RADAR CHECK: We have a few lingering showers over parts of East and South Alabama this afternoon, but the sky has cleared over the northern quarter of the state. Showers will end this evening, and the sky becomes mostly fair statewide late tonight. Temperatures drop into the 30s and 40s early tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow and Friday are looking dry and pleasant with highs generally in the 60s; some South Alabama communities could reach the low 70s again by Friday.
WET WEEKEND: A dynamic system will bring a soaking rain to Alabama and the Deep South this weekend. New model guidance suggests the rain window for the most widespread rain will come from around 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday. Rain amounts of 1-2 inches are likely.
While a thunderstorm is possible over South Alabama over the weekend, we are not expecting severe thunderstorms at this point thanks to a relatively stable airmass in place.
NEXT WEEK: The first half of the week will be dry; a few spotty showers could return by Thursday or Friday. Spring-like weather continues with highs in the upper 60s and 70s. Some South Alabama communities could reach the low 80s by mid-week. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.
ON THIS DATE IN 1959: St. Louis, Missouri, was hit by a massive F4 tornado that killed 21 and injured 345. Over 2000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the St. Louis Arena.
ON THIS DATE IN 1981: A morning tornado at Bay Minette struck the local middle school severely damaging the gymnasium. The tornado hurt 62 people were injured, 44 of whom were students.
ON THIS DATE IN 2013: A large multiple-vortex EF-4 tornado devastated the cities of West Hattiesburg, Hattiesburg, and Petal, Mississippi. The tornado was one of eight that touched down in southern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama that day. It reached a maximum path width of 0.75 miles in its path through the Hattiesburg area and reached estimated maximum sustained winds of 170 mph in the Oak Grove neighborhood of West Hattiesburg. It destroyed many structures and impacted University of Southern Mississippi and two high schools. Two EF1 tornadoes touched down across Washington and Clarke Counties in Alabama. These tornadoes removed roofs from homes, severely damaged a few mobile homes, and downed many trees, including numerous pine trees that were snapped.
Look for the next video briefing here by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow…
