationary at this point, and should not be a threat to the U.S. Mainland. It is forecasted to move into Central America around Belize and Honduras. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be Otto. The rest of the Atlantic Basin is quiet.
ON THIS DAY IN 1985
Hurricane Kate made landfall during the evening hours near Mexico Beach, FL. Wind gusts to 100 mph were reported at Cape San Blas FL. It was the latest known hurricane to hit the U.S. so far north.
Central Alabama Weather 